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 You Stub Your Toe On The Moon
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you stub your toe on the moon.
When the dream's at the top of the sky,
Well, you'll just have to jump pretty high,
But don't give up too soon,
If you stub your toe on the moon.
Now young Harry Hodgett loved making gadgets,
Hope one or two things might bring fame,
This is the last time you'll hear his name.
Nobody mentions Harry's inventions,
But do you think that got him down?
Here comes the end when there're gadgets to mend
He's the best repairman in town.
So there's nothing to be ashamed of,
If you stub your toe on the moon.
When you start out to climb to a cloud,
Well, it may get a laugh from the crowd,
But don't give up too soon,
If you stub your toe on the moon.
Sweet Sally Springer, she was a singer,
Lived in a hall room up one flight,
Thought of the ballroom big and bright,
Where she would make her debut some night,
And then for her trouble, pop went the bubble,
Say that it's sad, but wait, don't weep.
Now they admit, every night she's a hit,
When she sings her children to sleep.
No, there's nothing to be ashamed of
If you stub your toe on the moon,
Though it may be a blow to your pride,
You're a hero because, well, you tried,
So don't give up too soon,
If you stub your toe on the moon,
If you stub your toe on the moon.
The lyrics of the song "If You Stub Your Toe On the Moon" by Frank Sinatra is a song about resilience, determination and the importance of not giving up in the face of adversity. The first stanza of the song describes how it is not shameful to fail when you aim for great heights, even if it means "stubbing your toe on the moon". The moon is often seen as a symbol of achieving something seemingly impossible, so the metaphor here is that it is better to have tried and failed than to have never even attempted greatness. The song goes on to tell the stories of two characters, Harry Hodgett and Sally Springer, who face setbacks in their careers but ultimately find success through perseverance.
Harry Hodgett is characterized as an inventor whose ideas go unnoticed, but he does not let this setback discourage him. Instead, he becomes a skilled repairman, showcasing his talent for fixing things. Similarly, Sally Springer is a struggling singer who does not gain fame on the big stage, but finds fulfillment in singing to children at night. Both characters face failures and disappointments, but the theme is that they find success in unexpected ways when they keep trying.
Overall, the song's message is one of hope - that it's never too late to aim high, that failure is not shameful, and that success can come from unexpected places.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh there's nothing to be ashamed of
There is no need to feel embarrassed
If you stub your toe on the moon.
If you face a difficult challenge
When the dream's at the top of the sky,
When your goal is very big and distant
Well, you'll just have to jump pretty high,
You will need to work hard and tirelessly to reach it
But don't give up too soon,
Stay persistent and don't quit easily
If you stub your toe on the moon.
Even if you face obstacles and setbacks
Now young Harry Hodgett loved making gadgets,
Harry enjoyed creating new inventions
Life needs some new things was his claim,
His belief was that life needs more innovation
Hope one or two things might bring fame,
He hoped to become famous with one or two of his inventions
This is the last time you'll hear his name.
But unfortunately, he was not recognized for his work
Nobody mentions Harry's inventions,
Even though nobody talked about his creations
But do you think that got him down?
He did not let this discourage him
Here comes the end when there're gadgets to mend
Eventually, his skills as an inventor allowed him to become a successful repairman
He's the best repairman in town.
His perseverance and dedication to work helped him become successful
So there's nothing to be ashamed of,
Once again, there is no need to feel embarrassed
If you stub your toe on the moon.
Even if you face difficulties and failures
When you start out to climb to a cloud,
When you set out to achieve an ambitious goal
Well, it may get a laugh from the crowd,
Others may not believe in your dream or find it amusing
But don't give up too soon,
Despite the challenges, stay persistent
If you stub your toe on the moon.
Even if you face difficulties and setbacks along the way
Sweet Sally Springer, she was a singer,
Sally was also pursuing her own dream
Lived in a hall room up one flight,
She was living in a small and humble place
Thought of the ballroom big and bright,
Her dream was to sing in a big, glamorous venue
Where she would make her debut some night,
She imagined her big breakthrough performance
And then for her trouble, pop went the bubble,
But her dream, like Harry's, did not go as planned
Say that it's sad, but wait, don't weep.
The situation is unfortunate, but don't feel too discouraged
Now they admit, every night she's a hit,
However, she found success in a different way
When she sings her children to sleep.
She found joy and success in sharing her talents with her loved ones
No, there's nothing to be ashamed of
Once again, there is no need to feel embarrassed or discouraged
If you stub your toe on the moon,
If you face challenges and setbacks while pursuing your dreams
Though it may be a blow to your pride,
Even if it hurts your confidence and ego
You're a hero because, well, you tried,
The fact that you attempted to pursue your dreams makes you a courageous person
So don't give up too soon,
Stay persistent and don't quit easily
If you stub your toe on the moon,
Even if you stumble and face obstacles
If you stub your toe on the moon.
If you keep on working towards your goals, despite the challenges
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mike
on The Lady Is A Champ
She gets too hungry for dinner at eight
She can't eat late and stay up all night, because unlike society types, she has to get up in the morning.
She likes the theatre and never comes late
She cares more about seeing the play than being seen making an entrance.
She never bothers with people she'd hate
Her friends are friends, not social trophies.
Doesn't like crap games with barons or earls
While barrns and earls probably don't play craps, she associates with friends, not people to be seen with.
Won't go to Harlem in ermine and pearls
She doesn't "slum", the practice of the rich in the 30's, when the song was written, of touring poor neighborhoods dressed in rich clothes to "tut, tut" about the deplorable conditions, and congratulate each other for "caring about the poor"
Won't dish the dirt with the rest of the girls
Doesn't trade gossip for acceptance among an in-crowd
She likes the free, fresh wind in her hair
She cares more about how her hair feels than conforming with current hair fashions
Hates California, it's cold and it's damp
Since most of California is noticeably warmer and / or drier than New York, where the play the song was written for is set, this is probably a facetious excuse to like what she likes.
And she won't go to Harlem in Lincoln's or Ford's
Another reference to slumming, but facetious, since Lincolns and Fords were middle-class, not luxury brands when the lyric was written
Anonymous
on Try a Little Tenderness
Here are the correct lyrics
Try A Little Tenderness - Frank Sinatra - Lyrics
Oh she may be weary
Women do get wearied
Wearing that same old shabby dress
And when she’s weary
You try a little tenderness
You know she’s waiting
Just anticipating things she’ll may never possess
While she is without them
Try just a little bit of tenderness
It’s not just sentimental
She has her grieve and her care
And the words that soft and gentle
Makes it easier to bear
You wont regret it
Women don't forget it
Love is their whole happiness
And it’s all so easy
Try a little tenderness
Musical Interlude
And, it’s all so easy
Try a little tenderness
Daniel
on The Way You Look Tonight
I met Frank Jr. in Las Vegas, a real gentleman. RIP you both.
Giorgi Khutashvili
on Theme from New York, New York
)))