<P> `` It Was a Very Good Year '' is a song Ervin Drake composed in 1961 for and originally recorded by Bob Shane with the Kingston Trio . It was subsequently made famous by Frank Sinatra 's version in D minor , which won the Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance , Male in 1966 . Gordon Jenkins was awarded Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist ( s ) for the Sinatra version . This single peaked at # 28 on the U.S. pop chart and became Sinatra 's first # 1 single on the Easy Listening charts . That version can be found on Sinatra 's 1965 album September of My Years , and was featured in The Sopranos season two opener , `` Guy Walks into a Psychiatrist 's Office ... '' . A live , stripped - down performance is included on his Sinatra at the Sands album . </P>
<P> `` It Was a Very Good Year '' is a song Ervin Drake composed in 1961 for and originally recorded by Bob Shane with the Kingston Trio . It was subsequently made famous by Frank Sinatra 's version in D minor , which won the Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance , Male in 1966 . Gordon Jenkins was awarded Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist ( s ) for the Sinatra version . This single peaked at # 28 on the U.S. pop chart and became Sinatra 's first # 1 single on the Easy Listening charts . That version can be found on Sinatra 's 1965 album September of My Years , and was featured in The Sopranos season two opener , `` Guy Walks into a Psychiatrist 's Office ... '' . A live , stripped - down performance is included on his Sinatra at the Sands album . </P>
who wrote the song when i was 17
who wrote the song when i was 17
Ervin Drake
Ervin Drake