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 Came Upon a Midnight Clear
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That glorious song of old
From Angels playing near the earth
To touch their harps of gold
Peace on the earth could will two men
From Heaven's all-gracious King
The world in solemn stillness lay
And I hear them singing
Sing, I do hear them singing
The first Noel the Angel did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay
In fields where they lay, they keeping their sheep
On a cold winter's night that was so deep
Frank Sinatra's song, "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," is a classic Christmas carol that describes the arrival of angels heralding the birth of Jesus Christ. The opening line, "It came upon the midnight clear," sets the scene for the holy event that is about to unfold. The singer describes the beautiful and glorious songs of the angels, who are playing their harps of gold near the earth. The song speaks of peace on earth and goodwill towards men, a message that is central to the Christian faith.
The second verse of the song expands upon the message of peace on earth, which is said to come from Heaven's all-gracious King. The world is described as being in solemn stillness, waiting eagerly to hear the angels' beautiful songs. The singer can hear the angels singing, and the song ends with him describing the arrival of the shepherds to witness the birth of Christ, as the Angel proclaims "The first Noel."
Throughout the song, Frank Sinatra's beautiful voice captures the sense of awe and reverence that is associated with the birth of Jesus Christ. His rendition of "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" is a timeless classic that continues to inspire listeners, particularly during the Christmas season.
Line by Line Meaning
It came upon the midnight clear
Suddenly, the peaceful sound of music filled the air on a dark night.
That glorious song of old
The beautiful melody was one that had been cherished for generations.
From Angels playing near the earth
Celestial beings were nearby, producing this angelic sound.
To touch their harps of gold
As they played the heavenly instruments, they emitted a shimmering light.
Peace on the earth could will two men
By the will of God, two people could come to an understanding and live in harmony.
From Heaven's all-gracious King
This goodwill was bestowed upon humankind by the grace of the almighty.
The world in solemn stillness lay
All was quiet and peaceful as the world stopped to listen to this magical sound.
To hear the Angels sing
The sound of the angels' song was so special that the world paused to listen.
And I hear them singing
The singer is moved by the song and hears it even now.
Sing, I do hear them singing
The song continues to resound in the singer's heart and soul.
The first Noel the Angel did say
The angel proclaimed the news of the first birth of Jesus Christ.
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay
The announcement was made to humble shepherds, who were quietly watching over their flocks in the fields.
In fields where they lay, they keeping their sheep
The shepherds were doing their job, fulfilling their role in caring for the animals entrusted to them.
On a cold winter's night that was so deep
This miraculous news came on a dark, frigid night.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Edmund Sears, Fred Bock, Richard Willis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@thomase13
It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth
To touch their harps of gold;
"Peace on the earth, good will to men
From heaven's all-gracious King" –
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing.
Still through the cloven skies they come
With peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heavenly music floats
O'er all the weary world;
Above its sad and lowly plains
They bend on hovering wing,
And ever o'er its Babel-sounds
The blessed angels sing.
But with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel-strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love-song which they bring; –
Oh hush the noise, ye men of strife,
And hear the angels sing!
And ye, beneath life's crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours
Come swiftly on the wing; –
Oh, rest beside the weary road
And hear the angels sing!
For lo! the days are hastening on
By prophet bards foretold,
When with the ever circling years
Comes round the age of gold;
When Peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendors fling,
And the whole world give back the song
Which now the angels sing.
@bbjumpin
Beautiful song made me cry
@erikbarr5666
R.i.p to pne of the greatest performers. Gone but still teaching
@hydro4767
My mom always has this song playing in xmas and i love it now
@frederikluntungan1531
Enjoy....his music is relaxing..his voice unique
@bradrehl6843
What is x-mas?
@hydro4767
@@bradrehl6843 christmas
@The1WhoDraws-ul3vo
@@bradrehl6843Christmas but they took out Christ
@ckfandor4300
My father is the Frank Sinatra version of the Philippines 🇵🇭. It's always been good to hear this song. I will see him in Heaven and sing this song with angels 😇 above. Someday it is a glorious day to see most of all the Creator His Majesty Jesus Christ who died for my sins.
@The1WhoDraws-ul3vo
🙏🏻 God will take us soon to forever be joyful and he will reunite us with lost loved ones ❤️ ❤️
@brwi1
Uncle Buddy?!