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.
As Times Goes By
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A kiss is still a kiss
A sigh is just a sigh
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by
And when two lovers woo
They still say, I love you
No matter what the future brings
As time goes by
Moonlight and love songs never out of date
Hearts full of passion, jealousy and hate
Woman needs man and man must have his mate
That no one can deny
It's still the same old story
A fight for love and glory
A case of do or die
The world will always welcome lovers
As time goes by
It's still the same old story
A fight for love and glory
A case of do or die
The world will always welcome lovers
As time goes by
The song “As Time Goes By” was written by American songwriter Herman Hupfeld in 1931, but it wasn't until the release of the 1942 film Casablanca that it gained widespread popularity. The song was featured in the film as a love theme between the characters Rick Blaine, played by Humphrey Bogart, and Ilsa Lund, played by Ingrid Bergman. The lyrics are full of nostalgic sentiments, emphasizing the idea that certain things like love and romance never change, even as time moves forward.
The opening lines of the song, "You must remember this, a kiss is still a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh," highlight the idea that even though time may pass and people and circumstances may change, certain things remain constant. Similarly, the lines "the fundamental things apply as time goes by" suggest that some things, such as love and human connection, are timeless and universal. The second verse of the song, with its references to moonlight, love songs, passion, jealousy, and the need for companionship, further emphasize the idea that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Line by Line Meaning
You must remember this
Remember this important fact
A kiss is still a kiss
A kiss will always remain a symbol of love
A sigh is just a sigh
A sigh is simply an expression of emotion
The fundamental things apply
The basic values of love and affection still matter
As time goes by
Despite the passage of time
And when two lovers woo
When two people fall in love
They still say, I love you
Those words of love will always be spoken
On that you can rely
You can trust in the strength of that love
No matter what the future brings
Despite any uncertain events that may happen
Moonlight and love songs never out of date
Romantic traditions remain timeless and universal
Hearts full of passion, jealousy and hate
Emotions of love, jealousy and hate still exist in people
Woman needs man and man must have his mate
A fundamental human need for companionship and love
That no one can deny
This is a universal truth
It's still the same old story
Love will always be a challenging fight for affection
A fight for love and glory
A battle for admiration and honor
A case of do or die
A critical situation with high stakes
The world will always welcome lovers
People will always be accepting of those in love
As time goes by
Despite any changes in the world, this truth will remain
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Herman Hupfeld
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Damian Cid
"You must remember this
a kiss is still a kiss
a sigh
is just a sigh
The fundamental things
apply
as time
goes by
And
when
two lovers woo
they still say:
'I love you'
on
that you can rely
No matter
what the future
brings
as time goes by
Moonlight and love songs
never
out of date
Hearts
full of
passion
jealousy
and hate
Woman
needs man
and man
must have his mate
That
no one can
deny
It's still
the same old
story
a fight
for love
and glory
a case
of do
or die
The world
will always
welcome
lovers
as time
goes by..
It's still
the same old
story
a fight
for love
and glory
a case
of do
or die
The world
will always
welcome
lovers
as time
goes
by"
Gyeong Jeong
You must remember this
A kiss is just a kiss
A sigh is just a sigh
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by
And when two lovers woo
They still say "I love you"
On that you can rely
No matter what the future brings
As time goes by
Moonlight and love songs
Never out of date
Hearts full of passion
Jealousy and hate
Woman needs man, and man must have his mate
That no one can deny
It's still the same old story
A fight for love and glory
A case of do or die
The world will always welcome lovers
As time goes by
moggiee1
His voice is one of the most priceless instruments of all time
Aldo Garbellini
Sinatra has a unique talent of telling a story. An odd storyteller because he adds nuance to the words through the sound and pacing of his voice. I really love his singing. I wish we had an equivalent; but at least we have recordings.
James DePelisi
Well said, Aldo...And Right on Point!
M
Hi there Aldo! He does have an equivalent! His name is Vassil Petrov and they call him the Bulgarian Frank Sinatra. Go look him up! :)
Aldo Garbellini
@M thank you for the recommendation. I will look him up.
Anika Ghosh Basu
This song is like fine wine. It gets better and better as time goes by.
Grant Barrow
Well said
Sora Song
Although I wouldn't recommend drinking wine, there's gotta be a better analogy for this.
PixiePal ASMR
@Sora Song Why?
Sora Song
@PixiePal ASMR Wine is a health hazard.