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.
Free for All
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's no good unless he loves you all the way
Happy to be near you
When you need someone to cheer you all the way
[Chorus]
Taller than the tallest tree is
That's how it's got to feel
That's how deep it goes if it's real
When somebody needs you
It's no good unless he needs you all the way
Through the good or lean years
And for all the in-between years come what may
Who knows where the road will lead us
Only a fool would say
But if you'll let me love you
It's for sure I'm gonna love you all the way all the way
So, if you'll let me love you
It's for sure I'm gonna love you all the way all the way
It's quarter to three, there's no one in the place except you and me
So, set 'em up, Joe, I got a little story you oughta know
We're drinkin', my friend, to the end of a brief episode
Make it one for my baby and one more for the road
I got the routine, so drop another nickel in the machine
I'm feelin' so bad, wish you'd make the music pretty and sad
Could tell you a lot, but you've got to be true to your code
So, make it one for my baby and one more for the road
You'd never know it but buddy, I'm a kind of poet
And I got a lot of things to say
And when I'm gloomy, you simply gotta listen to me
Till it's all talked away
Well that's how it goes and Joe, I know your gettin' pretty anxious to close
So, thanks for the cheer, I hope you didn't mind my bendin' your ear
This torch that I found must be drowned or it soon might explode
So, make it one for my baby and one more for the road
That long, long road
In Frank Sinatra's song "All the Way/One for My Baby," the opening lines describe how love should be given and received wholeheartedly. It is not enough for someone to love you halfway or just when things are good, they must love you through every obstacle and trial. The chorus reinforces this message by comparing the depth of true love to that of the tallest tree or deepest ocean. The verse continues to emphasize this idea, stressing that love must be all-encompassing, committed, and resilient. The verses and chorus combine to make a beautiful and meaningful message about love that is both heartfelt and universal.
However, the second half of the song takes an unexpected turn with a narrator sharing a drink with a bartender late at night. The scene describes someone who is down on their luck and in need of a listening ear. The verse highlights the importance of having someone who will listen to you when you are down, who will be there for you in the good times and bad, and who will offer you one more drink before leaving for the road ahead. The closing lines of "All the Way/One for My Baby" remind listeners that life can be long and difficult, but with the right person by your side, it is a road worth traveling.
Line by Line Meaning
When somebody loves you
When someone has love for you
It's no good unless he loves you all the way
It's not enough to just have love, it has to be true and wholehearted
Happy to be near you
Being near someone you love brings happiness
When you need someone to cheer you all the way
Having someone show support for you through every hardship is crucial
Taller than the tallest tree is
The depth of love is immeasurable
That's how it's got to feel
That's the level of love one should strive for
Deeper than the deep blue sea is
True love surpasses depths of the ocean
That's how deep it goes if it's real
The love becomes even more intense as the relationship strengthens
When somebody needs you
When someone relies on you
It's no good unless he needs you all the way
Only if someone fully depends on you can you provide true value to them
Through the good or lean years
During both the prosperous and tough times
And for all the in-between years come what may
No matter what happens during normal, uneventful years
Who knows where the road will lead us
It's impossible to know where life will take us
Only a fool would say
It would be foolish to believe we can predict the future
But if you'll let me love you
But if you allow me to love you in my own way
It's for sure I'm gonna love you all the way all the way
I'm going to show love and devotion completely and with all my heart
So, if you'll let me love you
So, if you accept me for who I am
It's for sure I'm gonna love you all the way all the way
I will maintain my devotion and affections for you fully
It's quarter to three, there's no one in the place except you and me
It's the early morning hours, no one else is around
So, set 'em up, Joe, I got a little story you oughta know
So, bartender, pour us another glass of alcohol and let me tell you a story
We're drinkin', my friend, to the end of a brief episode
We're drinking to mark the end of a short chapter in our lives
Make it one for my baby and one more for the road
Let's make a toast for me and one more for the journey ahead
I got the routine, so drop another nickel in the machine
I know how this goes, so play another song on the jukebox
I'm feelin' so bad, wish you'd make the music pretty and sad
I feel really down, it would help if the music was melancholic
Could tell you a lot, but you've got to be true to your code
I have much to divulge, but I understand the importance of keeping secrets
So, make it one for my baby and one more for the road
So, another round for me and the journey ahead
You'd never know it but buddy, I'm a kind of poet
You wouldn't guess it, but I have a poetic side
And I got a lot of things to say
And many thoughts I wish to express
And when I'm gloomy, you simply gotta listen to me
When I'm melancholic, you just have to be my listening ear
Till it's all talked away
Until every ounce of feeling has been expressed
Well that's how it goes and Joe, I know your gettin' pretty anxious to close
That's just how it is, and I understand you want to close up shop
So, thanks for the cheer, I hope you didn't mind my bendin' your ear
Thank you for your hospitality, I hope I didn't go on too long
This torch that I found must be drowned or it soon might explode
This love I have must be extinguished or else it will become too much to handle
Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, TuneCore Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, THE MUSIC GOES ROUND
Written by: Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mike
on The Lady Is A Champ
She gets too hungry for dinner at eight
She can't eat late and stay up all night, because unlike society types, she has to get up in the morning.
She likes the theatre and never comes late
She cares more about seeing the play than being seen making an entrance.
She never bothers with people she'd hate
Her friends are friends, not social trophies.
Doesn't like crap games with barons or earls
While barrns and earls probably don't play craps, she associates with friends, not people to be seen with.
Won't go to Harlem in ermine and pearls
She doesn't "slum", the practice of the rich in the 30's, when the song was written, of touring poor neighborhoods dressed in rich clothes to "tut, tut" about the deplorable conditions, and congratulate each other for "caring about the poor"
Won't dish the dirt with the rest of the girls
Doesn't trade gossip for acceptance among an in-crowd
She likes the free, fresh wind in her hair
She cares more about how her hair feels than conforming with current hair fashions
Hates California, it's cold and it's damp
Since most of California is noticeably warmer and / or drier than New York, where the play the song was written for is set, this is probably a facetious excuse to like what she likes.
And she won't go to Harlem in Lincoln's or Ford's
Another reference to slumming, but facetious, since Lincolns and Fords were middle-class, not luxury brands when the lyric was written
Anonymous
on Try a Little Tenderness
Here are the correct lyrics
Try A Little Tenderness - Frank Sinatra - Lyrics
Oh she may be weary
Women do get wearied
Wearing that same old shabby dress
And when she’s weary
You try a little tenderness
You know she’s waiting
Just anticipating things she’ll may never possess
While she is without them
Try just a little bit of tenderness
It’s not just sentimental
She has her grieve and her care
And the words that soft and gentle
Makes it easier to bear
You wont regret it
Women don't forget it
Love is their whole happiness
And it’s all so easy
Try a little tenderness
Musical Interlude
And, it’s all so easy
Try a little tenderness
Daniel
on The Way You Look Tonight
I met Frank Jr. in Las Vegas, a real gentleman. RIP you both.
Giorgi Khutashvili
on Theme from New York, New York
)))