Line #20 Music/BobbyDarin


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Bobby_Darin_399.jpg]]
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3	A TeenIdol in TheFifties and TheSixties, Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto, May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973) would be later be best remembered for his hit songs "Beyond the Sea," "[[Theatre/TheThreepennyOpera Mack the Knife]]," and "Splish Splash" and his common appearances on lists of "Musicians Who Died Young".
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5	During his lifetime, Darin was also known for several other tropetastic points. First it is worth noting that {{Teen Idol}}s as we know them didn't exist much until the 1950s and 1960s. In this way, Darin was a bit of a pioneer making very good use of television and movies to extend his image. He's the guy who inspired Creator/SammyDavisJr. His acting roles weren't pure marketing either. He managed to get contracts with at least five major studios and won a Golden Globe, Cannes French Film Critics Award and an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination over his career.
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7	Like many stars of his time, he headlined casinos but also became well associated with the Copacabana in New York. This means that he played his part in making the trope for all similarly named clubs in movies and their association with the tropical fruit hat. For his opening acts and later his production studios he fostered a lot of new talent such as Creator/RichardPryor and Wayne Newton.
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9	Darin had always had heart troubles due to rheumatic fever as a child and the fear of a short life always motivated him. Eventually his predictions were shown right when he died from blood poisoning and weakened heart valves at the age of 37. Creator/KevinSpacey later made a biopic of his life named after his hit ''Film/BeyondTheSea'', directing, acting and singing the part himself, with Creator/KateBosworth playing his young wife Creator/SandraDee. If ComicBook/LexLuthor [[Film/SupermanReturns marrying]] ComicBook/LoisLane doesn't freak you out, then you'll find a generally insightful piece that manages to avoid a bland TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth vibe while still praising the man's talent and drive. In fact, it bombed, so really it was the film that was Too Good For This Sinful Audience Market.
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11	!!His life and career provides examples of:
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13	* BathtubScene: "Splish Splash" tells the story of how a bather winds up making a NakedFirstImpression due to being unaware of a dance party going on in the next room.
14	* CelebritiesHangOutInHeaven: "Rock and Roll Heaven" by the Righteous Brothers imagines [[CelebrityElegy Darrin with several deceased other musicians]] -- including Music/JimiHendrix, Music/JanisJoplin, Music/OtisRedding, Music/JimMorrison, and Music/JimCroce -- in Heaven together forming a hell of a band, band, band!
15	* CoverVersion: Was prolific as a songwriter, but most of his biggest hits were covers.
16	* FakeBand: Because of contractual issues between two different record labels, his early hit "Early in the Morning" was credited to The Rinky-Dinks.
17	* FamilyRelationshipSwitcheroo: A famous example, as he learned that his "sister" Nina was actually his mother when he was 32. Part of the reason she told him was that he was considering running for office and she was afraid his opponents might dig up the truth and cause a scandal.
18	* GenreRoulette: You name it, he tried it over the years--RockAndRoll, {{Jazz}}, CountryMusic, FolkMusic, even a CoverVersion of an Music/EdithPiaf song in French ("Milord").
19	* {{Instrumentals}}: Had a minor hit with one in 1960, called "Beachcomber", where he played piano.
20	* InTheStyleOf: He had a tendency to not only record in different genres, but also imitate the style of specific singers in those genres, like Music/FrankSinatra ("Mack the Knife") and Music/MartyRobbins ("18 Yellow Roses").
21	* ProtestSong: Made an unexpected musical shift in 1968, specializing in musically punchy types of these, which totally confused his audience.
22	* StageNames: Was born Walden Robert Cassotto. Legend has it he took the name Darin after [[LineOfSightName seeing a neon sign at a Chinese restaurant]] where the first three letters of "Mandarin" were burned out. Later he released an album called ''Born Walden Robert Cassotto''.
23	* WorkingOnTheChainGang: His most famous song from his brief protest phase was "Long Line Rider", a RippedFromTheHeadlines story about abuse of prisoners [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cummins_Unit at an Arkansas penal labor prison]].

Context Music / BobbyDarin