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 Never Entered My Mind
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I'd be playing solitaire
Uneasy in my easy chair
It never entered my mind
Once you told me I was mistaken
That I'd awaken with the sun
And ordered orange juice for one
You had what I lack, myself
Now I even have to scratch my back myself
Once you warned me that if you scorned me
I'd say a lonely prayer again
And wish that you were there again
To get into my hair again
It never entered my mind
In Frank Sinatra's song "It Never Entered My Mind," the singer reflects on the mistakes he made in his former relationship. He recalls when his partner had warned him that if he ever scorned her, he'd come crawling back, but he dismissed this as impossible. He also remembers times when his partner had tried to make him happy, with things like ordering orange juice for just him or warning him to scratch his own back if they ever broke up. At the time, he never thought anything of her gestures, and he barely gave her the attention and appreciation she deserved. Now that she's gone, he's realizing just how much he took her for granted.
The song's lyrics hint at the singer's regret and the bitterness he feels in retrospect. The phrase "it never entered my mind" repeats throughout the song, emphasizing how oblivious he was to the things that mattered in his relationship. The line "you had what I lack, myself, now I even have to scratch my back myself" is particularly poignant. It suggests that his partner had something that he needed in his life, but he didn't realize it until it was gone. The somber tone of the song is matched by the slow, melancholic melody, which makes the lyrics even more powerful.
Line by Line Meaning
Once I laughed when I heard you saying
I used to brush aside your forewarnings and made fun of them.
That I'd be playing solitaire
I never thought that I would end up being alone and lonely.
Uneasy in my easy chair
I never thought that a time would come when even my favorite chair would not be comfortable enough to sit in.
It never entered my mind
I never thought about the possibility of me becoming miserable and regretful.
Once you told me I was mistaken
You tried to correct me when I was wrong about something important.
That I'd awaken with the sun
You warned me that I would have to face the consequences of my actions and suffer the next day.
And ordered orange juice for one
You reminded me that I would have to live with the loneliness and solitude that comes with being single.
You had what I lack, myself
You had something that I didn't, and that was a sense of self-awareness and mindfulness.
Now I even have to scratch my back myself
Now that you are gone, I have to do everything by myself, including the things that I took for granted earlier.
Once you warned me that if you scorned me
You cautioned me that if I hurt you or mistreated you, I would regret it later.
I'd say a lonely prayer again
I would end up feeling alone and helpless once more, and seek solace in prayers.
And wish that you were there again
I would wish that you were back in my life, to help me deal with my pain and suffering.
To get into my hair again
Despite the problems and the arguments, I know that you were an important part of my life, and that I miss you dearly.
It never entered my mind
I was clueless and naïve about the ramifications of my actions and the impact that they would have on my life.
Lyrics © Roba Music Verlag GMBH, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@emmanuelalmeida1974
Once I laughed when I heard you say
That I'd be playing solitaire
Uneasy, in my easy chair
It never entered my mind
[Verse 2]
Once you told me I was mistaken
That I'd awaken with the sun
And order orange juice for one
It never entered my mind
[Bridge]
You had what I lack myself
Now I even have to scratch my back myself
[Verse 3]
Once you warned me that if you scorned me
I'd say a lonely prayer again
And wish that you were there again
To get into my hair again
It never entered my mind
@amymalina5073
This is a gorgeous rendition of this incredible song. For any fans of this song, check out Miles Davis’ interpretation of it. It brings tears to my eyes every time, and that’s without the lyrics.
@kj1228
So true
@kj1228
There are 2 Miles Davis versions. This is the one that does it for me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5fIAnAox0k
@amymalina5073
@@kj1228 Wow! Thanks for that! Did not know of that record. What a lineup! To hear Miles with Horace Silver and Art Blakey too. And the icing on the cake: smoking while playing on the cover.
@kj1228
@@amymalina5073 yeah, if you haven't seen Miles with Coltrane playing "So What" (Official Music Video) that's another one where Miles steps to the back following a great solo to smoke and engage with others. One of the coolest things on YouTube!
@kj1228
@@amymalina5073 The comments on a different page (same version) show that many others feel the same as you (us) when they are listen to Miles' version. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtOYEFOYQUk
@thomashood252003
His phrasing on this is off the charts
@pevensielavere22
Love hearing the warm rich lower register of Sinatra's voice here. He always WOW's me! :-)
@frankcresta6330
THE WONDERFUL SOUND OF FRANK SINATRA. NO ONE INTERPRITS A SONG A SONG LIKE FRANK.
@helaina400
This is what happens when you put the greatest singer with the witty and sophisticated writing team of Rogers & Hart with brilliant musicians and arranger - voila!