He was born in Battle, East Sussex, England and is remembered by many music lovers and record collectors for his numerous albums and appearances on radio and television during the era following the second world war.
From the 1950s onwards, Chacksfield was one of Britain's most famous orchestra leaders, and his fame spread around the world. Early in his career he was fortunate to have several big sellers in the USA, which firmly established his reputation world-wide.
During his recording career with Decca alone, it is estimated that he sold 20 million copies.
Chacksfield learned to play the piano as a boy and became the deputy organist for the local church. Though his parents discouraged his pursuit of music as a career, he persevered. In the late '30s, when he was in his mid-20s, he was leading small musical bands in Britain. During World War II, he was assigned to the British Army entertainment unit, and after the war he became a regular performer on the BBC.
In 1953, he formed an orchestra he called "The Tunesmiths" and won a contract with Parlophone Records. Within two years, he expanded the group from a traditional big band into an orchestra with strings and released a series of "mood music" albums. His sound was similar to Mantovani and Melachrino. His biggest hits, in both the UK and the US, were "Ebb Tide" and "Limelight."
Chacksfield was also responsible for the musical arrangement of the first ever British entry into the Eurovision Song Contest, "All" by Patricia Bredin in 1957. Only because BBC musical director Eric Robinson insisted on accompanying Bredin to the contest in Frankfurt, Chacksfield did not get the chance to perform as a conductor on this international stage.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s Chacksfield recorded a large number of instrumental recordings for Starborne Productions. The recordings were licensed for use by "Easy Listening" radio stations and functional music companies. The vast majority of these recordings were not made commercially available to the general public until 2007 by Starborne Productions.
Come Back to Sorrento
Frank Chacksfield Lyrics
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I let you
We broke the ties that bind
I wanted to forget you
And leave the past behind
Still, the magic of the night I met you
Seems to stay forever in my mind
And high above
The moon was new
And so was love
This eager heart of mine was singing
Lover where can you be
You came at last
Love had its day
That day is past
You've gone away
This aching heart of mine is singing
Lover come back to me
When I remember every little thing
You used to do
I'm so lonely
Every road I walk along
I walk along with you
No wonder I am lonely
The sky is blue
The night is cold
The moon is new
But love is old
And while I'm waiting here
This heart of mine is singing
Lover come back to me
When I remember every little thing
You used to do
I grow lonely
Every road I walk along
I walk along with you
No wonder I am lonely
The sky is blue
The night is cold
The moon is new
But love is old
And while I'm waiting here
This heart of mine is singing
Lover come back to me
The Frank Chacksfield Orchestra's song, "Lover Come Back to Me," presents a melancholic and yearning tale of a lover pining for someone who has left. The first verse portrays a conflicted character, who has let go of someone out of necessity but, despite their efforts to move on, cannot forget the magic of the night they met. The following verse narrates the eagerness and joy felt when love first enters one's life, which is then again followed by the lover's dejection after losing that love.
The chorus, "Lover come back to me," repeats the central theme of wanting one's lover back. The bridge provides the context of memory, as every little thing the lover used to do is remembered, and the singer finds it hard to move on. The final verse reaffirms the melancholic tone as the singer waits alone, observing the cold night with a heart still singing for the return of a lost love.
The song, written by Oscar Hammerstein II and Sigmund Romberg, was first introduced in the operetta "The New Moon" in 1928. Several artists have recorded their versions of the song, including Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Judy Garland, and Ella Fitzgerald.
Line by Line Meaning
You went away
You left me
I let you
I allowed you to leave
We broke the ties that bind
We ended our relationship
I wanted to forget you
I tried to erase you from my memory
And leave the past behind
And move on from what happened between us
Still, the magic of the night I met you
Yet, the enchantment of the evening I first saw you
Seems to stay forever in my mind
Seems to remain eternally in my thoughts
The sky was blue
The sky had a blue hue
And high above
And way up in the sky
The moon was new
The moon was in its first phase
And so was love
And so was the love between us
This eager heart of mine was singing
My eager heart was singing
Lover where can you be
My beloved, where are you hiding?
You came at last
You finally arrived
Love had its day
Our love had its moment in the sun
That day is past
That moment is gone
You've gone away
You've left me once more
This aching heart of mine is singing
My aching heart is singing
Lover come back to me
Please return to me, my beloved
When I remember every little thing
When I recollect every little detail
You used to do
You used to say or do
I'm so lonely
I'm extremely alone
Every road I walk along
Every path I stroll on
I walk along with you
I imagine you're walking with me
No wonder I am lonely
It's no surprise that I feel lonely
The night is cold
The night has a freezing temperature
But love is old
But our love has been around for a while
And while I'm waiting here
And as I wait here
This heart of mine is singing
My heart is singing
Lover come back to me
Please return to me, my beloved
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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