聽 “It Was a Very Good Year”

這首歌的詞與曲是1919年出生於紐約的 Ervin Drake 寫的。

Drake 說，1961年的某晚，音樂出版社的朋友告訴他，次日一早會在辦公室約見 Kingston Trio 的 Bob Shane，要他寫首歌給 Shane 來唱。

寫這首歌，他只花了十分鐘，當然，其中人生好比美酒的借喻，並不是一蹴而得的。

在 2009 年一次訪談中，Drake 曾透露說 Frank Sinatra 因在汽車收音機中聽到了這首歌，後來就把它錄進了 1965 年發行 September of My Years 的專輯唱片中，他那帶有憂鬱和內省的表達方式，在 1966 年排行榜中名列前十，並獲當年 Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance, Male.

羅比．威廉斯在 ROBBIE WILLIAMS LIVE AT THE ALBERT 也唱了這首歌，並將 Frank Sinatra 的錄影片段作為現場背景，以示尊崇與懷念。

When I was seventeen, it was a very good year
It was a very good year for small town girls and soft summer nights
We'd hide from the light on the village green
when I was seventeen
village green = a village park consisting of a plot of grassy land.

17歲時，夏夜在樹叢陰暗處，與鄉下姑娘們躲迷藏。

When I was twenty-one, it was a very good year
It was a very good year for city girls who lived up the stair
With all that perfumed hair and it came undone
when I was twenty-one
hair came undone = The girls had their hair pulled up or arranged in some way, and their hair 'came undone' while they were being amorous. Whatever clips or pins were holding their hair in place fell out and their hair became disarranged and hung down.

21歲時，樓上的都市女郎們，秀髮飄香，梳裹全散。

When I was thirty-five, it was a very good year
It was a very good year for blue-blooded girls of independent means
We'd ride in limousines. Their chauffeurs would drive
when I was thirty-five
blue blood = an aristocrat, noble, or member of a socially prominent family.
independent means = income that is not earned by working.

35歲時，與高貴的富家女們，坐她們有司機開的豪華大轎車。

But now the days are short, I'm in the autumn of the year
and now I think of my life as vintage wine from fine old kegs
From the brim to the dregs, it poured sweet and clear
It was a very good year
vintage wine = a wine, usually of superior quality, made from selected grapes of a certain type, region, and year, then dated and usually stored for aging.
keg = a small cask or barrel, usually holding from 5 to 10 gallons (19 to 38 liters).

時光似箭，日月如梭，如今年華已秋；自忖此生，有如一甕陳年好酒，自浮面至甕底都香醇洌清。

👀1st RECORDING OF: It Was A Very Good Year - Kingston Trio (1961)

👀Frank Sinatra - It Was A Very Good Year

👀Robbie Williams - It Was a Very Good Year - Live at the Albert – HD