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.
It's Nice to Go Trav'ling
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To Paris, London and Rome
It's oh so nice to go trav'ling
But it's so much nicer, yes it's so much nicer, to come home
It's very nice to just wander
The camel route to Iraq
It's oh so nice to just wander
The mam'selles and frauleins, and the senoritas are sweet
But they can't compete 'cause they just don't have
What the models have, on Madison Ave
It's very nice to be footloose
With just a toothbrush and comb
It's oh so nice to be footloose
But your heart starts singin' when your homeward wingin' across the foam
And you know your fate is
Where the Empire State is
All you contemplate is
The view from Miss Liberty's dome
It's very nice to go trav'ling
But it's oh so nice to come home
You will find the maedchen and the gay muchachas are rare
But they can't compare with that sexy line
That parades each day at Sunset and Vine
It's quite the life to play gypsy
And roam as Gipsies will roam
It's quite the life to play gypsy
But your heart starts singin' when your homeward wingin' across the foam
And the Hudson River
Makes you start to quiver
Like the latest flivver
That's simply dripin' with crome
It's very nice to go trav'ling
But it's oh so nice to come home
No more customs
Burn the passport
No more packing
And unpacking
Light the home fire
Get my slippers
Make a pizza
Frank Sinatra's song "It's Nice to Go Trav'ling" was released in 1958. The song is written by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen. The song showcases the joys of traveling a world beyond your home, yet it also highlights the comfort and happiness of coming back home. The lyrics of the song describe traveling to Paris, London, Rome, Istanbul, and other exotic locations, but still find nothing quite as pleasing as coming back to where you belong.
The song's catchy tune keeps the listener engaged throughout the song, while Sinatra's smooth voice adds to the charm of the lyrics. The lyrics highlight various destinations, including the camel route to Iraq, Madison Avenue, Sunset and Vine, and the Empire State, but ultimately, the listener realizes that there is no place like home.
The line "the mam'selles and frauleins, and the senoritas are sweet, but they can't compete 'cause they just don't have what the models have, on Madison Ave" is a nod to the fashion industry and the glamourous models that inhabit it.
The song mentions iconic locations such as Miss Liberty's dome and the Hudson river, giving the listener a feeling of familiarity and comfort. The lyrics also mention the joys of traveling light with just a toothbrush and comb, but the happiness of returning home to the comforts of slippers and pizza.
Line by Line Meaning
It's very nice to go trav'ling
Traveling is an enjoyable experience
To Paris, London and Rome
Traveling to well-known and popular cities can be an exciting adventure
It's oh so nice to go trav'ling
Traveling is such a great experience
But it's so much nicer, yes it's so much nicer, to come home
Although traveling is enjoyable, coming home is even better
It's very nice to just wander
Wandering or traveling without a set plan can be exciting
The camel route to Iraq
Traveling to unique destinations, like the camel route to Iraq, can be an exciting adventure
It's oh so nice to just wander
Traveling without a plan is really enjoyable
But it's so much nicer, yes it's oh so nice, to wander back
Although wandering is enjoyable, returning home is even better
The mam'selles and frauleins, and the senoritas are sweet
Women from different regions can be charming and delightful
But they can't compete 'cause they just don't have
However, their charm cannot compare to
What the models have, on Madison Ave
The beauty of classic models on Madison Ave
It's very nice to be footloose
Being footloose, or able to travel anywhere, is liberating
With just a toothbrush and comb
Traveling lightly with only necessities can be freeing
But your heart starts singin' when your homeward wingin' across the foam
However, the joy of going home cannot be beaten
And you know your fate is
You acknowledge that you belong to a particular place
Where the Empire State is
In this case, your fate or home is the Empire State
All you contemplate is
Your thoughts are consumed with
The view from Miss Liberty's dome
The beautiful view of the statue of liberty
You will find the maedchen and the gay muchachas are rare
Although women from other regions are charming, they are not as easy to find or frequent as
But they can't compare with that sexy line
The stunning beauty of the models walking the runway or through Sunset and Vine in Los Angeles
That parades each day at Sunset and Vine
The beauty of models trafficked on Sunset and Vine in Los Angeles
It's quite the life to play gypsy
Living a free-spirited life, like that of a gypsy, can be thrilling
And roam as Gipsies will roam
Traveling and exploring as gypsies often do is quite exciting
And the Hudson River
The Hudson River is a place where
Makes you start to quiver
Emotions and senses begin to swirl
Like the latest flivver
Like the most recent up-to-date car model
That's simply dripin' with crome
Shining and standing out with its glossy metal finish
No more customs
Traveling across borders no longer applies after coming home
Burn the passport
The passport will no longer be necessary after arriving home
No more packing
There's no need for bags and suitcases anymore
And unpacking
The chore of unpacking everything when you return home is no longer a concern
Light the home fire
You can simply light the fireplace to warm up the house and get cozy
Get my slippers
Retrieve your favorite, comfy slippers to wear at home
Make a pizza
You can enjoy making and indulging in homemade foods now that you're back home
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: JIMMY VAN HEUSEN, SAMMY CAHN
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
)))