Nancy Sinatra's Opinion

Hey, remember back in January when Bono wrote a New York Times Op Ed about Frank Sinatra and it was all terrible like he thought he was Jim Carroll or something? Well, Nancy Sinatra must’ve read it and thought, “I could totally do better than that!” Today's NYT presents the Sinatra penned piece, “Radio Free America” in which she argues that artists should get royalties every time “terrestrial radio” plays one of their songs. She even spouts off statistics and facts like Paul Krugman in a blonde wig and go-go boots. It is actually a thought provoking piece and worth a read if, like me, you totally nerd out about the inane practices of the music industry.

But my favorite part is her by line. New York Times Op Ed contributors are usually really fancy and important people, right? Typically, they’re warning you about the dangers of a lax port authority, waxing philosophical about the economy or telling you what they think Obama should be doing about some crisis or other. After reading an Op Ed, you might think, “Well, who is this hoo-ha anyway, and why should I care what they think, hmm?” That’s where the by line comes in. Examples of by lines from recent Op Ed columns include:

Dalton Conley, the dean of social sciences at New York University, is the author of “Elsewhere, U.S.A.”

Bradley C. Schreiber, the president of a government relations company, was a senior adviser at the Department of Homeland Security from 2007 to 2009.

Lawrence M. Wein is a professor of management science at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Here is Nancy Sinatra’s:

Nancy Sinatra is a singer.

Damn straight she is.