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.
Leaving on a Jet Plane
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm standing here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
But the dawn is breakin', it's early morn
The taxi's waitin', he's blowin' his horn
Already I'm so lonesome. I could cry.
[Chorus:]
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go.
I'm leavin' on a jet plane
I don't know when I'll be back again
Oh, babe, I hate to go.
There's so many times I've let you down
So many times I've played around
I tell you now, they don't mean a thing
Every place I go, I'll think of you
Every song I sing, I'll sing for you
When I come back, I'll wear your wedding ring.
[Chorus]
Now the time has come to leave you
One more time, let me kiss you
Then close your eyes, I'll be on my way.
Dream about the days to come
When I won't have to leave alone
About the times, I won't have to say,
[Chorus]
The song "Leaving on a Jet Plane" by Frank Sinatra is a ballad about the pain of leaving a loved one behind to go on a trip. The first verse shows that the singer has packed his bags and is ready to leave, but he is standing outside his lover's door, and he hates to wake her up to say goodbye. The dawn is breaking, and the taxi is waiting. The singer feels extremely lonely and sad, so much so that he could cry.
The chorus of the song is a plea to the lover to kiss him and smile for him, to tell him that she will wait for him, and to hold him like she will never let him go. The singer doesn't know when he will be back, and he hates to go. The second verse talks about how many times the singer has let the lover down and played around, but he assures her that they don't mean anything. He promises to think of her everywhere he goes and sing for her every time he sings a song. The singer declares that when he comes back, he will wear her wedding ring.
The final verse shows that the moment has come for the singer to leave, and he asks his lover for one more kiss. He promises her that he will dream about the days when he won't have to leave alone and won't have to say goodbye. The chorus repeats, reminding us of the pain of separation and the love shared between the two.
Overall, "Leaving on a Jet Plane" is a touching song about the heartache of leaving a loved one behind for a trip. It emphasizes the importance of a strong emotional connection and the willingness to make promises and commitments for the future.
Line by Line Meaning
All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go
I have packed all my belongings and I'm prepared to leave.
I'm standing here outside your door
I am waiting outside of your house to say goodbye.
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
I feel bad about waking you up just to tell you I am leaving.
But the dawn is breakin', it's early morn
It is early in the morning and the sun is starting to rise.
The taxi's waitin', he's blowin' his horn
The taxi I am taking to the airport is waiting and the driver is honking his horn to let me know.
Already I'm so lonesome. I could cry.
I am already feeling lonely and sad about leaving.
So kiss me and smile for me
Please give me a goodbye kiss and smile for me.
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Promise me that you will wait for me to come back.
Hold me like you'll never let me go.
Hold me tight as if you never want to let me leave.
I'm leavin' on a jet plane
I am leaving on an airplane.
I don't know when I'll be back again
I am not sure when I will return to see you again.
Oh, babe, I hate to go.
I am sad about leaving you.
There's so many times I've let you down
I have disappointed you so many times in the past.
So many times I've played around
I have been unfaithful to you many times.
I tell you now, they don't mean a thing
I want you to know that those actions were meaningless and I truly care for you.
Every place I go, I'll think of you
I will be reminded of you everywhere I go.
Every song I sing, I'll sing for you
All of the songs I sing will be about you.
When I come back, I'll wear your wedding ring.
When I return, I will propose to you and we will be married.
Now the time has come to leave you
The time has come for me to say goodbye to you.
One more time, let me kiss you
Let me give you one last kiss before I leave.
Then close your eyes, I'll be on my way.
Close your eyes and I will leave.
Dream about the days to come
Think about the good times we will have when I come back.
When I won't have to leave alone
When we are together and I won't have to leave without you.
About the times, I won't have to say,
When I won't have to say goodbye to you anymore.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: John Denver
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dante Orlando Music
Una de mis canciones favoritas del gran Frank Sinatra, siempre admire su voz aunque no soy de ese tiempo su música me impactó profundamente
adamps16
Heard this on the program Benidorm. I liked it because it had a uplifting feel, which other versions haven’t had.
Lewis_A8809
I saw it on benidorm to
worcestershire sauce
that's why I am here 🤣
Daniel Eduardo Merino
This song reminds me the golden years of Pan Am, I don't know why but this makes me feel nostalgic for the airline.
I know that Pan American doesn't exist anymore but the Clippers are still flying in my heart.
Thanks Frank Sinatra for this amazing song! And obviously thanks Pan Am for connecting the entire world with the unique style of the World's Most Experienced Airline :')
Yute Hube
Sinatra is unbelievable. What a great singer. The boss!
oldbiff
this version goes down like a great cup of coffee on a beautiful September morn with an airy breeze blowin' thru your hair
Travis [The Last Arbiter]
I never knew he covered this or any of John Denver’s music until today when I noticed it rewatching The Rock. What a great crossover! I showed my dad and he was shocked too
alice luar
Amo essa música. Nessa roupagem, perfeita! 😍👏👏👏
berwood2001
Just love this version sung by the Master, makes me want to get up and dance :)