# Remember When a Glam Metal Icon Covered a Frank Sinatra Song With Surprising Success in 1986?

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/remember-when-a-glam-metal-icon-covered-a-frank-sinatra-song-with-surprising-success-in-1986/
- Published: 2026-11-02T22:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-02T22:15:32+00:00
- Original publisher: American Songwriter
- Original article: https://americansongwriter.com/remember-when-a-glam-metal-icon-covered-a-frank-sinatra-song-with-surprising-success-in-1986/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- Roth covered Sinatra’s “That’s Life” on his 1986 solo album.
- The single was not a hit for Roth.
- Sinatra’s version spent three weeks at the top of the charts.

## Summary

In 1986, David Lee Roth recorded a glam metal take on Frank Sinatra’s “That’s Life” for Eat ’Em and Smile, his first solo album after leaving Van Halen. The cover connected a classic song with Roth’s new solo direction, which had grown out of the success of his earlier covers EP.

Roth’s 1985 EP Crazy from the Heat featured four covers, including “California Girls”, and helped prompt his decision to pursue a solo career. His “That’s Life” single did not become a hit, though “Yankee Rose” and “Goin’ Crazy” did; two years later, “Just Like Paradise” became his only solo No. 1. Sinatra’s 1966 recording topped the charts for three weeks, after O.C. Smith’s 1967 version brought the song to his attention; songwriter Dean Kay recalled that Sinatra needed a second take, adding extra bite to the performance.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.