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 Can't Get Started
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Life's a bore, the world is my oyster no more
All the papers where I lead the news with my capers, now will spread the news
Superman turns out to be flash-in-the-pan
I've been around the world in a plane, designed the latest IBM brain
But lately I'm so downhearted, 'cause I can't get started with you
In Cincinnati or in Rangoon, I simply smile and all the gals swoon
O tell me why am I no kick to you, I who'd always stick to you
Fly through thin and thick to you, tell me why I'm taboo
Each time I chanced to see Franklin D., he always said, Hi buddy to me
And with queens I've a la carted, but I can't get started with you
In Frank Sinatra's song "I Can't Get Started", the singer expresses his despair over being unable to win the heart of the person he has fallen in love with. He feels that his life, which was once full of excitement and adventure, has become dull and uneventful since he met this unattainable lover. Sinatra's lyrics convey a sense of hopelessness and frustration, as the singer reflects on his past achievements and the adoration of women, but still cannot "get started" with the one person who truly matters to him.
The mention of Superman in the second verse adds to the singer's sense of disillusionment. Superman, known for his extraordinary strength and heroism, is reduced to a mere "flash-in-the-pan", suggesting that even the most seemingly powerful and capable figures can suffer disappointment and defeat in matters of the heart. The rest of the song describes the singer's travels and encounters with famous figures, highlighting his accomplishments and social status, but ultimately, they all pale in comparison to his inability to connect with the person he loves.
Overall, "I Can't Get Started" is a poignant reflection on love and the struggle to connect with someone who seems out of reach. The singer's sense of isolation and defeat is palpable, making this song a moving portrayal of human emotion and desire.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm a glum one, it's explainable, I met someone unattainable
I feel dejected because I fell for someone who is impossible to have.
Life's a bore, the world is my oyster no more
My life is lackluster, and I feel as though I have lost all opportunities.
All the papers where I lead the news with my capers, now will spread the news
Previously, my actions were newsworthy, but now my failures will also become public knowledge.
Superman turns out to be flash-in-the-pan
Even a superhero like Superman can't maintain their fame forever, similar to how I feel that my time has passed.
I've been around the world in a plane, designed the latest IBM brain
I have achieved much success and traveled extensively in my career.
But lately I'm so downhearted, 'cause I can't get started with you
Despite my past accomplishments, I am currently feeling defeated because I am unable to start a relationship with the person I desire.
In Cincinnati or in Rangoon, I simply smile and all the gals swoon
I have a charming personality that attracts women wherever I may be.
Their whims I've more than just charted, but I can't get started with you
I have had success with women in the past and understand their preferences, but am still struggling to connect with the person I desire.
O tell me why am I no kick to you, I who'd always stick to you
I am confused as to why the person I desire is not interested in me despite my loyalty to them.
Fly through thin and thick to you, tell me why I'm taboo
I am willing to go to great lengths for the person I desire and can't understand why they view me as forbidden or off-limits.
Each time I chanced to see Franklin D., he always said, Hi buddy to me
Even famous individuals like Franklin D. Roosevelt were friendly towards me in the past.
And with queens I've a la carted, but I can't get started with you
I have been successful in dating prominent women in the past, but am struggling to connect with the person I desire.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ira Gershwin, Vernon Duke
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jsbach15
As a kid in a suburb of Detroit back in the 60s. WXYZ (ABC) radio DJ (Lee Alan - "On the Horn") would sign off via this song. My Mother bought me a new "transistor" radio and I would fall asleep to this beloved classic every night. Years later...when I was a much older adult, my doorbell rang. Opening the door, I was surprised to find my Dad. He and Mother wanted to give me a surprise....A "FRANK" album complete with this song. I still have that record, but sadly no longer my parents. This one is dedicated to my beloved parents...Sam & Lorraine - Forever in My Heart.
@patriciagarvey2582
jsbach15, I did the same thing! That's why I searched for this song, I wanted to see if I could find it and buy it later on iTunes. That was a lovely thing that your parents did, I don't believe mine even knew I was listening to that song every night. My father passed away in 1998, but my mother is 99. She introduced me to Frankie, who was her favorite singer. I passed my appreciation of Sinatra on to my two children. He had a great talent, and sang so many beautifully arranged songs.
@patriciagarvey2582
No! It's not available on iTunes!
@jsbach15
Patricia Garvey Pat, you can get the song on Amazon for $1.29. It's been digitally re-mastered (1999) and it's wonderful! Here is is the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Cant-Started-1999-Digital-Remaster/dp/B000TDSS4S
@patriciagarvey2582
jsbach15, thank you for that information. I did find it after my outburst about iTunes. Apple is so crummy about music that you don't buy from it, and I have been using iTunes to store and play my music. I'm going to try SongFlip for my iPhone 5s.
@jsbach15
Yes! I remember...the "Joel Sebastian Express Mess!" Thanks fir the memory!
@eccentric0115
I am constantly thrilled and amazed at the breadth and depth of Ira Gershwin's lyrics. Urbane, witty, graceful--sure! But beyond the clever references, there is real loss eating that singer's heart! And, any man who can craft "The Man That Got Away" doth comprehend WOMAN.
@murph3001
eccentric01 totally agree __ we believe every word he sings ___
@saintcruzin
It's amazing how many songs fit Sinatra. You feel like it happened to him...great recording, peak Frank.
@aceystar1478
He's a baritone which is the most common male vocal range.