Love and Marriage

Sung by "The Voice," Frank Sinatra

Can something be lighthearted and serious at the same time? Of course! And Sometimes a Song proves my case, as it does this week with a delightful tune by four-time Academy Award “Best Original Song” winner, Jimmy Van Heusen (lyrics by Sammy Cahn). You may have heard some of Mr. Van Heusen’s wonderful songs, such as two of his Academy Award winners, “Swinging on a Star” (from Going My Way) and “High Hopes” (from A Hole in the Head). But today’s Van Heusen gem is “Love and Marriage,” recorded by the incomparable Frank Sinatra in 1955. “Love and Marriage” was not one of Mr. Van Heusen’s Academy Award winners, but it did receive the unique honor of being chosen for The Christopher Award, given each year for a work which meets three criteria: “artistic and technical proficiency, significant degree of public acceptance, and affirmation of the highest values of the human spirit.” I love the song, and I hope you will, too. Here’s three cheers for “Love and Marriage!”