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.
Corcovado
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Quiet chords from my guitar
Floating on the silence that surrounds us
Quiet thoughts and quiet dreams
Quiet walks by quiet streams
And a window looking on the mountains and the sea, how lovely
Here with you so close to me
Until the final flicker of life's ember
I, who was lost and lonely, believing life was only
A bitter tragic joke
I've found with you
The meaning of existence, my love
I, who was lost and lonely, believing life was only
A bitter tragic joke
I've found with you
The meaning of existence, oh my love
The lyrics to Frank Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim's song Corcovado embody the essence of peace and tranquility. The song opens with the line "Quiet nights of quiet stars," immediately establishing a sense of stillness and calmness. The quiet chords from the guitar create a soothing atmosphere that complements the silence that surrounds the two lovers. The imagery of quiet walks by quiet streams and a window looking out to the mountains and the sea further reinforces this idyllic setting.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become more introspective, with the singer reflecting on how he was lost and lonely before finding meaning in this relationship. The final lines, "I've found with you the meaning of existence, oh my love," speaks to the transformative power of love and the ability to find purpose in life through meaningful connections with others.
Overall, Corcovado is a beautiful ode to love and the peaceful moments that can be found in life through our relationships with others.
Line by Line Meaning
Quiet nights of quiet stars
Calm and peaceful nights with clear sky full of sta,rs shining bright in the dark
Quiet chords from my guitar
Melodious and soothing notes played softly on the guitar in sync with the peaceful night
Floating on the silence that surrounds us
Drifting in the silence that envelops us, creating a sense of tranquility
Quiet thoughts and quiet dreams
Thoughts and dreams that are tranquil, serene and relaxing
Quiet walks by quiet streams
Strolls taken softly by streams that are serene and idyllic
And a window looking on the mountains and the sea, how lovely
The beautiful view of mountains and sea from the window fills us with pleasure
This is where I want to be
This environment is what I desire to live in, calm and peaceful
Here with you so close to me
Being close to you in such an environment is so beautiful and serene
Until the final flicker of life's ember
Till the last moment of life, I wish to be with you, surrounded by this peace and happiness
I, who was lost and lonely, believing life was only
Me who was once alone and forlorn used to perceive life as cruel and hopeless
A bitter tragic joke
A sarcastic and sadistic representation of my life that used to torment me
I've found with you
Now I have found, in your presence, what i was looking for
The meaning of existence, my love
You have given me the sense and inspiration to live and comprehend the true meaning of existence, my love for you
I, who was lost and lonely, believing life was only
Me who was once alone and forlorn used to perceive life as cruel and hopeless
A bitter tragic joke
A sarcastic and sadistic representation of my life that used to torment me
I've found with you
Now I have found, in your presence, what I was looking for
The meaning of existence, oh my love
You have given me the sense and inspiration to live and comprehend the true meaning of existence, oh my love for you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Antonio Carlos Jobim, Gene Lees
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gabellacrystal
Quiet nights of quiet stars quiet chords from my guitar
Floating on the silence that surrounds us
Quiet thoughts and quiet dreams quiet walks by quiet streams
And a window looking on the mountains and the sea, how lovely
This is where I want to be here with you so close to me
Until the final flicker of life's ember
I who was lost and lonely believing life was only
A bitter tragic joke, have found with you, the meaning of existence, oh my love (x2)
@ppmbbarbosa
Quiet nights of quiet stars
Quiet chords from my guitar
Floating on the silence that surrounds us
Quiet thoughts and quiet dreams
Quiet walks by quiet streams
And a window that looks out on the mountains and the sea, oh how lovely
This is where I want to be here
With you so close to me
Until the final flicker of life's ember.
I who was lost and lonely
Believing life was only
A bitter tragic joke, have found with you,
The meaning of existence, oh my love
@emanuellechiote838
Quiet nights of quiet stars
quiet chords from my guitar
floating on the silence that surrounds us
quiet thoughts and quiet dreams
quiet walks by quiet streams
and the window looking on the mountains and the sea
how lovely
this is where i want to be
here with you so close to me
until the final flicker of life's amber
i who was lost and lonely
believing life was only a bitter tragic joke
have found with you
the meaning of existence, my love
i who was lost and lonely believing life was only
a bitter tragic joke
have found with you
the meaning of existence
oh, my love
@Interesca
Quiet nights of quiet stars
Quiet chords from my guitar
Floating on the silence that surrounds us
Quiet thoughts and quiet dreams
Quiet walks by quiet streams
And a window looking on the mountains and the sea
How lovely
This is where I want to be
Here with you so close to me
Until the final flicker of life's ember
I, who was lost and lonely
Believing life was only
A bitter tragic joke, have found with you
The meaning of existence, my love
I who was lost and lonely
Believing life was only
A bitter tragic joke, have found with you
The meaning of existence, my love
@janierunaway112
PERFECTION. Sinatra's finest work was with Jobim.
@helenlecouter5578
My very favorite..the melody, chords, words simply slide into each other...his best album...
@angiefromChi
Janie Runaway I agree 🎵❤️
@Bible.Believer.1611
YES. I love this type of Sinatra so smooth it’s absolutely amazing music
@ErickGarcia-qs2yh
Everything Jobim done was gold.
@quickworks9720
Totally agree. I remember when I bought this album. Song gives me chills!
@gabellacrystal
Quiet nights of quiet stars quiet chords from my guitar
Floating on the silence that surrounds us
Quiet thoughts and quiet dreams quiet walks by quiet streams
And a window looking on the mountains and the sea, how lovely
This is where I want to be here with you so close to me
Until the final flicker of life's ember
I who was lost and lonely believing life was only
A bitter tragic joke, have found with you, the meaning of existence, oh my love (x2)
@angiefromChi
gab crystal 🎵❤️👍🏽
@GaiaCarney
Thank You, gab crystal 🕊
@solomonstello133
Beautiful ❤️❤️