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 Sinner Kissed An Angel
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One night perfect for romancing,
The night a sinner kissed an angel,
He wanted thrills, she wanted love,
Oh but his sighs were tender
As he begged her to surrender,
The night a sinner kissed an angel,
How was she to know that every lovely vow
Was part of the game he was playing,
But to his surprise he realized
Somehow he meant every word he was saying.
Yes, miracles can happen,
I know ´cause I saw what happened
That night a sinner kissed an angel,
That was the night I fell in love.
Frank Sinatra's A Sinner Kissed An Angel tells the story of a man who is seeking thrills but eventually falls in love. The song begins with a description of the setting in which the encounter occurs. The stars in the sky were dancing, and the night was perfect for romancing. It is during this night that the sinner kisses an angel. The man is looking for excitement, while the woman is looking for love. Despite this difference, the man's sighs are tender as he begs her to surrender.
The woman falls for his every lovely vow as the man cunningly plays the game. However, to the man's surprise, he realizes that he means every word he was saying. It is important to note that miracles can happen, and this is seen as the sinner falls in love with the angel. The song's narrator reveals that he saw what happened that night, and it is the night he fell in love too.
The song's lyrics speak to the idea that love can happen even in unexpected circumstances. The message is clear, anything can happen, and it is important always to keep an open mind.
Line by Line Meaning
Stars in the sky were dancing
The night was calm and beautiful with stars shining bright.
One night perfect for romancing,
The atmosphere was perfect for a romantic encounter.
The night a sinner kissed an angel,
That was the night when a man with flaws shared a beautiful moment with a pure and innocent woman.
He wanted thrills, she wanted love,
The man was driven by the excitement of the moment while the woman sought genuine affection.
Oh but his sighs were tender
Although the man had a rough exterior, his breaths were soft and gentle in that moment.
As he begged her to surrender,
The man requested the woman's surrender, pleading for her affection.
And she believed that it was love.
The woman was convinced that the man was genuine in his emotions and felt love towards her.
How was she to know that every lovely vow
The woman was unaware that every promise made by the man was part of a deceptive game.
Was part of the game he was playing,
The man was playing a game, trying to deceive the woman with his promises.
But to his surprise he realized
To the man's astonishment, he gradually realized.
Somehow he meant every word he was saying.
The man started speaking genuine words, truly meaning what he said.
Yes, miracles can happen,
Extraordinary things can happen in life.
I know ´cause I saw what happened
The singer witnessed a miraculous event.
That night a sinner kissed an angel,
The same night, an imperfect person shared a moment with someone pure and innocent.
That was the night I fell in love.
The singer fell in love that same night when he/she witnessed the two opposites share a moment.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MACK DAVID, Larry Shayne
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@andrecartier8126
In 1956 I was 13 and still lived in the basement of a bombed out house that I was born in outside Paris in "43."with mom.I sat on a corner of my rue,watching German tanks going down my rue for a movie.Frank sat next to me and said " come on kid it can't be all that bad ."Frank stood up,put a hand in his pocket and handed me a hundred dollar.I never saw one.He looked back at me tipped his hat and winked.I jumped up to try to tell him how much this ment to my mom and me,but I didn't know enough English to let him no . CLASS, that was Frank and always would be 🇫🇷.
@xfhghe
Thank you for your comment Monsieur Cartier. That was a beautiful story which also exemplifies why I am a Frank Sinatra fan.
@andrecartier8126
@@xfhghe
Thank you for the kind comment . The street's here in Paris are not. 🗼.
@vHumboldt77
c'est absolument émouvant de lire ton histoire, André....pour ceux de nous qui n'ont pas connu la guerre, on ne peut pas concevoir ce que pour un adolescent parisien de cette époque-là a dû être voir un star comme Frank de tout près...bonne recompense pour tant d'ans de tristesse sous l'occupation.
@queeck
One of my favourite sinatra songs. Thanks
@markmalcolm2070
This song summons me back to a bygone era when everything seemed so much more innocent (even though it’s about a sinner).
@OffWithTheMasks
Thank you so much for uploading this song.
@04briman
My favourite Sinatra/Dorsey track.
@AcedeKlown
Take it from this sinner: it is.
@frenchfriedwacko194
If only this'd be true...