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.
Let's Take an Old‐fashioned Walk
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
DORIS: Gee, I'm glad you came over tonight
FRANK: Yeah! It'll be nice riding with the top down
DORIS: Oh, but I've spent the afternoon fixing my hair
FRANK: Oh, Oh!
DORIS: How about a movie, huh?
FRANK: No, it's too late for that, they'll be sold out of popcorn.
Say, I know!
FRANK:
Let's take an old fashioned walk
I'm just bursting with talk
What a tale could be told
If we went for an old fashioned walk
DORIS:
Let's take a stroll through the park
Down a lane where it's dark
And a heart that's controlled
May relax on an old fashioned walk
I know for a couple who seem to be miles apart
FRANK:
There's nothing like walking and having a heart-to-heart
BOTH:
I know a girl who declined
Couldn't make up her mind
FRANK:
She was wrapped up and sold
DORIS:
Coming home
BOTH:
From an old fashioned walk
DORIS:
Some couples go for a buggy ride
When they start caring a lot
FRANK:
Others will bicycle side by side
Way out to some romantic spot
(But when you haven't a sou)
(There's only one thing to do)
BOTH:
Let's take an old fashioned walk
I'm just bursting with talk
FRANK:
What a tale could be told
DORIS:
If we went for
BOTH:
An old fashioned walk
BOTH:
Let's take a stroll through the park
Down a lane where it's dark
FRANK:
And a heart that's controlled
DORIS:
Can relax on
BOTH:
An old fashioned walk
DORIS:
I know for a couple who seem to be miles apart
FRANK:
There's nothing like walking and having a heart-to-heart
(Walking and talking)
BOTH:
I know a girl who declined
Couldn't make up her mind
FRANK:
She was wrapped up and sold
DORIS:
Coming home from
BOTH:
An old fashioned walk
FRANK:
If your girl has declined
DORIS:
And won't make up her mind
BOTH:
What you need is a heart-to-heart talk
DORIS:
Take a stroll through the park
FRANK:
Down a lane where it's dark
BOTH:
And go for an old fashioned walk
The song "Let's Take an Old Fashioned Walk" tells the story of two people who are contemplating how they should spend the evening together. They start by discussing going out for a movie but decide it's too late, so they decide to go on an old-fashioned walk instead. They go on to sing about taking a stroll through the park, down a lane where it's dark, and having a heart-to-heart conversation while walking. They also mention a girl who couldn't make up her mind and declined going for a walk before they end it reiterating that even if one does not have money, taking a walk can lead to an engaging and meaningful conversation.
Line by Line Meaning
Let's take an old fashioned walk
Let's go for a romantic stroll together
I'm just bursting with talk
I have so much to say and share with you
What a tale could be told
We have so many stories and memories to create on this walk
If we went for an old fashioned walk
Our bond will deepen if we spend time walking together
Let's take a stroll through the park
Walking in the park can be refreshing and relaxing
Down a lane where it's dark
Walking down a dimly lit path can be romantic and intimate
And a heart that's controlled
A calm and composed heart can find peace on this walk
May relax on an old fashioned walk
This walk can be an opportunity to let go of worries and stresses
There's nothing like walking and having a heart-to-heart
Walking and talking honestly can bring two people closer together
She was wrapped up and sold
She was deeply invested in her own thoughts and emotions
Coming home from an old fashioned walk
Returning from a lovely walk together can be a heart-warming experience
Some couples go for a buggy ride
Some people prefer to take a carriage or horse ride for a more classic and romantic feel
When they start caring a lot
When two people start to have feelings for each other, they often seek romantic activities
Others will bicycle side by side
Others choose to go on a bicycle ride together for a more adventurous and fun experience
Way out to some romantic spot
Cycling to a scenic location can be a wonderful way to spend time together
If your girl has declined
If your partner has declined something you suggested
And won't make up her mind
And can't decide
What you need is a heart-to-heart talk
You both need to have an honest conversation to clear misunderstandings
And go for an old fashioned walk
It can be helpful to go for a walk together to have that heart-to-heart talk
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Irving Berlin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@LotteDecraene
Let's take an old-fashioned walk
I'm just bursting with talk
What a tale could be told
If we went for an old-fashioned walk
Let's take a stroll through the park
Down a lane where it's dark
And a heart that's controlled
May relax on an old-fashioned walk
I know for a couple
Who seem to be miles apart
There's nothing like walking
And having a heart to heart
I know a girl who declined
Couldn't make up her mind
She was wrapped up and sold
Coming home from an old-fashioned walk
Some couples go for a buggy ride
When they start caring a lot
Others will bicycle side by side
Way out to some romantic spot
But when you haven't to sew
There's only one thing to do
Let's take an old fashioned walk
I'm just bursting with talk
What a tale could be told
If we went for an old-fashioned walk
Let's take a stroll through the park
Down a lane where it's dark
And a heart that's controlled
May relax on an old-fashioned walk
I know for a couple
Who seem to be miles apart
There's nothing like walking
And having a heart to heart
I know a girl who declined
Couldn't make up her mind
She was wrapped up and sold
Coming home from an old-fashioned walk
If your girl has declined
And won't make up her mind
What you need is a heart to heart talk
Take a stroll through a park
Down a lane where it's dark
And go for an old fashioned walk
@lindaeasley4336
I love all these classic songs from the early American song composers like Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and Johnny Mercer. What talent ! 👍
@andyguy0610
Drop dead pretty and a fantastic voice, Doris Day was one in a million. I never tire of hearing her sing, RIP Doris
@jackiemcmeekin6551
Irving Berlin wrote so many great songs. This one, Easter Parade, White Christmas, God Bless America, to name a few! Doris and Frank harmonize so well singing this romantic song!!! I would have liked to take an “old fashioned walk” with Frank Sinatra! Thank you so much, ‘little hours’, for this great upload! 🥰👍☺️
@Geo408
Classic, especially when your in Love. Thanks Frank & Doris.
@strew8
Thanks for giving me a little view in my past music listening. These two sure went together great. Thanks for posting!!!!
@johngordon2933
Irving Berlin could really write a song....
And Sinatra and Day are letter perfect.
@kennethfreund123
This 1949 duet with Doris outshines any from Frank's Duets albums from 1993-94.. Just perfect for the times. Wonderful orchestration with Great harmonic touches from the vocalists. As Frank once opined on another subject: "You can wait around and hope, but you're not going to hear the likes of this again".
@1918voixdesonmaitre
Good stuff!
@dchern
perfection
@leonchildsjr8690
in memory of Doris Day (1922-2019)