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 I Loved You
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All I'd want you to know
If I loved you, words wouldn't come in an easy way
`Round in circles I'd go
Longin' to tell you but, afraid and shy,
I'd let my golden chances pass me by
Soon you'd leave me, off you would go in the mist of day
How I love you, if I loved you
Soon you'd leave me, off you would go in the mist of day
Never, never to know
How I love you, if I loved you
The lyrics to Frank Sinatra's song "If I Loved You" convey a sense of longing and regret for not being able to express his own love for someone due to fear and shyness. The repetition of the phrase "if I loved you" further emphasizes this feeling of missed opportunities and unfulfilled potential. Sinatra sings about wanting to say everything he feels for this person, but feeling like he can't find the right words to say it. He admits to being afraid and shy, which shows vulnerability and adds to the overall emotional impact of the lyrics.
The use of imagery in the song also adds depth to its message. The line "off you would go in the mist of day" paints a picture of loss and separation, while "golden chances" suggests there have been multiple opportunities to tell this person how he feels, but they have all been missed. Despite the sadness and regret that permeate the lyrics, the melody and Sinatra's smooth delivery of the song add a sense of wistfulness and nostalgia.
Line by Line Meaning
If I loved you, time and again I would try to say
If I had feelings for you, I would make multiple attempts to express myself
All I'd want you to know
My objective would be to make sure you knew my true feelings
If I loved you, words wouldn't come in an easy way
I would struggle to articulate my emotions if I had strong feelings for you
`Round in circles I'd go
My thoughts and feelings would make me feel disoriented and uncertain
Longin' to tell you but, afraid and shy,
I would desperately want to confess, but my fear and timidity would hold me back
I'd let my golden chances pass me by
I would miss opportunities to express myself and potentially start a relationship
Soon you'd leave me, off you would go in the mist of day
If I failed to express myself, you would eventually depart without ever knowing how I truly felt
Never, never to know
You would never be aware of my feelings
How I love you, if I loved you
If I had the courage to confess my love, you would understand my passion for you
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II, RICHARD RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
godschild01
I love his voice. Hes always been my favorite. So soothing.
Rebekah Johnson
I adore Frank Sinatra's voice. It also adds diversity to my playlists. And this one has a story with it.
I was in choir this past Friday (we sing songs from a choir book on Fridays) and my friend asked the director for a recommendation, and he chose this song. I knew he had a crush on a soprano, and when we sang this song, I saw them meet eyes. I personally thought it was adorable and a big step for the emotionally introverted guy. ^_^ personally, I felt happy, maybe even proud for him.
century123ful
Yes, there were some singers who had a stronger voice than Sinatra, but none could match him in the depth of feeling and phrasing that only Frank could put into a song. He was the best.
Matheus Bezerra de Lima
Sinatra's voice was at its peak in 53-55! Listen to Rain (Falling From The Skies), recorded in Capitol in 1953!
Steve Silverman
I don't suppose you've heard I'm a Fool to Want You from '51, much less read what Whitney Balliett wrote on the subject. Then there's Close to You from '56, Only The Lonely from '58, Sinatra & Strings from '61, The Concert Sinatra - '64, September of My Years, '65 and others before, in between and after right on up until My Way in '69, after which he took a few years off. His voice grew darker, deeper and more expressive, more a cello and less a violin. It's one thing to say you prefer the violin, quite another to suggest Sinatra's peak lasted a mere three years, from age 37 - 40.
Peter Holwill
Well said, agree with you 100%.
Peter Holwill
@Matheus Bezerra de LimaYes you are right albums he recorded with Capitol Records his greatest work.'Only the Lonely' and 'Close To You' 'Where Are You ? ' particular favourites but all his Capitol albums showcase the definitive artist for the genre.
Peter Holwill
@Steve SilvermanYes agree with you 100%, tracks and albums you mention, favourites of mine, along with 'Where Are You ?' 'Close To You', and 'No One Cares' albums.All the albums recorded with Capitol Records, including the swing albums set the standard for the genre.
Peter Holwill
The Sinatra voice at it's peak.
maureen1938
I love Frank Sinatra but Gorden McGrae was perfect in the role of Billy Bigelow in Carousel... no regrets. They were both superb artists. !!!