Monday music: "This Nearly Was Mine"

It has occasionally been noted on this blog that the precision and care that Frank Sinatra brought to his rendition of ballads (when he wasn't goofing off) sometimes crowded out any real emotion, that his artistry didn't allow for any genuine human feeling.  Here is a happy exception (and, happily, there are others): his 1963 recording of "This Nearly Was Mine," one of the loveliest songs from Rogers and Hammerstein's South Pacific.  The song itself is a jewel, and Sinatra does it full credit:

 

Sinatra, of course, was not the only artist to record the song, although it has not been covered as often as other ballads in the Great American Songbook.  But without doing a complete "ReCovered" post, it would be a shame not to add this totally different, but perfectly wonderful rendition by José Carreras, who has said that he thinks of himself simply as a singer, not a "great operatic tenor" - - - although, obviously, he's both. His performance of this "non-classical" song puts me in mind of Mario Lanza. Carreras sings the entire song, whereas Sinatra omitted a verse. I hope you enjoy both versions.