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.
Polka Dots and Moonbeams
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I felt a bump and heard an "Oh, beg your pardon"
Suddenly I saw polka dots and moonbeams
All around a pug-nosed dream
The music started and was I the perplexed one
I held my breath and said "May I have the next one?"
In my frightened arms, polka dots and moonbeams
There were questions in the eyes of other dancers
As we floated over the floor
There were questions but my heart knew all the answers
And perhaps a few things more
Now in a cottage built of lilacs and laughter
I know the meaning of the words "Ever after"
And I'll always see polka dots and moonbeams
When I kiss the pug-nosed dream
The lyrics of Frank Sinatra & Tommy Dorsey's song, Polka Dots and Moonbeams, tell a story of falling in love unexpectedly at a country dance. The first verse describes the moment when the two protagonists first encounter each other, with the singer feeling a "bump" and hearing "Oh, beg your pardon." Suddenly, he sees "polka dots and moonbeams all around a pug-nosed dream," which is likely a reference to the girl's beauty and charm.
In the second verse, the music starts, and the singer is nervous about asking the girl to dance, but he plucks up the courage and holds her tightly as they glide across the floor. Despite other dancers looking at them with "questions in their eyes," the singer is sure of what he feels, saying that his "heart knew all the answers and perhaps a few things more."
The final verse finds the couple living in a "cottage built of lilacs and laughter," and the singer realizing the meaning of the words "ever after." He promises to always see "polka dots and moonbeams" when he kisses his "pug-nosed dream." Overall, the lyrics convey the joy of falling in love unexpectedly and the enduring nature of that love.
Line by Line Meaning
A country dance was being held in a garden
A social gathering was taking place in an outdoor space, where people were dancing in pairs to music
I felt a bump and heard an 'Oh, beg your pardon'
I accidentally collided with someone and heard them apologize immediately, likely embarrassed about the incident
Suddenly I saw polka dots and moonbeams
In that moment, I was overcome with a sense of wonder and joy, as if seeing something beautiful for the first time
All around a pug-nosed dream
The object of my admiration was a person with a distinctive physical feature, yet to me they were perfect in every way
The music started and was I the perplexed one
As the music began playing, I felt unsure and bewildered by the situation, not knowing how to approach the person I was drawn to
I held my breath and said 'May I have the next one?'
Summoning my courage, I asked the person to dance with me for the next song
In my frightened arms, polka dots and moonbeams
As we danced, I was filled with a sense of awe and wonder at the beauty of the person in my embrace
Sparkled on a pug-nosed dream
The person I was dancing with was like a dream to me, with their unique beauty shining like the stars
There were questions in the eyes of other dancers
Other people at the dance were wondering or curious about why I was dancing with this particular person
As we floated over the floor
As we danced, it felt like we were moving so gracefully and effortlessly that we were almost gliding across the floor
There were questions but my heart knew all the answers
Despite any doubts or skepticism from others, I felt completely sure in my heart that this was the person for me
And perhaps a few things more
In addition to my feelings of love and admiration, there may have been other deeper or unspoken reasons why I was drawn to this person
Now in a cottage built of lilacs and laughter
Years later, I am happily settled down with this person in a cozy home filled with joy and sweet memories
I know the meaning of the words 'Ever after'
Through all of life's ups and downs, I have come to understand what it means to be committed to someone 'forever' and to cherish them through thick and thin
And I'll always see polka dots and moonbeams
As I look back on my life with this person, I will always remember the magic and beauty that drew me to them in the first place
When I kiss the pug-nosed dream
Whenever I embrace or show affection to the person I fell in love with long ago, I am reminded of the passion and devotion that brought us together
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Broma 16, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JAMES VAN HEUSEN, JIMMY VAN HEUSEN, JOHNNY BURKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
charmisq1
They don’t make music like this anymore. Just the lyrics of this song is so wonderful, it makes you think of the possibilities of love. I have a different version on my playlist of Frank Sinatra singing it, i think it must be an older version of him singing it. I don’t know what it is but I sometimes feel like I should be living in a different era
Aluviper
This made me have better thoughts about life. How magnificent everything really is.
Samuel Li-A-Sam
Never will not stop loving this song ❤️
John Camacho
It’s amazing how great Sinatra was!
Jay Shriver
Thanks Phillip. I've been looking for this wonderful rendition. This really showcases Francis' impeccable timing.
Damien's Number 1 Fan
Great version of one of my favourites thanks for posting
Richard Salvucci
That intro has killed me for 50 years
David Runnells
He's the greatest !
R D
Superb melody, superb lyrics... of yesteryears, no more...
jthepickle7
From Reprise, Frank's own label. I think the best rendition.