Parenting

Father And Son Go Viral With Pitch-Perfect Sinatra Duet

by Mike Julianelle
Image via YouTube

Dad and his young son nail “Me and My Shadow” in adorable duet

If you’ve got young kids, you know that watching them grow up can be bittersweet. Every stride they take towards independence is one step further away from you. So you’ve got to make every moment count. A new viral video shows a dad doing just that — passing down his love for music and bonding with his young son at the same time.

According to Kent Online, 36-year-old Matt Clayton and his 6-year-old son Archie are really into Frank Sinatra. “Whenever we are in the car we are always singing along and Frank Sinatra is Archie’s favourite. He now knows all the words and it is always such a pleasure to sing with him.”

The video shows father and son performing a pitch-perfect car duet of “Me and My Shadow” and it’s easy to see why it went viral. We have no idea how long it took to get this good – or how many time-outs this little boy had to endure when he flubbed a line – but that was likely half the fun for these two peas in a pod. It really must have taken a lot of practice to get to this point, but spending that time together is so valuable, it hardly matters if the performance pays off. As an added bonus, the end result is rather impressive. Daddy’s got some pipes!

To be fair, Clayton is actually a professional — he sings in a swing band called Our Way — and posted the video as a nudge to his band-mates. He says, “We are always doing it but this time, I thought I would film it and put it online as a dig at one of my band-mates that my son might be better at singing Sinatra than him.”

We’re going to guess that maybe he is. This is a seriously talented kid.

I have a five-year-old, and it can already be hard to get him to sit still and do anything with me (especially if it involves eating dinner). As he grows older and more independent, it’s not going to get any easier. Kudos to this guy for engaging his son. And extra kudos for passing down his love of Frank Sinatra.

Because I don’t care if you’re into Sinatra, The Rolling Stones, Jay-Z, or Hamilton; sharing one of your passions with your kids is one of the best parts of having children. Yesterday, I drove from NYC to Connecticut, and on the way, my five-year-old watched “Yellow Submarine”. Witnessing him singing along to “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” might end up being my crowning achievement as a parent.

Of course, a little while later, I put on the Hamilton soundtrack and he yelled at me when I started singing. You can’t win ’em all. I’m just glad he likes good music.

Just don’t expect any videos from us. I can’t sing a lick.