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.
My Way
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And so I face that final curtain
My friend, I'll make it clear
I'll state my case of which I am certain
I've lived a life that's full
I traveled each and every highway
And more, much more
Regrets, I've had a few
But then again, too few to mention
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption
I planned each charted course
Each careful step along the byway
And more, much, much more
I did it, I did it my way
Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew
And through it all, whenever there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out
I faced it all and stood tall
And did it, did it my way
I've loved, laughed and cried
I had my fill, my share of losing
And now, as the tears subside
I find that it's all so amusing
And to think I did all that
And may I say, not in a shy way
No, no, not me
I did it my way
For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught
Not to say the things that he truly feels
And not the words of someone who kneels
That record shows I took all the blows
And did it my way
The lyrics of the song 'My Way' by Frank Sinatra reflect on the life of a person who has lived a fulfilling life without any regrets. As the person nears the end of their journey, they face the final curtain with clarity and without fear. They take pride in their independence and express that they have lived their life on their own terms. The singer of the lyrics asserts that they have always made their own decisions and taken responsibilities for their actions without seeking the approval of others.
Throughout the song, the singer emphasizes their confidence and courage to face challenges and adversity. They acknowledge that they have made mistakes in life, but their successes and achievements have outnumbered those difficulties. The lyrics imply that the person has gone through life accepting the consequences of their choices and actions. They have found strength in their differences and their ability to assert their individuality. The singer of the song makes it clear that they have lived their life with autonomy, autonomy that many people are afraid to embrace.
Line by Line Meaning
And now the end is near
I'm reaching the end of my life
And so I face that final curtain
I'm aware that my life is about to end
My friend, I'll make it clear
I want to explain my perspective to my friends
I'll state my case of which I am certain
I have strong convictions and beliefs to share
I've lived a life that's full
I've lived a life without regret
I traveled each and every highway
I've taken risks and explored all of life's opportunities
And more, much more
I've truly done everything I wanted to do
I did it, I did it my way
I've done everything on my own terms
Regrets, I've had a few
I have some things I wish I could've done differently
But then again, too few to mention
But overall, I'm satisfied with my life
I did what I had to do
I followed my own goals and aspirations
And saw it through without exemption
I've done everything I set out to accomplish
I planned each charted course
I've set specific goals for myself
Each careful step along the byway
I've taken deliberate actions towards my goals
And more, much, much more
I've accomplished everything I set out to do and more
I did it, I did it my way
I've done everything without compromise
Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew
I've faced difficult situations
When I bit off more than I could chew
When I took on more than I could handle
And through it all, whenever there was doubt
But I never lost faith in myself
I ate it up and spit it out
I dealt with it and moved on
I faced it all and stood tall
I stood up and faced every challenge head-on
And did it, did it my way
I never compromised on my beliefs and goals
I've loved, laughed and cried
I've experienced all the emotions life has to offer
I had my fill, my share of losing
I've experienced my fair share of setbacks and failures
And now, as the tears subside
But I've learned from those experiences
I find that it's all so amusing
And can now look back with a sense of humor
And to think I did all that
I accomplished a lot in my life
And may I say, not in a shy way
And I'm proud of what I've done
No, no, not me
I did everything on my own terms
I did it my way
I never compromised and accomplished everything on my own
For what is a man, what has he got?
After everything, what truly matters?
If not himself, then he has naught
A man who doesn't have control over his life has nothing
Not to say the things that he truly feels
It's important to be true to yourself and express yourself
And not the words of someone who kneels
Not let anyone influence you or control you
That record shows I took all the blows
My achievements and struggles are a testament to my strength
And did it my way
And I never compromised on my beliefs or goals
Lyrics © The Administration MP, Inc., CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE, JEUNE MUSIQUE EDITIONS
Written by: Claude Francois, Gilles Thibaut, Jacques Revaux, Paul Anka
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@HandymanPros
"When you live like me, once is enough" - Frank Sinatra. Amen
@areebhussain321
How did he live?
@jamesbramblett453
Ol blue eyes wasn't the best person to be around back in the day ..he drank he smoked and was just mean . He was a very rough person but back in those days that's the way men were supposed to be and that's why he said once is enough ..his later years he asked his family for forgiveness of being who he was and the family accepted it cause ts who he was and he gave them a great life even though he didn't think so
@jomarrossoni6865
Linda...
@osmarimoveis5752
How I lived like this, always like this.
@spacebar9476
Man, I don't know whether to smile or introspect on that quote. Makes a whole lot of sense.
@user-uq7uq7kv7l
I had this played at my husbands funeral last year. It brings tears to my eyes. Beautiful
@night-v5258
God bless his soul 🙏
@guidine7
Sorry for your loss 🙋🇩🇪
@sniper7303
sorry to hear that user-uq7uq7kv7l