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.
Lonely Town
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or a village in Iowa
The only difference is the name
If you're alone
Whether on Main Street
Or on Broadway
If you're alone
They are both the same
When you pass through
And there is no one waiting there for you
Then it's a lonely town
You wander up and down
The crowds rush by
A million faces pass before your eyes
Still it's a lonely town
Unless there's love
A love that's shining
Like a harbor light
You're lost in the night
Unless there's love
The world's an empty place
And every town's
A lonely town
The lyrics in Frank Sinatra's "Lonely Town" describe the feeling of loneliness in a city, whether it be New York or a small village in Iowa. The song points out that being alone in a crowded city and being alone in a small town are both the same, as both places can lack the meaningful connections that make life fulfilling. The song talks about walking through a city or town, surrounded by crowds of people, yet still feeling alone.
Sinatra sings how in a lonely town, there is nobody waiting for you. There is a sense of longing and emptiness that comes with being alone, even in a bustling city. The crowds rush by, a million faces passing before the eyes, but this doesn't change the loneliness. The song emphasizes the fact that without love, every town is a lonely town. The world becomes an empty place, and no amount of people or buildings can replace the warmth and comfort that comes from a loving connection.
Overall, the lyrics in "Lonely Town" are a poignant reflection on loneliness and the search for love and connection in a big, fast-paced world.
Line by Line Meaning
New York, New York
The city of New York.
Or a village in Iowa
Even a small town in Iowa can be lonely.
The only difference is the name
The location doesn't matter. It's always possible to feel lonely.
If you're alone
Being by yourself without companionship.
Whether on Main Street
Being in the most crowded area of town.
Or on Broadway
Being in the popular theater district.
They are both the same
Both areas still feel empty without human interaction.
A town's a lonely town
Any town can feel lonely if there is nobody there to share it with.
When you pass through
Even just passing through a town without stopping can feel isolating.
And there is no one waiting there for you
Without someone or something to look forward to, you can feel alone and disconnected.
Then it's a lonely town
The town itself is empty and desolate without meaningful connections.
You wander up and down
Walking aimlessly around without direction or purpose.
The crowds rush by
Despite being surrounded by people, they do not pause to interact with you.
A million faces pass before your eyes
An abundance of people can make you feel invisible or insignificant.
Still it's a lonely town
Even with many people around, loneliness can persist.
Unless there's love
A feeling of deep affection and caring can erase loneliness.
A love that's shining
A glowing and positive love can overpower negativity and isolation.
Like a harbor light
Guiding and providing safety and comfort in a storm or uncertainty.
You're lost in the night
Without love or support, you feel aimless and in the dark.
The world's an empty place
Without love and companionship, the world feels bleak and depressing.
And every town's
In any location or circumstance,
A lonely town
It's always possible to feel isolated and disconnected without meaningful connections.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE
Written by: ADOLPH GREEN, BETTY COMDEN, LEONARD BERNSTEIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Clifton Webb
This song is an absolute masterpiece: I’ve listened to it often on Sinatra’s classic “Where Are You?” album. If you could give an Oscar for someone’s singing of a song, that would qualify easily
Rob Jones
No singer can capture loneliness better than The Voice, and that
includes Morrissey. FS was a class act.
Dora Ohrenstein
What a gem! Sinatra in top form, singing live, a masterpiece by Bernstein. It takes some serious singing chops to get through the long phrases in this piece. Bravo Frankie!
Alpha-Male
His voice live is so strong and great delivery ? Greatness. Frank knew loneliness better than any singer ever, this song is so beautiful and sad at the same time.
julbim
This is songwriting...I love the genius of Bernstein's harmonies that take the song from Fmajor to Fminor and all keys in between so naturally and humanely beautiful. Comden and Green's lyrics match the wonderful melody to perfection much as Tony Asher did for Brian Wilson on Pet Sounds. Great.
Chris
Incredible to sing this better live than he did in the studio! Truly one of the finest singers who ever lived.
Dennis James
That should be the finest
Rutner Wallis
I heard he is back and better than ever. 🎉😮
saintcruzin
Such a great song and performance. The directors should’ve given that song to Frank to sing in On The Town. True Frankie became Sinatra later, darker and Ava deepened his feeling of despair so effectively sung at Capitol...Thanks enjoyed this...
Debbie Bhis
Still finding great Sinatra songs id never heard before after all these years