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.
If
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I could be glad all of the while
I could change the gray skies to blue
If I had you
And I could leave the old days behind
Leave all my pals, I'd never mind
And I could start my life all anew
I could climb the snow-capped mountains
I could sail the mighty ocean wide
I could cross the burning desert
If I had you by my side
I could be a king, dear, uncrowned
Humble or poor, rich or renowned
There is nothin' I couldn't do
If I had you
I could climb the very highest mountain
Or I could sail the mighty ocean wide
I could also cross the burnin' desert
If I had you by my side
I could be a king crowned or uncrowned
Humble or poor, rich or renowned
There is nothin' I couldn't do
If I had you
If I had you
The song "If" by Frank Sinatra is a romantic ballad that expresses how the singer's life would be if he had the love of his life by his side. The lyrics suggest that having someone to love and be loved by can transform one's life, making everything better and brighter. The song is an ode to the power of love and how it can change everything.
The opening line of the song, "I could show the world how to smile," suggests that the singer's life would be filled with joy and happiness if he had the person he loves with him. He believes that he would be glad all the time, despite the challenges that life can bring. The following lines, "I could change the gray skies to blue / If I had you," further reinforce this sentiment. The singer believes that his love would be powerful enough to make all the bad things in the world disappear.
As the song continues, the lyrics explore the possibilities of what the singer's life could be like with his love by his side. He believes that he could leave his old life behind and start anew. He could climb mountains, sail oceans, and cross deserts if he had his love there to support him. The chorus repeats that there is nothing the singer couldn't do if he had the love of his life. He could be a king, humble, poor or rich, and he would still be able to achieve his dreams with his love by his side.
Overall, the song "If" by Frank Sinatra is a romantic ballad that expresses the power of love to transform one's life. The lyrics suggest that having someone to love and be loved by can make everything better and brighter. The singer believes that with his love, he could do anything and everything, and there would be no obstacles too great to overcome.
Line by Line Meaning
I could show the world how to smile
I am equipped with the ability to spread happiness and optimism to the world
I could be glad all of the while
I would always remain cheerful and joyful
I could change the gray skies to blue
I have the power to turn sadness into joy and despair into hope
If I had you
Only if I have your presence and support in my life
And I could leave the old days behind
I wouldn't have any regrets in letting go of the past
Leave all my pals, I'd never mind
I wouldn't feel the need for the companionship of my friends anymore
And I could start my life all anew
I can begin a fresh chapter in my life without any baggage from the past
I could climb the snow-capped mountains
I am capable of accomplishing difficult tasks, like climbing mountains
I could sail the mighty ocean wide
I can explore unknown territories and overcome new challenges with ease
I could cross the burning desert
I can go through any situation, no matter how challenging or harsh it may be
If I had you by my side
Only if I have your love, support, and companionship throughout my journey
I could be a king, dear, uncrowned
I could live a life of abundance and happiness, without any materialistic possessions or conventional social status
Humble or poor, rich or renowned
My status, wealth, or social standing wouldn't matter as long as I am with you
There is nothin' I couldn't do
Everything seems achievable and attainable with the presence of my loved one
If I had you
Only if I have your love, care, and companionship throughout all the ups and downs of life
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sentric Music, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ted Shapiro, James Campbell, Reginald Connelly
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mark Blackburn
IF -- I'm hurting physically this night, and short-tempered (more than usual) and not ready to hear a man who was then my age (early 70s) trying to reach high notes on a 1971 pop song by 'Bread. But there he is, on Siriusly Sinatra satellite radio -- my all-time favorite singer. The scroll on my computer screen reads ” Frank Sinatra -- Dallas 87 – IF.”
And yes, there are moments on softer passages when The Voice tapers off to a whispery croak; he almost flubs one line of lyric and gracefully improvises – charming his 'live' audience in the process. It shouldn't 'work' as well as it does – captivating us. But it does, doesn't it?
Is it at YouTube? Yes. First offering this night, posted ten years ago and nearing 100K views.
Concerning the song Wiki says: IF [was] written by American singer-songwriter David Gates in 1971. Originally popularized by his group Bread, the song charted at number four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 when released as a single in 1971 and number six in Canada. The song also spent three weeks at number one on the U.S. Easy Listening chart,[1] and one week at the top of the Canadian AC chart.[2]
In the U.S., Bread's version was the shortest song title to become a top ten hit until 1993, when Prince hit No. 7 with "7", only later matched by Britney Spears' No. 1 hit "3" in 2009.
"If" has been a perennial favorite at weddings (for example, as a first-dance song) ever since it was released.[3]
Thanks for sharing Frank Sinatra IF -- celebrated this night at Sinatra Family - Forum - "Favorite Sinatra song of the moment" https://sinatrafamily.com/forum/showthread.php/19118-Favorite-Frank-Sinatra-song-of-the-moment?p=1299712#post1299712
saintcruzin
Sinatra makes these songs come alive. He sings as if it all is happening to him. No one, even at this late stage, could interpret a lyric like Frank.
Domenic Vitanza
This song is so gorgeous and Frank brings the lyrics alive..he was the greatest singer in our generation
No other will come close..
operafan64
I saw Frank live in Oct. 1987, at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, NY. I remember him singing this and how incredibly moving and riveting it was. About 20,000 of us sat motionless, completely enthralled by what was happening on stage. Many were moved to tears, and the applause was explosive. It is what I remeber most about that concert. Thank you so much for posting this, which apparently took place during the same concert tour, about ten days after I saw him in NY.
Mark Blackburn
What a word picture you paint -- in keeping with the song itself. Thanks for sharing -- albeit "10 years ago."
Dave Castanon
Incredible breath control on the last note--especially considering that, at the time, the singer was in his 70's, maybe even in his 80's. But it IS Frank Sinatra, after all..
Lucas Carvalho
Also, we can't forget to mention he was a genuine chainsmoker. Pretty strong lungs.
RepriseFan
Even with his voice so diminished by age and smoking one thing you could always count on in his concerts was the impeccable orchestration.
Marco Grossi
But without his voice the orchestra was dead
Francis Albert
The voice was a little ragged by this point - but it just makes this gorgeous performance even more . poignant. A real heartbreaker of tune sung to perfection by FS - miss him
Francis Artanis
What a lovely song and the ending by Frank is sublime. Well done Maestro.