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.
Stella by Starlight
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Through years of endless springs
The murmur of a brook at eventide
That ripples by a nook where two lovers hide
A great symphonic theme
That's Stella by starlight, and not a dream
My heart and I agree
She's everything on earth to me
A great symphonic theme
That's Stella by starlight, and not a dream
My heart and I agree
She's everything on earth to me
In Frank Sinatra's song 'Stella by Starlight,' the lyrics describe the eternal beauty of Stella, a woman who is compared to the timeless qualities of nature. The song opens with 'a robin sings through years of endless springs' which signifies the recurring and eternal quality of Stella's beauty. She is compared to the murmur of a brook at eventide, which is the quiet and peaceful sound that can only be heard at dusk. This description of Stella is used to convey her gentle and serene nature.
The lyrics further explain Stella's importance as a great symphonic theme, which illustrates her grandeur and her influence in the world around her. The song's title 'Stella by Starlight' is a metaphor comparing Stella's beauty to the stars in the sky, something that can be looked upon but never grasped, as with any dreams. The lyrics then reveal that Stella is not just a dream, but a reality that the singer's heart and soul agree on, making her 'everything on earth.'
Overall, the song is a tribute to the everlasting beauty of a woman, and how she can impact someone's life in a profound and meaningful way. The comparison of Stella to nature acts as a metaphor for the way in which beauty and love can last forever, just like the enduring qualities of the world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
The song a robin sings
The beauty of nature and its harmonious sounds are reminiscent of the joy and lightness found in love.
Through years of endless springs
Time stretches on endlessly, but the purity and freshness of love remains steadfast.
The murmur of a brook at eventide
The soothing and constant flow of a brook represents the constant, reassuring presence of love.
That ripples by a nook where two lovers hide
The image of two lovers hiding away by the brook signifies the beauty of finding intimacy and solace in one another’s presence.
A great symphonic theme
Love is an orchestration of different emotions and experiences, creating a grand masterpiece that can move the soul.
That's Stella by starlight, and not a dream
Stella is the embodiment of this symphonic theme, and is a tangible reality rather than a fleeting dream.
My heart and I agree
This love is a mutual feeling between the heart and mind, confirming its validity and sincerity.
She's everything on earth to me
Stella represents the pinnacle of existence and importance, giving a new depth and meaning to life itself.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: NED WASHINGTON, VICTOR YOUNG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ricardo Chavarria
The song a robin sings
Through years of endless springs
The murmur of a brook at evening tides
That ripples through a nook where two lovers hide
That great symphonic theme
That's Stella by starlight
And not a dream
My heart and I agree
She's everything on this earth to me
That great symphonic theme
That's Stella by starlight
And not a dream
My heart and I agree
She's everything on this earth to me
Ricardo Chavarria
The song a robin sings
Through years of endless springs
The murmur of a brook at evening tides
That ripples through a nook where two lovers hide
That great symphonic theme
That's Stella by starlight
And not a dream
My heart and I agree
She's everything on this earth to me
That great symphonic theme
That's Stella by starlight
And not a dream
My heart and I agree
She's everything on this earth to me
Pablo Lopez
Lucero, noche estrellada, y tu brillando entre todos los astros. Besos, caricias, tu confianza en el templo secreto de un árbol. The murmur of a brook at evening tides. That ripples through a nook where two lovers hide. 5 de marzo de 2020. She's everything on earth to me.
Hexspa
he sings "eventide", not "evening tides". Eventide is an archaic form of evening; besides, it would break the perfect rhyme scheme.
Petr
Just marvelous !
Mickey Ray
Glorious! When popular song was GREAT ART!😊
Russell B
There will never ever be another singer as good as Frank Sinatra.
The Fredism Show
Man, what a voice. Also, I just love these jazz standards. "I"ll Remember April is another one that's just "stellar."
Brother Taro
For my taste (which runs to a jazzier approach), the version is Tony Bennett's from his early "My Heart Sings" album.
Claud Piro
@Brother Taro the voice... the voice
RubyGrace Moseley
This song is just magically beautiful. It’s so pure and romantic. Frank’s voice is just perfect in this song. The line “She’s everything on earth to me” makes me want to cry. Especially the last one with the piano slowly playing in the background. It has so much feeling and emotion out into it….