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.

Dream
Frank Sinatra Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When skies are cloudy and gray
They're only gray for a day
So wrap your troubles in dreams
And dream your troubles away
Until that sunshine peeps through
There's only one thing to do
Just wrap your troubles in dreams
And dream all your troubles away

Your castles may tumble that's fate after all
Life's really funny that way
No use to grumble, smile as they fall
Weren't you king for a day
Just remember that sunshine always follows the rain
So wrap your troubles in dreams
And dream your troubles away

Your castles may tumble that's fate after all
Life's really funny that way
But no need to grumble, smile as they fall
Weren't you king for a day
Just remember that sunshine always follows the rain

So wrap your troubles in dreams
And dream, dream your troubles away

Overall Meaning

In Frank Sinatra's song "Dream," the lyrics describe a message of hope and the power of positive thinking. The opening line, "When skies are cloudy and gray, they're only gray for a day," suggests that tough times are only temporary, and brighter days will come again. The following lines encourage listeners to "wrap your troubles in dreams" and "dream your troubles away." The message is that when faced with difficult situations, rather than dwelling in negative emotions, one should focus on positive dreams and aspirations. By dreaming away one's troubles, they will eventually be able to see the sunshine again.

The lyrics continue to illustrate that life can be unexpected and unpredictable. Sometimes, it feels as though one's "castles may tumble," but there's "no use to grumble." As long as one can keep smiling, they will be able to rise above setbacks and failures. The line "Weren't you king for a day" suggests that even if things fall apart, there were moments of greatness and success that came before. The final message of the song is that "sunshine always follows the rain," and by holding onto hope and positive thoughts, one can weather any storm.

Overall, "Dream" is a song that celebrates optimism, the power of imagination, and the human ability to see beyond temporary difficulties. The lyrics encourage listeners to dream big and to believe that anything is possible through positive thinking.

Line by Line Meaning

When skies are cloudy and gray
When life seems gloomy and gray

They're only gray for a day
Things will get better soon, don't worry

So wrap your troubles in dreams
Take solace in your imagination

And dream your troubles away
Transport yourself to a better place in your mind

Until that sunshine peeps through
Until things get better

There's only one thing to do
The only thing left to do

Just wrap your troubles in dreams
Take comfort in fantasy

And dream all your troubles away
Escape your problems

Your castles may tumble that's fate after all
Bad things happen, that's life

Life's really funny that way
Ironically strange and unpredictable

No use to grumble, smile as they fall
Don't complain, enjoy life's ups and downs

Weren't you king for a day
Remember the good times, when you had power and control

Just remember that sunshine always follows the rain
Things will get better eventually

So wrap your troubles in dreams
Use your imagination to escape reality

And dream, dream your troubles away
Escape your problems and find joy in fantasy

Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Billy Moll, Harry Barris, Ted Koehler

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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