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.
Only the Lonely
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Only the lonely go
Some little small café
The songs I know
Only the lonely know
Each melody
Recalls a love that used to be
The dreams I dream only the lonely dream
That hopeless scheme only the lonely scheme
That soon somewhere
You'll find the one that used to care
And you'll recall each fun time
Those picnics at the beach when love was new
It well could be the one time
A hopeless little dream like that comes true
If you find love hang on to each caress
And never let love go
For when it's gone you'll know the loneliness
The heartbreak only the lonely know
The lyrics of Frank Sinatra's song Only the Lonely express the feelings of a person who is alone and rather desolate. The singer is talking about how his experiences and emotions relate to those of a lonely soul. He describes how he visits places that only lonely people go to, such as small cafés, and knows songs and melodies that only lonely people seem to know. He recalls memories of love that is no longer there, and dreams about what it might feel like to be loved by someone once again. His dreams reflect the hopelessness of his situation, as he cannot escape his feelings of loneliness and desire for companionship. The singer encourages his listeners to hold onto love when they find it, as the heartbreak of losing it can only be fully comprehended by those who have experienced true loneliness.
Overall, the lyrics of Only the Lonely are a poignant expression of the human desire for love and connection. The singer's voice conveys a sense of longing, regret, and bittersweet acceptance of his lonely state. The song is a reminder of the importance of companionship and offers solace to those who may be feeling isolated and alone.
Line by Line Meaning
Each place I go only the lonely go
No matter where I travel or what I do, I am always alone and surrounded by others who are also suffering from loneliness.
The songs I know only the lonely know
All of the music in my life is intimately linked to the pain and heartache that only the truly lonely can understand.
Each melody recalls a love that used to be
Every tune I hear brings back bittersweet memories of a love that I once had, now long gone.
The dreams I dream only the lonely dream
The only fantasies that occupy my mind are those of finding love, which, unfortunately, seem unlikely to ever come true.
Of lips as warm as May
My dreams are filled with the image of that one perfect kiss, one that would make me feel truly alive and loved.
That hopeless scheme, only the lonely scheme
Sometimes, the only thing that keeps me going is the idea that I may one day find someone who loves me, even though deep down I know it's unlikely to happen.
That soon somewhere you'll find the one that used to care
Despite the odds, I cling to the hope that I'll be able to reconnect with an old flame, someone who might still care for me despite the passage of time.
And you recall each fun time
Yet, despite my focus on finding new love or rekindling old passion, my mind is always in the past, reliving the simple joys of early romance and the memories that still make me smile.
Those picnics at the beach when love was new
In particular, I often think back to idyllic moments from the early days of a relationship, like sharing a picnic by the shore with someone I once loved.
It well could be the one time
Despite the almost insurmountable odds stacked against me, I can't help but believe that there might be a chance, however slim, for me to finally find love and happiness.
A hopeless little dream like that comes true
Even if it seems impossible, I hold on to the hope that someday, somehow, I might be able to achieve that perfect happiness that has always eluded me.
If you find love hang on to each caress
Assuming that I ever do find love, I know that I have to cherish every moment, every touch, every kiss, and never take it for granted.
And never let love go
For those like me who have experienced the depths of loneliness, there is no greater tragedy than to lose the one love that finally brings meaning to our existence.
For when it's gone you'll know the loneliness
Once you've experienced true love and it slips away, you are condemned to a deeper, even more profound loneliness than you ever could have imagined.
The heartbreak only the lonely know
It is a pain and sorrow that can only be truly understood by those who have spent their lives searching for, and ultimately losing, the love and companionship that they so desperately crave.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Jimmy Van Heusen, Sammy Cahn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Each place I go only the lonely go
Some little small cafe
The songs I know only the lonely know
Each melody recalls a love that used to be
The dreams I dream only the lonely dream
Of lips as warm as May
That hopeless scheme only the lonely scheme
That soon somewhere you'll find the one that used to care
And you recall each fun time
Those picnics at the beach when love was new
It well could be the one time
A hopeless little dream like that comes true
If you find love hang on to each caress
And never let love go
For when it's gone you'll know the loneliness
The heartbreak only the lonely know
Mai
"Only The Lonely"
Each place I go only the lonely go
Some little small cafe
The songs I know only the lonely know
Each melody recalls a love that used to be
The dreams I dream only the lonely dream
Of lips as warm as May
That hopeless scheme only the lonely scheme
That soon somewhere you'll find the one that used to care
And you recall each fun time
Those picnics at the beach when love was new
It well could be the one time
A hopeless little dream like that comes true
If you find love hang on to each caress
And never let love go
For when it's gone you'll know the loneliness
The heartbreak only the lonely know
Ifitallfails
A song fit for a nightcap...
Each place I go
Only the lonely go
Some little small café
the songs I know
Only
the lonely know each melody
Recalled a love that used to be
the dreams I dream
Only the lonely dream
of lips
as warm as May
That hopeless scheme
Only the lonely scheme
John Scanlan
The Only The Lonely album is timeless art from a musical master - an emotional tour de force from a singer at the pinnacle of his genre. I have never heard a male singer able to express the depth of sorrow the way Sinatra does. I have been listening to him for 55 years and I am as moved by him now as I was when I first heard him sing. Amazing!
Donna Vorce
John - me as well.
sQuash Quad
I have have just ordered the album right after i read your statement. Thank u so much.
Bonnie Robertson
We had this album when I was a kid (50s-60s) and I played it all the time! I still have that old record, and bought the CD and have played it to death for years too. Best album ever.
Real Fagnan
John Scanlan - beautifully stated, I couldn’t agree more!
Diane Bobsie Silos Young
No one could interpret a sad song as well as Sinatra...he pierces my heart all the way through.
Rick Blessing
Sinatra was bipolar. That word didn't exist till he was 80 years old. Bouts of great depression, and high elation followed him his whole life, plus he was Sicilian (southern) Italian, so his emotions were always at the tips of his fingers anyway. He used both moods to his advantage in the recordings and performances of both his ballads, as well as swing songs. When asked if he was sincere with his lyrical interpretations, he said: "When I sing, I believe." A very, very special artist.
Jay Young
@Diane...This is proof positive that the blues is not the "soul" property of any branch of humankind. It runs through all humankind: "all who suffer and are heavy laden..."
M.J. Leger
Well said, Diane -- my heart too!
EllieAine
I wonder how people felt sitting in front of him as he sang.