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 Don't Know Why
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't why, but I do
I don't know why you thrill me like you do
I don't know why, but you do
You never seem to want my romancing
The only time you hold me is when we're dancing
I don't know why, but I do
You never seem to want my romancing
The only time you hold me is when we're dancing
I don't know why I love you like I do
I don't know why, but I do
The lyrics of Frank Sinatra's "I Don't Know Why" express the singer's confusion about his feelings towards his lover. Despite not knowing why he loves them or why they thrill him, he still feels a strong attraction towards them. The singer acknowledges that their love may not always be reciprocated, as the object of his affection never seems to want his advances except when they are dancing together.
The lines "I don't know why I love you like I do" are repeated several times throughout the song, emphasizing the singer's bewilderment about his feelings. The lyrics suggest that love is not always logical and can be difficult to understand, even for those experiencing it. The simplicity of the lyrics adds to the honest and sincere tone of the song, expressing the vulnerability of the singer's emotions.
The line "The only time you hold me is when we're dancing" reveals the limited physical intimacy of the relationship. This may suggest that their love is one-sided or that the object of the singer's love is not interested in pursuing a deeper relationship. Nevertheless, the singer still feels a strong emotional connection towards their lover, even if it is not fully reciprocated.
Overall, "I Don't Know Why" portrays a raw emotional state of confusion and vulnerability, conveying the complicated nature of love and relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know why I love you like I do
I can't explain why I feel such a strong emotional connection with you
I don't why, but I do
I can't pinpoint the reason, but my love for you is genuine and undeniable
I don't know why you thrill me like you do
I can't understand why you have such a powerful effect on me that excites and energizes me
I don't know why, but you do
I can't explain it, but you have this ability to make me feel alive and invigorated
You never seem to want my romancing
I get the sense that you aren't interested in the way I try to show affection and emotion
The only time you hold me is when we're dancing
I notice that the only physical intimacy we share is when we're on the dance floor
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Bluewater Music Corp., Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Fred Ahlert, Roy Turk
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
jytte thagaard nielsen
Oh this is a fantastic song !!!!!! Frank Sinatra sings it to perfection!!!! It is so romantic and touching !!! Even though it is tender, it is filled with strong and passionate feelings!!!!!!!! Thank you very much !!!!!!
The Johnny Sombrero Magical Music Machine Channel
Am glad you enjoyed it Jytte!
D.J.A
Love it when you play these 1940s Frank Sinatra discs.
The Johnny Sombrero Magical Music Machine Channel
I know I shouldnt, but vocals are so natural on a good gramophone.
Julians Shellacs
What an enchanting recording of Franky boy - very beautiful!! 👍
The Johnny Sombrero Magical Music Machine Channel
Sure is good, thanks!
TheAloweWolf
Oooh!!!! here is a thrilling masterpiece!!!! so tender and emotional.. this one strikes so verry deeply at my heart!!!!! oh.. those magnificent and sorrowful words.. they get me every time..
The Johnny Sombrero Magical Music Machine Channel
Am glad you enjoyed it Wolfy!
Henk Gloudemans
Helloooo ! Frankie boy ! Nice to hear you !!!!
The Johnny Sombrero Magical Music Machine Channel
Always is!