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.
Someone to Watch Over Me
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hope that she turns out to be
Someone who'll watch over me
I'm a little lamb who's lost in the wood
I know I could, could always be good
To one who'll watch over me
Although I may not be the man some
To her heart I'll carry the key
Won't you tell her please to put on some speed
Follow my lead, oh, how I need
Someone to watch over me
Won't you tell her please to put on some speed
Follow my lead, oh, how I need
Someone to watch over me
The lyrics to Frank Sinatra's "Someone to Watch Over Me," composed by George and Ira Gershwin, express a deep longing for human connection and affection. The singer is a vulnerable and lost "little lamb" who is searching for someone to watch over him. The singer admits that he is not conventionally handsome, but he hopes that he can gain someone's affection and unlock their heart with his own key.
The lyrics suggest that the singer's longing for love is not just about physical attraction or romantic interest, but rather a simple desire to be cared for and protected. He knows the world can be harsh and unforgiving, and his confession "oh, how I need" implies a feeling of desperation and loneliness. This plea for companionship is underscored by the soulful and melancholic melody, which adds to the depth and complexity of the lyrics. Overall, "Someone to Watch Over Me" speaks to the common human need for love, protection, and belonging.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a somebody I'm longing to see
I have a strong desire to meet and spend time with someone.
I hope that she turns out to be
I have optimism that this person will meet my expectations.
Someone who'll watch over me
I desire someone to protect and care for me.
I'm a little lamb who's lost in the wood
I feel vulnerable and uncertain, like a young animal who has wandered into unfamiliar territory.
I know I could, could always be good
I have faith in my ability to behave well and be a good companion.
To one who'll watch over me
I want to give my loyalty and attention to someone who will take care of me.
Although I may not be the man some
I understand that I may not possess the physical qualities that some women seek in a partner.
Girls think of as handsome
I acknowledge that physical attraction is a desirable trait for many women.
To her heart I'll carry the key
I intend to hold the key to this person's heart and be the one she chooses to love.
Won't you tell her please to put on some speed
I am requesting help in encouraging this person to move more quickly towards a relationship with me.
Follow my lead, oh, how I need
I require this person to follow my lead in building a relationship together.
Someone to watch over me
I continue to express my desire for someone to care for and protect me as I navigate life and relationships.
Lyrics © TuneCore Inc., O/B/O DistroKid, ONErpm, Sentric Music, Downtown Music Publishing, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ira Gershwin, George Gershwin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@prajwolbaniya
There's a somebody
I'm longin' to see
I hope that he turns
Out to be
Someone to watch over me
I'm a little lamb
Who's lost in the wood
I know I could
Always be good
To one
Who'll watch over me
Although he may
Not be the man some
Girls think
Of as handsome
To my heart
He carries the key
Won't you tell him please
To put on some speed
Follow my lead
Oh, how I need
Someone to watch over me
Won't you tell him please
To put on some speed
Follow my lead
Oh, how I need
Someone to watch over me
Someone to watch over me
@carlosrocha8288
There's a somebody I'm longing to see
I hope that she turns out to be
Someone who'll watch over me
I'm a little lamb who's lost in the wood
I know I could always be good
To one who'll watch over me
Although I may not be the man some
Girls think of as handsome
To her heart I'll carry the key
Won't you tell her please to put on some speed
Follow my lead, oh, how I need
Someone to watch over me
Won't you tell her please to put on some speed
Follow my lead, oh, how I need
Someone to watch over me
@GeorgetteBu
I watched my parents demonstrate love when they danced to songs like this. My Mom is now 101 years old and still at home with me. I'm watching over her since Dad is no longer here, but I am doing this with God watching over both of us. She watched over me all my life. Now it's my turn.
@sumetrashivashankar1078
Oh God Bless You 🙏 ....
@mikegalvin9801
Wonderful. Did the same with my mom. She always said as long as the Queen and Olivia de Haviland are around so will I be. They both went and mom died in her sleep a month shy of 101.
@72Yonatan
Bless you, Georgette.
@andrecartier8126
My wonderful loving wife always used to tell me ' your the only man I ever want to watch over me. I lost her in " 03 " God got an Angel.........
@georgebreidenthal725
It would've been great if he had stayed faithful to Nancy, but I guess that's too much to ask.
@vergatusuave8854
Best wishes. Maybe now she's watching over you
@veronicaparis5002
GOD is watching you. 😢❤ I lost my 26 yrs young daughter March 24th in a very tragic accident, that didn't have to happen. 7 months later, I lost my best friend, my mom. I found her w the police.. I admire your ability to go on. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THAT. GOD BLESS YOU
@gemaconcepciongallardorive9709
😢Que maravilla leer cómo te expresas de ella 😍
@StellaAdler_
Please accept my condolences 🙏🏼