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.
I'll Be Seeing You
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In all the old, familiar places
That this heart of mine embraces
All day through
In that small cafe
The park across the way
The children's carousel
The wishing well
I'll be seeing you
In every lovely, summer's day
And everything that's bright and gay
I'll always think of you that way
I'll find you in the morning sun
And when the night is new
I'll be looking at the moon
But I'll be seeing you
The song I'll Be Seeing You is a classic love song that is full of nostalgia and longing. It was written in 1938 by Irving Kahal and Sammy Fain, and became very popular during the Second World War, providing a bittersweet soundtrack for the soldiers and their loved ones. The song was then recorded by many artists, but it was made famous by Frank Sinatra & Tommy Dorsey's rendition.
The lyrics themselves speak of the desire to see someone who is no longer there. The singer of the song is haunted by the memory of their loved one, and they can see them in all the familiar places they used to go together. The small cafe, the park across the way, the children's carousel, the chestnut tree, and the wishing well all remind them of their beloved. The singer also expresses how they will find the memory of their loved one in every lovely summer day and all things that are bright and gay. They hope to find them in the morning sun and even looking at the moon at night. The song is full of hope and promise that despite the distance, love remains present and alive.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll be seeing you
I will always remember you and your memory will constantly be with me.
In all the old, familiar places
I will see you in all the familiar places we visited together and have shared memories of.
That this heart of mine embraces
My heart yearns for the places where we spent quality time together.
All day through
Throughout the day, my mind will be occupied with the memories of times spent with you.
In that small cafe
I will see you in that small cafe where we had our first date.
The park across the way
I'll remember you every time I pass by the park where we talked for hours under the shade of the big oak tree.
The children's carousel
I'll see you laughing together on the merry-go-round at the county fair.
The chestnut tree
The chestnut tree that stands tall and proud in the park where we shared our first kiss.
The wishing well
The wishing well where we tossed a coin together and wished for a future filled with love and joy.
In every lovely, summer's day
The beautiful and vibrant summer days will remind me of you.
And everything that's bright and gay
Every joyful moment and happy memory will bring back the image of you in my mind.
I'll always think of you that way
I'll always remember you as the light of my life, illuminating every moment with your presence.
I'll find you in the morning sun
I'll think of you first thing in the morning when the sun rises, as it reminds me of the warmth and love in your heart.
And when the night is new
Late at night, when the darkness seems to envelop everything, I'll still see you in my mind, happy and radiant.
I'll be looking at the moon
As I gaze at the moon, I'll be thinking of the countless beautiful moments we shared together, feeling blessed to have had you in my life.
But I'll be seeing you
Despite the distance and time between us, I will always carry your memory in my heart and never forget the love we shared.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Irving Kahal, Sammy Fain
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
rronax
I'll be seeing you in all the old, familiar places
That this heart of mine embraces all day through
In that small cafe, the park across the way
The children's carousel, the chestnut tree, the wishing well
I'll be seeing you in ev'ry lovely summer's day
In everything that's light and gay
I'll always think of you that way
I'll find you in the morning sun and when the night is new
I'll be looking at the moon but I'll be seeing you
Two Songs
You’ll never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory…
RNK Mexican
So true.
Nelson Notarte
😢
Steve Kravcik
One of THE perfect songs of the century. A beautiful tune, wonderful plaintive lyrics, Sinatra at his best. Truly a gem.
Carmen Martinez
I cry every time I hear this song it's so beautiful
🌸Fairy Godmomma🌸
Sing in peace Frank Sinatra, you always will be remembered for your songs like this.
Cody Rafferty
FRANK SINATRA'S 🎵 IS ONE OF THE GREATEST CROONERS OF ALL TIME🙏🌺🌹🌷
Lori M
I love this music so much ❤️
Cody Rafferty
FRANK SINATRA IS ONE OF THE GREATEST CROONERS OF THE 50'S & 60'S🙏😀🎵🌷🌹
Saba De
Nope,not one of the greatest.THE GREATEST,THE BEST.