Frank Sinatra's Songs Can Be Really Creepy

One of the greatest artists of the 1950s was Frank Sinatra who mostly sang love songs. Usually, these would all be very sweet songs, but if you think about them as if you were Humbert, then they can easily be twisted into something more sinister.

“Come Fly with Me” by Frank Sinatra (1957)

This song is obviously an innocent love song about running away with your lover, but it can also be taken to be a bit creepy when you listen to it from Lolita’s or Humbert’s perspective. The lyrics are “Once I get you up there/I’ll be holding you so near/You might hear/ All the angels cheer because we’re together” which is normally quite sweet, but it’s reminiscent of how Humbert ran away with Lolita after her mother died. Humbert may have listened to this song and felt inspired to kidnap Lolita so they could be together forever. Though any normal person wouldn’t take this song like that, someone who clearly has mental issues can get this message out of the song. 

“I’ve got you under my skin” by Frank Sinatra (written by Cole Porter in 1936, but sung by Sinatra initially 1946 on a radio show but became popular in 1953)

This song is again a love song about how a woman can never leave a man’s mind. Sinatra sings, “I'd tried so, not to give in/ I said to myself this affair it never will go so well/ But why should I try to resist when baby I know so well/ I've got you under my skin” and “I'd sacrifice anything come what might/ For the sake of having you near/ In spite of a warning voice that comes in the night/ And repeats, repeats in my ear” which reminds me of how Humbert was trying to control his feelings towards Lolita because deep down he knew that this relationship is inappropriate. Humbert was trying to justify his relationship with Lolita throughout the book, but in the end, he was willing to sacrifice his potential imprisonment to have a relationship with Lolita.

“They Can’t Take that Away from Me” by Frank Sinatra (1955)

·     This song is about the memory of a girl never leaving a man’s mind. It says, “The way you wear your hat/ The way you sip your tea/ The memory of all that/ No, no they can't take that away from me” and “The way your smile just beams/ The way you sing off-key/ The way you haunt my dreams/ No, no they can't take that away from me” which is similar to how Humbert was almost haunted by Lolita. When she left for camp, he was still thinking of her and fantasizing about her. Humbert loved everything about Lolita even though he didn’t like women. No one could take her memory away from Humbert because she was literally made up in his head to be something that she’s not. He imagined her to be perfect even though he was really repulsed by her. He was only in love with the little girlness about Lolita where she wasn’t perfect or proper.

“You Make Me Feel so Young” by Frank Sinatra (1953)

This song is about how love can cause people to feel like they are children even when they aren’t. The song states, “You and I/ We're just like a couple of tots/ Running around the meadow/ Pickin' up all those forget-me-nots” which is like how Humbert was almost referring to himself as though he was younger than he actually was. Thinking this way made him feel like his relationship with Lolita isn’t as creepy as it truly is because he had convinced himself that he wasn’t that much older than Lolita even though they had a large age difference. Sinatra also sang, “You make me feel so young/ You make me feel there are songs to be sung/ Bells to be rung/ And a wonderful fling to be flung” which reminds me of when Humbert was singing while he was masturbating about Lolita. This song overall could make Humbert think that what is is doing can bring him pleasure and be a good thing instead of realizing what a sick human being he is for taking advantage of a young girl.