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.
Monique
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Monique, Monique
I've hungered so for this
Monique, Monique
The magic of your kiss
Monique, Monique
Was Paris always there
Monique, Monique
But why am I dancing, my friends may well demand
I'll tell them Monique, Monique held my hand
When they see Monique, I'm sure they'll understand
These lyrics from Frank Sinatra's song Monique convey a sense of admiration and awe towards a woman named Monique. The singer expresses his longing for her and describes her kiss as magical. He also reflects on his previous indifference towards Paris, but suggests that Monique has changed that. The final lines suggest that the singer's friends may question why he is dancing, but he knows that it is because of Monique's influence.
Overall, the lyrics highlight the transformative power of love and the way that it can change a person's perspective on the world. The singer is captivated by Monique and the way that she has impacted his life, leading him to view things in a new way. The repetition of her name throughout the song emphasizes her importance and the way that she has captured his attention and affection.
Line by Line Meaning
When they see Monique, I know they'll understand
I am confident that others will be able to appreciate the alluring qualities and charms of Monique when they see her
Monique, Monique
The name Monique is so captivating and irresistible, I can't help but repeat it
I've hungered so for this
I have desired and longed deeply for the opportunity to be with Monique
The magic of your kiss
The intimate and romantic gesture of your kiss has a spellbinding and enchanting effect on me.
Was Paris always there
I am suddenly aware of the beauty and romance that Paris has to offer since being with Monique
I didn't know or care
I was ignorant and indifferent to the wonders of Paris before being captivated by Monique
But why am I dancing, my friends may well demand
My friends may question why I am suddenly so happy and lively, and I am curious myself
I'll tell them Monique, Monique held my hand
I will attribute my newfound happiness and giddy demeanor to the physical and emotional connection I share with Monique.
When they see Monique, I'm sure they'll understand
I am confident that others will comprehend the powerful impact that Monique has over me when they witness her alluring presence.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Monique Lourenco
Uma música linda com meu nome e interpretada por Frank Sinatra 💗💗💗🌷💕🥰😍
Monique Lorosa
Uma música linda com meu nome!!! ❤️
Safa Alkan
Absolutely beautiful song from Sinatra !
M. Leanna Peterkin
This song encourages me to like my name (Monique) all the more:)
Monica Horn
My mom passed away 4 years ago. I'm reading a diary she wrote in 1958, when she was 16. She tells of hearing this song and loving it. I had never heard the song. I guess it inspired her to name me Monica. She always said she liked the European pronunciation and called me that even tho everyone else pronounced it the "American" way. This song explains why! Imagine, learning this at age 57, reading an old diary!
Monique Frederick
M. Leanna Peterkin lmaoo same
Monika Monika
@Monica Pinal exactly 💓
Monica Pinal
@Monika Monika the best name ever <3
Monica Pinal
hi tocaya, from Mexico :*
Momo Cisneros
HE SANG A SONG WIT MY NAME. I’ve never been so happy bro