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.
Everything Happens To Me
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Until I'm almost mad
I must have roused the Devil's wrath
'Cause all my luck is bad
I make a date for golf
And you can bet your life it rains
I try to give a party
But the guy upstairs complains
Just catchin' colds and missin' trains
Everything happens to me
I never miss a thing,
I've had the measles and the mumps
And every time I play an ace
My partner always trumps
I guess I'm just a fool
Who never looks before he jumps
Everything happens to me
At first my heart thought
You could break this jinx for me
That love would turn
The trick to end despair
But now I just can't fool
This head that thinks for me
So I've mortgaged
All my castles in the air
I've telegraphed and phoned
Sent an Air Mail Special, too
You answer was goodbye
There was even postage due
I fell in love just once
And then it had to be with you
Everything happens to me
I've never drawn a sweepstake
Or a bank night at a show
I thought perhaps this time
I'd won but Lady Luck said no
And though it breaks my heart
I'm not surprised to see you go
Everything happens to me
Everything happens to me
The song "Everything Happens to Me" by Frank Sinatra and Tommy Dorsey tells a story of a man who perceives himself to be unlucky. The lyrics, filled with references to superstitions and misfortunes, suggests that the singer is a victim of a curse. He is plagued by black cats, bad weather, complaints from neighbors, missed appointments, and unsuccessful love affairs. Despite his efforts to change his fate, he seems powerless to escape his bad luck.
The second half of the song shifts the focus to his romantic misfortunes. He had hoped that love would break the spell of his misfortunes, but even that failed him. His attempts to reach out to his beloved are met with rejection, and he resigns himself to his fate with a sense of despair.
On a deeper level, the song can be seen as a reflection of the human condition. It speaks to the universal experience of feeling powerless and victimized by life's circumstances. It suggests that no matter how much we may try to control our fate, we are ultimately subject to the whims of fate.
Line by Line Meaning
Black cats creep across my path
I am superstitious and believe that black cats are bad luck.
Until I'm almost mad
My bad luck drives me crazy.
I must have roused the Devil's wrath
I believe that I have angered the Devil and he is punishing me with bad luck.
'Cause all my luck is bad
I never have good luck; everything always goes wrong for me.
I make a date for golf
I plan to go golfing on a particular day.
And you can bet your life it rains
No matter what, if I plan an outdoor activity, it always seems to rain.
I try to give a party
I attempt to host a social gathering.
But the guy upstairs complains
My upstairs neighbor complains about the noise and ruins the party.
I guess I'll go thru life
It seems like I will have to face life's challenges as they come.
Just catchin' colds and missin' trains
I always seem to get sick and miss my transportation when I have somewhere to be.
Everything happens to me
Overall, I am always facing negative experiences.
I never miss a thing,
I am always alert and aware of everything that happens around me.
I've had the measles and the mumps
I have had many illnesses.
And every time I play an ace
Whenever I have an advantage, something goes wrong.
My partner always trumps
Someone else always ends up winning or has a better outcome than me.
I guess I'm just a fool
I may be naive or make poor decisions.
Who never looks before he jumps
I act impulsively without thinking things through first.
At first my heart thought
Initially I believed that someone or something could change my luck.
You could break this jinx for me
You were the one I hoped would bring me good luck and change my bad fortune.
That love would turn
I believed that love had the power to change my fate.
The trick to end despair
I hoped that love could end my suffering and sadness.
But now I just can't fool
I can no longer deceive myself about the reality of my situation.
This head that thinks for me
My mind has become clear and I am no longer deluding myself.
So I've mortgaged
I have risked everything by putting my faith in this one attempt to break my streak of bad luck.
All my castles in the air
I have invested all my hopes and dreams into this one plan, which may not work out.
I've telegraphed and phoned
I have tried to contact and connect with someone, most likely the person I love.
Sent an Air Mail Special, too
I have tried to communicate my feelings through various means, including sending messages from far away.
You answer was goodbye
The person I wanted to connect with has rejected me and said goodbye.
There was even postage due
I had to pay more than expected for my attempts at communication or connection.
I fell in love just once
Although I have had many negative experiences in life, I have experienced love once.
And then it had to be with you
The one time I was in love was with you, the person who has now rejected me.
Everything happens to me
In the end, I am still unfortunate and everything seems to go wrong.
I've never drawn a sweepstake
I have never won a large prize or lottery.
Or a bank night at a show
I have never won a prize or cash at a performance or event.
I thought perhaps this time
I had hope that maybe, just maybe, I would have a stroke of good luck.
I'd won but Lady Luck said no
But once again, I am disappointed and unlucky; I did not win anything.
And though it breaks my heart
Despite how upsetting it is for me, I am not surprised by my misfortune.
I'm not surprised to see you go
I was not surprised when the person I loved said goodbye, adding to my pile of bad luck.
Everything happens to me
Once again, everything seems to go wrong for me.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HOAGY CARMICHAEL, JOHNNY MERCER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Andrew Sokol
Love this version of the song. Much more melancholy than the earlier, shorter version. And his voice is perfect for it at this stage in his life. "But pal you don't find rainbows in the bottom of a glass." Great!
Linda Adams
CHET BAKER version is great ( and even Mr. Hudson and the Library has its merits )
Peter Gerstenzang
Check the version by Chet Baker. Gently funny
charaf eddine kasmi
try chet baker version trust its a lot more blue
Deedeethekingofqns
+Andrew Sokol Yes Andrew you nailed it - and, now I'm chasing rainbows with the losers from the class.
Cool Man
Oh yes! Ole Blue Eyes is a favorite
Laf
My favorite version of this song, by far.
Ronald Carranza
It is definitely one of the best songs ever for me.
Ed P
Good luck pal
Gabriela Ramazzotti
la mejor cancion de Sinatra. Esta version es brillante. Su voz, el tema, hermoso.