Frank Chacksfield, born Francis Charles Chacksfield (May 9, 1914 - June 9, … Read Full Bio ↴Frank Chacksfield, born Francis Charles Chacksfield (May 9, 1914 - June 9, 1995) was a popular conductor in the "easy listening" style.

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.

Isle of Capri
Frank Chacksfield Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

't was on the Isle of Capri that I found her
Beneath the shade of an old walnut tree
Oh, I can still see the flowers blooming round her
Where we met on the Isle of Capri

She was as sweet as a rose at the dawning
But somehow fate hadn't meant her for me
And though I sailed with the tide in the morning

Still my heart's on the Isle of Capri

Summertime was nearly over
Blue Italian sky above
I said "Lady, I'm a rover,
Can you spare a sweet word of love?"

She whispered softly "It's best not to linger"
And then as I kissed her hand I could see
She wore a lovely meatball on her finger
't was goodbye at the villa Capri

Summertime was nearly over
Blue Italian sky above
I said "Lady, I'm a rover,
Can you spare a fine word of love?"

She whispered softly "It's best not to linger"
And then as I kissed her hand I could see
She wore a plain golden ring on her finger
't was goodbye on the Isle of Capri

't was goodbye on the Isle of Capri
't was goodbye on the Isle of Capri

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Frank Chacksfield's song "Isle of Capri" describe a bittersweet romantic memory that the singer had while visiting the Italian island. In the first stanza, the singer recalls finding a woman he felt a connection with while sitting under a walnut tree surrounded by blooming flowers. Although they had a brief encounter and shared a pleasant moment, fate had other plans for them, and they had to part ways. The second stanza reveals that the encounter happened in the summertime when the sky was blue, and the singer was feeling like a wanderer. He tried to express his feelings to the woman, but she answered with a soft whisper suggesting he should not linger, indicating that their relationship could not go further than that encounter. In the last lines, the singer notices two different rings on the woman's fingers, one of which suggesting the woman was already taken, and they had to say goodbye.

The imagery of the Isle of Capri and its surrounding natural elements that appear in the lyrics are romanticized and idealized to convey the singer's longing and nostalgia for a brief and unrequited love affair. The lyrics also use vernacular language to characterize the woman with expressions like "sweet as a rose" to convey her charming and enigmatic personality. Overall, the song explores the themes of lost opportunities, unattainable love and faded memories.

Line by Line Meaning

't was on the Isle of Capri that I found her
I discovered her presence on the Isle of Capri.

Beneath the shade of an old walnut tree
In the shadow of an ancient walnut tree.

Oh, I can still see the flowers blooming round her
The sight of her still brings to memory the vibrant flowers surrounding her.

Where we met on the Isle of Capri
The place where our fates entwined.

She was as sweet as a rose at the dawning
She had the gentle and calming demeanor of a blooming rose at dawn.

But somehow fate hadn't meant her for me
Our destinies weren't intertwined, it wasn't written in the stars.

And though I sailed with the tide in the morning
Despite moving on with the flow of life each day.

Still my heart's on the Isle of Capri
My true affections remain anchored to the memories of her on the Isle of Capri.

Summertime was nearly over
The approaching end of summer was nearly upon us.

Blue Italian sky above
The vibrant blue of the Italian sky overhead.

I said "Lady, I'm a rover, Can you spare a sweet word of love?"
I pleaded with her for a moment of passion, despite my wandering tendencies.

She whispered softly "It's best not to linger"
She spoke tenderly and advised me not to dwell in the moment.

And then as I kissed her hand I could see
In the moment of farewell, I witnessed something that left a lasting impression.

She wore a lovely meatball on her finger
She wore an endearing piece of jewelry on her finger.

't was goodbye at the villa Capri
Our final farewell happened at the Villa Capri.

She wore a plain golden ring on her finger
As we said our goodbye, she wore a simple, unadorned golden ring on her finger.

't was goodbye on the Isle of Capri
Our final goodbye, forever embedded in the memories of the Isle of Capri.

't was goodbye on the Isle of Capri
The last farewell, always remembered on the Isle of Capri.

't was goodbye on the Isle of Capri
A final goodbye on the Isle of Capri, unforgettable and profound.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JIMMY KENNEDY, WILL GROSZ

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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