French Foreign Legion

My mother loved Sinatra.  She was the right age for that, born in 1930.

I learned the song from this album, and sang it at the choir banquet in around 1964, the only child who had the effrontery to step forward when Mrs. Powers asked for volunteers.

The lyrics are sort of whiny, aren't they? This guy doesn't sound like he's going to go and do anything really strenuous like join a military unit known at the time for its willingness to endure hardship. "Empty threat Richard," says the fair lass who has rejected his proposals three times already. "Sod off."

On the plus side, the song does illustrate a little noticed but important Sinatra characteristic, which one would notice only if one were a singer themselves: he displays an ability to effortlessly hit difficult intervals smoothly, cleanly.