ENCHANTED EVENING by Sandy Bateman sandybateman@msn.com
Two or three days after my parents had been to a concert that featured Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra and Liza Minnelli, we were in the car listening to the radio. My Dad, who was not one for really paying attention to any of the music at the time, suddenly turned the radio up and said to Mom "It’s that song that Sammy Davis Jr. introduced, "Music of the Night" and he began to sing along with it.
It is one of the most powerful songs from the play by Andrew Lloyd Webber titled "PHANTOM OF THE OPERA" and at that time, was sung on stage by Michael Crawford.
My Dad became totally enchanted with that song and from that time on, every time he would hear it, he would turn up the radio and sing along with it or if he was sitting in his favorite chair at home, he’d put a hand over half his face and sing along as he ‘d pretend to be THE PHANTOM.
He had a silly sense of humor and the "hand mask" was just a part of it and how he reacted to the song in general. He never actually said if it had a special meaning for him or not, just that he liked the song.
I had bought them the tickets for the show because both my parents were Sinatra fans and it was one of the last concert tours that both Frank and Sammy ever did, either together or separately. They were performing at an area concert center and I knew that it would be the best chance that my parents would have to see all three performers at once.
We have many versions of the song on Cassettes but none affected my Dad like the version that Sammy Davis Jr. sang that night.
Sadly, my Dad passed away nearly five years ago and although we miss him greatly, every time we hear that song, my Mom and I go "There’s Dad’s song" and listen to it with fond memories.
"MUSIC OF THE NIGHT" will always hold special meaning for us because every time he heard it, it made my Father happy.