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.
Our Town
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The folks you'll meet on any street in our town.
Pick out any cottage, white or brown.
They're all so appealing, with that "lived-in" feelin'.
You will like the shady lanes in our town.
The music of the passing trains in our town.
You will lose your heart, I promise you,
"Welcome" on the door town,
If you'll make it your town, too.
(Musical interlude)
You will lose your heart, I promise you,
In this, our "two by four" town,
"Welcome" on the door town,
If you'll make it your town, too.
The song "Our Town" by Frank Sinatra is a celebration of one's hometown that strives to convey the warmth and charm of small-town America. The opening lines convey a sense of friendliness and familiarity to the listener, suggesting that one is sure to find "folks" with whom you can connect on any street in the town. The imagery of the "cottage, white or brown" exudes an old-world charm, and the reference to the "lived-in feelin'" suggests that the town has a rich history and that the community has deep roots that run through it.
The lyrics go on to highlight the simple pleasures of the town, such as the "shady lanes" that are perfect for a walk or the "passing trains" whose music provides a soothing background track for daily life. The song relays a sense of peace and contentment that accompanies living in a small-town community, where everyone knows each other and a warm welcome is waiting at every door.
In summary, Frank Sinatra's song "Our Town" is a nostalgic tribute to small-town America that emphasizes its charm, familiarity, and neighborly spirit. The lyrics paint a picture of a warm and inviting community where people care for one another and the simple pleasures of daily life are enjoyed to the fullest.
Line by Line Meaning
You will like the folks you meet in our town,
You will enjoy the company of the people living in our town.
The folks you'll meet on any street in our town.
Anywhere you go in our town, you will encounter friendly people.
Pick out any cottage, white or brown.
Regardless of the color, every house in our town has its own charm.
They're all so appealing, with that "lived-in" feelin'.
Even though the houses may not be brand new, they have a homely and comfortable atmosphere.
You will like the shady lanes in our town.
The streets in our town are full of trees which provide shade and make for pleasant walks.
The music of the passing trains in our town.
Even the train passing through our town has a pleasant sound, adding to its charm.
You will lose your heart, I promise you,
You will fall in love with our town, I guarantee it.
In this, our "two by four" town,
Even though our town may be small and not very important, it still holds great value.
"Welcome" on the door town,
Our town is welcoming and friendly to all visitors and newcomers.
If you'll make it your town, too.
If you choose to live here, you'll find yourself becoming a part of our community.
You will lose your heart, I promise you,
You will fall in love with our town, I guarantee it.
In this, our "two by four" town,
Even though our town may be small and not very important, it still holds great value.
"Welcome" on the door town,
Our town is welcoming and friendly to all visitors and newcomers.
If you'll make it your town, too.
If you choose to live here, you'll find yourself becoming a part of our community.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JIMMY VAN HEUSEN, SAMMY CAHN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
PalJoey1957
This is one of Sinatra's minor masterpieces. The melody is more open ended, has a looser structure, than the tight standard pop songs - Love And Marriage for example. As such it requires a maximum of interpretive inflection to hold it together, and needless to say Frank carries it off masterfully.
Makes me cry. I saw it as a 9 year old on the old black and white Admiral TV. Thornton Wilder's "Our Town" was brought back to Broadway around '68 or '69. Took a fabulous looking dame to see it who hardly spoke English. It was lost on her. Never copped. Never got a second date. Oh well.
George Paterson
@Roger Wilco Excellent Analysis.
George Paterson
Good stuff
Roger Wilco
Fabulous lyrics and masterful arrangement. "Our 2/4 town." I like the rest of the songs in this show, except the L&M. This came out with I was in high school.
Jack HPod
PalJoey1957 uii8
Jim Stokes
This is a LOT better song than Love & Marriage. "Our 2 x 4 town" wow! What lyrics! i also like The Impossible Years from this show. I was in high school when it came out on TV.
Carlton Boyd
he is the greatest of all time
Sam West
Indeed, this should be revived on Broadway or made into a movie.
Jonathan Yodice
So lovely - and Nelson Riddle's accompaniment only enhances its beauty.
Bud Lehn
A masterpiece.