One of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century, Frank Sinatra is not only considered one of the greatest actors to ever grace the silver screen but also an icon in the music industry. The actor-singer has numerous accolades under his name, including eleven Grammys. Among many of his works, Sinatra would also go on to record covers of Elvis Presley’s hit Love Me Tender, along with Paul Simon’s Mrs. Robinson.
And Simon was not too pleased with the Guys and Dolls star’s cover of his song. The singer opened up about his initial reaction to Sinatra’s cover and how Warner Bros. got embroiled in the matter in a recent interview.
Paul Simon Expressed Discontent With Frank Sinatra Covering His Song
A year after the 82-year-old singer released the hit single Mrs. Robinson, Frank Sinatra released his cover of the song with some changes to the lyrics. And Simon has recently admitted that he was not a fan of Sinatra’s cover at first.
During a Q&A session at the MGM+ premiere of Alex Gibney’s docuseries In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon, he was asked if he knew the Ocean’s 11 star. And the Grammy-winning singer replied, “I met him once.”
He shared that the meeting was “interesting” as the late actor had covered one of his songs, Mrs. Robinson. “And he changed the lyric[s],” he recalled as he explained that he was not very pleased with the alterations made by Sinatra. Simon told Stephen Colbert during the Q&A, as per People
“They were fantastic, but when I first heard it, it was like, ‘man, ring a ding, ding you Mrs. Robinson, Jesus loves you more,’ and this is in the sixties, and I said, ‘He can’t do that.'”
The Graceland singer shared that he was not on board with the idea and was fixated on “stopping the record.” Despite Sinatra’s assertion that he “can’t stop a Frank record,” Simon was hell-bent as he claimed that no one even asked for his permission. The dispute between them later caused Warner Bros. to intervene and sort out the matter.
Warner Bros. Had to Intervene Between the Musical Legends
Paul Simon further recalled during the conversation that after he threatened to take action against the late actor-singer, Warner Bros. intervened to sort things out. He shared that after his confrontation with Sinatra, he received a call from a studio executive, who took responsibility for alterations and pleaded for leniency.
“And so a guy from Warner Brothers called me up and said, ‘Please don’t do this. It’s my fault I did it. Please don’t do this to me,’ he recalled. And Simon eventually changed his mind. “So I said, ‘Okay,'” he shared. Over time his attitude towards Sinatra’s cover also changed.
He admitted that he “fell in love with that record,” and expressed his appreciation for Sinatra’s work, noting that his cover of the hit song Mrs. Robinson became a staple in his post-concert music lineup. In Restless Dreams shares a comprehensive look at the singer’s illustrious seven-decade music career. It is set to premiere on MGM+ on March 17, 2024.
