Who wrote the Sinatra song "It Was a Very Good Year"?

Who wrote the Sinatra song “It Was a Very Good Year”? Ervin Drake wrote it.

Drake composed both the words and music in 1961, reportedly after a publisher asked him to create a solo song for Bob Shane of the Kingston Trio. Shane recorded it for the group’s album Goin' Places, making that version the song’s original release. Drake wrote the piece quickly, drawing on an idea that compared the stages of life with the character of different wine vintages.

Frank Sinatra encountered the song through the Kingston Trio recording and recorded it in 1965 for September of My Years. Gordon Jenkins arranged and conducted Sinatra’s orchestral version, but he was not the songwriter. That distinction explains why names such as Jenkins, Sammy Cahn, and Jimmy Van Heusen can cause confusion in Sinatra trivia.

Sinatra’s rendition became a major late-career success. It won the Grammy for Best Male Vocal Performance at the 1966 ceremony, reached number one on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart, and peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100.