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.
America The Beautiful
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain
For purple mountain majesties above thy fruited plain
America, America, God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea
O beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years
America, America, God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea
The song "America the Beautiful" by Frank Sinatra is a patriotic tribute to the beauty and greatness of America as a nation. The lyrics are a celebration of the natural and human-made wonders that make up the country, as well as a call to unity and brotherhood among its citizens. The song begins with the repetition of "America" four times, emphasizing the importance of the country as a symbol of freedom and opportunity.
The first stanza celebrates the natural beauty of America, particularly the open skies and fertile plains that stretch across the country. The "amber waves of grain" and "purple mountain majesties" are vivid images that reflect the diversity and richness of America's landscape. The stanza also acknowledges the role of God in blessing the country with such abundance and natural beauty.
The second stanza turns to the human side of America, specifically the dreams and achievements of its people. The "patriot dream" is a reference to the American dream, the idea that anyone can achieve success and prosperity through hard work and determination. The "alabaster cities gleam" is a nod to the nation's cities, which have been built and maintained by generations of Americans. The stanza concludes with the same reference to God's grace and the importance of brotherhood among Americans.
Overall, "America the Beautiful" is a stirring tribute to America's natural and human-made wonders, as well as the spirit of unity and brotherhood that has helped to make the country great.
Line by Line Meaning
O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain
Oh, how beautiful are the wide-open skies and the rolling fields of wheat
For purple mountain majesties above thy fruited plain
The splendid purple mountains stand tall above the fields of ripe fruits and vegetables
America, America, God shed His grace on thee
America, beloved country, may God show mercy and bless you
And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea
May your goodness be rewarded with unity and peace that spans the entire nation
O beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years
Oh, how beautiful is the dream of patriotism that looks beyond the present and into the future
Thine alabaster cities gleam undimmed by human tears
Your gleaming cities remain untouched by the despair and sadness of its citizens
America, America, God shed His grace on thee
America, beloved country, may God show mercy and bless you
And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea
May your goodness be rewarded with unity and peace that spans the entire nation
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Integrity Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Katherine L. Bates, Samuel A. Ward
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nightrain76
I absolutely love this performance. It gives me goosebumps.
Кlara Rubel
I cry 😢 much
bo55jon
It is a very emotional and beautiful song sung by the world’s best crooner and patriot of this great and amazing country , and that’s coming from a man that doesn’t even live in the USA, but I’d love to move out there and start a new life far better than the uk today
Nightrain76
Got them again....
MrKlemps
Frank always makes you so aware of the words and the meaning. Voice majors in conservatories should be required to spend it least an hour a week for 4 years listening to Frank.
Jean Fritz
Frank Sinatra was very patriotic. He did a beautiful job of singing "America The Beautiful". He also has a beautiful rendition of "God Bless America" and "The House I live In". Happy 4th of July 2018 to everyone!
MrKlemps
A shame he apparently never sang the Anthem. Given the self-aggranding way in which the melody is mercilessly toyed with these days with the tacit consent of the governed, Frank's direct snd heartfelt approach would have been a welcome corrective.
Кlara Rubel
America 🇺🇸,I Lowe you🙏❤️
Brian Kelly
Happy 4th 😊
Nevan Castaneda
These words still fill me with pride, always have, always will, it ain’t perfect, but nothing is, god bless America!!❤️🙏