Francis Albert Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American s… Read Full Bio ↴Francis Albert Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and producer who was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 150 million records worldwide.

Born in Hoboken, New Jersey, to Italian immigrants, Sinatra began his musical career in the swing era with bandleaders Harry James and Tommy Dorsey. Sinatra found success as a solo artist after he signed with Columbia Records in 1943, becoming the idol of the "bobby soxers". He released his debut album, The Voice of Frank Sinatra, in 1946. Sinatra's professional career had stalled by the early 1950s, and he turned to Las Vegas, where he became one of its best known residency performers as part of The Rat Pack. His career was reborn in 1953 with the success of From Here to Eternity, with his performance subsequently winning an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. Sinatra released several critically lauded albums, including In the Wee Small Hours (1955), Songs for Swingin' Lovers! (1956), Come Fly with Me (1958), Only the Lonely (1958) and Nice 'n' Easy (1960).

Sinatra left Capitol in 1960 to start his own record label, Reprise Records, and released a string of successful albums. In 1965, he recorded the retrospective September of My Years, starred in the Emmy-winning television special Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music, and released the tracks "Strangers in the Night" and "My Way". After releasing Sinatra at the Sands, recorded at the Sands Hotel and Casino in Vegas with frequent collaborator Count Basie in early 1966, the following year he recorded one of his most famous collaborations with Tom Jobim, the album Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim. It was followed by 1968's collaboration with Duke Ellington. Sinatra retired for the first time in 1971, but came out of retirement two years later and recorded several albums and resumed performing at Caesars Palace, and reached success in 1980 with "New York, New York". Using his Las Vegas shows as a home base, he toured both within the United States and internationally until a short time before his death in 1998.

Sinatra forged a highly successful career as a film actor. After winning an Academy Award for From Here to Eternity, he starred in The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), and received critical acclaim for his performance in The Manchurian Candidate (1962). He appeared in various musicals such as On the Town (1949), Guys and Dolls (1955), High Society (1956), and Pal Joey (1957), winning another Golden Globe for the latter. Toward the end of his career, he became associated with playing detectives, including the title character in Tony Rome (1967). Sinatra would later receive the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1971. On television, The Frank Sinatra Show began on ABC in 1950, and he continued to make appearances on television throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Sinatra was also heavily involved with politics from the mid-1940s, and actively campaigned for presidents such as Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, though before Kennedy's death Sinatra's alleged Mafia connections led to his being snubbed.

While Sinatra never formally learned how to read music, he had an impressive understanding of it, and he worked very hard from a young age to improve his abilities in all aspects of music. A perfectionist, renowned for his dress sense and performing presence, he always insisted on recording live with his band. His bright blue eyes earned him the popular nickname "Ol' Blue Eyes". Sinatra led a colorful personal life, and was often involved in turbulent affairs with women, such as with his second wife Ava Gardner. He went on to marry Mia Farrow in 1966 and Barbara Marx in 1976. Sinatra had several violent confrontations, usually with journalists he felt had crossed him, or work bosses with whom he had disagreements. He was honored at the Kennedy Center Honors in 1983, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Ronald Reagan in 1985, and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1997. Sinatra was also the recipient of eleven Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Trustees Award, Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. After his death, American music critic Robert Christgau called him "the greatest singer of the 20th century", and he continues to be seen as an iconic figure.

Sinatra died with his wife at his side at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on May 14, 1998, aged 82, after a heart attack. Sinatra had ill health during the last few years of his life, and was frequently hospitalized for heart and breathing problems, high blood pressure, pneumonia and bladder cancer. He was further diagnosed as having dementia. He had made no public appearances following a heart attack in February 1997. Sinatra's wife encouraged him to "fight" while attempts were made to stabilize him, and his final words were, "I'm losing." Sinatra's daughter, Tina, later wrote that she and her sister, Nancy, had not been notified of their father's final hospitalization, and it was her belief that "the omission was deliberate. Barbara would be the grieving widow alone at her husband's side." The night after Sinatra's death, the lights on the Empire State Building in New York City were turned blue, the lights at the Las Vegas Strip were dimmed in his honor, and the casinos stopped spinning for a minute.

Sinatra's funeral was held at the Roman Catholic Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills, California, on May 20, 1998, with 400 mourners in attendance and thousands of fans outside. Gregory Peck, Tony Bennett, and Sinatra's son, Frank Jr., addressed the mourners, who included many notable people from film and entertainment. Sinatra was buried in a blue business suit with mementos from family members—cherry-flavored Life Savers, Tootsie Rolls, a bottle of Jack Daniel's, a pack of Camel cigarettes, a Zippo lighter, stuffed toys, a dog biscuit, and a roll of dimes that he always carried—next to his parents in section B-8 of Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City, California.

His close friends Jilly Rizzo and Jimmy Van Heusen are buried nearby. The words "The Best Is Yet to Come", plus "Beloved Husband & Father" are imprinted on Sinatra's grave marker. Significant increases in recording sales worldwide were reported by Billboard in the month of his death.

A Fine Romance
Frank Sinatra Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

A fine romance, with no kisses
A fine romance, my friend this is
We should be like a couple of hot tomatoes
But you're as cold as yesterday's mashed potatoes
A fine romance, you won't nestle
A fine romance, you won't wrestle
I might as well play bridge
With my old maid aunt

I haven't got a chance
This is a fine romance

A fine romance, my good fellow
You take romance, I'll take jello
You're calmer than the seals
In the Arctic Ocean
At least they flap their fins
To express emotion
A fine romance with no quarrels
With no insults and all morals
I've never mussed the crease
In your blue serge pants

I never get the chance
This is a fine romance

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Frank Sinatra's song "A Fine Romance" depict a romantic relationship where one partner is emotionally distant and unresponsive. The song's opening lines describe the relationship as a 'fine romance' with 'no kisses,' indicating that there is no physical affection or emotional intimacy present. The second line reinforces this idea, stating that they "should be like a couple of hot tomatoes" but are not. The following line, "But you're as cold as yesterday's mashed potatoes," further emphasizes the lack of warmth and feeling in the relationship.

The second verse uses sarcasm to criticize the partner's emotional disconnection. The singer compares their partner to 'jello' while they take romance, indicating that their partner is emotionally weak and unreliable. They further criticize their partner's lack of expression, highlighting that even 'calmer than the seals / in the Arctic Ocean' animals can express emotions through physical actions. Ultimately, the singer finds the relationship to be lacking in passion, stating that they 'never get the chance' to experience the intimacy and love that they desire.

Line by Line Meaning

A fine romance, with no kisses
We are in a relationship without any romantic intimacy.

A fine romance, my friend this is
Despite the lack of physical affection, we are still in a good, friendly relationship.

We should be like a couple of hot tomatoes
We should have a passionate relationship full of desire and zest.

But you're as cold as yesterday's mashed potatoes
You are emotionally frigid and unresponsive to my desires.

A fine romance, you won't nestle
You are not willing to embrace me and show me affection.

A fine romance, you won't wrestle
You are not willing to engage with me in a playful or passionate manner.

I might as well play bridge
I might as well engage in a less exciting and less emotional activity instead of pursuing this romance.

With my old maid aunt
I might as well engage in an unromantic activity with someone who is not my romantic partner.

I haven't got a chance
I have no hope of this relationship progressing in a more affectionate and intimate direction.

This is a fine romance
Despite the lack of physical intimacy, we remain in a cordial relationship.

A fine romance, my good fellow
We are still in a good relationship, my dear friend.

You take romance, I'll take jello
You are not interested in engaging in serious romantic activity, and are content with frivolous, trivial matters.

You're calmer than the seals
You are emotionally detached, and do not experience strong emotions.

In the Arctic Ocean
You are so emotionally detached, it's like you are in a cold, isolated place.

At least they flap their fins
Even animals express emotions through physical actions, which is more than you are willing to do.

To express emotion
Animals use physical actions to show their emotions, in contrast to your emotional detachment.

A fine romance with no quarrels
We are in a good relationship and have no major disagreements or conflicts.

With no insults and all morals
We are polite and well-behaved in our interactions, despite the lack of affection and passion.

I've never mussed the crease
I have never been intimate enough with you to even wrinkle your clothes or affect your appearance.

In your blue serge pants
Your clothes are pristine and untouched, further demonstrating the lack of affection or passion in our relationship.

I never get the chance
I am never given the opportunity to show you affection or engage with you on a more intimate level.

This is a fine romance
We are in a relationship that is satisfactory, despite the lack of affection and passion.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: JEROME KERN, DOROTHY FIELDS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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