Reaching number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the Easy Listening chart, it was the title song for Sinatra's 1966 album Strangers in the Night, which became his most commercially successful album. The song also reached number one on the UK Singles Chart.
Sinatra's recording won him the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and the Grammy Award for Record of the Year, as well as a Grammy Award for Best Arrangement Accompanying a Vocalist or Instrumentalist for Ernie Freeman at the Grammy Awards of 1967. Hal Blaine was the drummer on the record and Glen Campbell played rhythm guitar.
One of the most memorable and recognizable features of the record is Sinatra's scat improvisation of the melody with the syllables "doo-be-doo-be-doo" as the song fades to the end. Many fans lament the fact that the fade was early and Sinatra's improvisation is cut off too soon. This was also the inspiration behind the cartoon character Scooby Doo’s name.
For the CD Nothing but the Best, the song was remastered and the running time is 2:45 instead of the usual 2:35. The extra ten seconds is just a continuation of Sinatra's scat singing. The track was recorded on April 11, 1966, one month before the rest of the album.
Sinatra despised the song, calling it at one time "a piece of shit" and "the worst fucking song that I have ever heard." He was not afraid to voice his disapproval of playing it live. In spite of his contempt for the song, for the first time in eleven years he had a number one song, and it remained on the charts for fifteen weeks. Italian-American tenor Sergio Franchi (among many others) covered the song on his 1967 RCA Victor album From Sergio - with Love.
Strangers in the Night
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Exchanging glances
Wandering in the night
What were the chances
We'd be sharing love
Before the night was through?
Something in your eyes
Was so inviting
Was so exciting
Something in my heart told me I must have you
Strangers in the night, two lonely people
We were strangers in the night
Up to the moment when we said our first hello
Little did we know
Love was just a glance away, a warm embracing dance away
And ever since that night
We've been together
Lovers at first sight
In love forever
It turned out so right
For strangers in the night
Love was just a glance away, a warm embracing dance away
Ever since that night
We've been together
Lovers at first sight
In love forever
It turned out so right
For strangers in the night
Doo-bee-doo-bee-doo
Doo-doo-dee-dah
Dah-dah-dah-dah-dah, ya-ya-ya
"Strangers in the Night" is a classic romantic song, sung by Frank Sinatra, in which two strangers meet and fall in love. We see them exchanging glances and wandering in the night. Sinatra sings about the chance of sharing love before the night is over. He talks about how something in the woman's eyes and smile are inviting and exciting, and his heart tells him that he must have her. As the title suggests, they start off as strangers in the night, but after saying their first hello, little did they know, love was just a glance away, and they found themselves in a warm embrace. This first meeting turned out to be more than a one-night stand. They became lovers at first sight and have been together in love forever.
The song has a timeless quality, and the lyrics subtly tell a charming story of two strangers falling in love. The melody flows beautifully, and Sinatra's smooth, captivating voice brings a unique flavor that adds to the romance. The song remains a timeless classic that has continued to capture the hearts of listeners across generations.
Line by Line Meaning
Strangers in the night
Two unknown individuals who meet by chance during the night
Exchanging glances
Sharing a brief, but meaningful eye contact
Wandering in the night
Walking around aimlessly at night
What were the chances
Expressing surprise or disbelief at the odds of meeting
We'd be sharing love
Meeting and falling in love with each other
Before the night was through?
Wondering if their meeting would lead to an unforgettable night
Something in your eyes
The mysterious allure of the other person's look
Was so inviting
Appealing and alluring
Something in your smile
The captivating attraction of the way the other person smiles
Was so exciting
Filled with spirited energy
Something in my heart told me I must have you
The strong feeling of desire that the other person created within the singer
Strangers in the night, two lonely people
Reinforcing the idea that the two people didn't know each other before they met
We were strangers in the night
Emphasizing on the fact that they were complete strangers
Up to the moment when we said our first hello
Their first interaction and the beginning of their story
Little did we know
A statement of surprise about how things turned out
Love was just a glance away, a warm embracing dance away
Love was waiting for them to meet and interact
And ever since that night
Highlighting the importance of that night in their lives
We've been together
Emphasizing their strong bond and commitment to each other
Lovers at first sight
A term to describe their instant love for each other
In love forever
Their love is meant to last forever
It turned out so right
Their love led them to the right path
Doo-bee-doo-bee-doo
A partial phrase that adds to the melody and rhythm of the song
Doo-doo-dee-dah
Another partial phrase that adds to the melody and rhythm of the song
Dah-dah-dah-dah-dah, ya-ya-ya
A finishing phrase to the song
Lyrics © TuneCore Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bert Kaempfert, Charles Singleton, Eddie Snyder
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mike
on The Lady Is A Champ
She gets too hungry for dinner at eight
She can't eat late and stay up all night, because unlike society types, she has to get up in the morning.
She likes the theatre and never comes late
She cares more about seeing the play than being seen making an entrance.
She never bothers with people she'd hate
Her friends are friends, not social trophies.
Doesn't like crap games with barons or earls
While barrns and earls probably don't play craps, she associates with friends, not people to be seen with.
Won't go to Harlem in ermine and pearls
She doesn't "slum", the practice of the rich in the 30's, when the song was written, of touring poor neighborhoods dressed in rich clothes to "tut, tut" about the deplorable conditions, and congratulate each other for "caring about the poor"
Won't dish the dirt with the rest of the girls
Doesn't trade gossip for acceptance among an in-crowd
She likes the free, fresh wind in her hair
She cares more about how her hair feels than conforming with current hair fashions
Hates California, it's cold and it's damp
Since most of California is noticeably warmer and / or drier than New York, where the play the song was written for is set, this is probably a facetious excuse to like what she likes.
And she won't go to Harlem in Lincoln's or Ford's
Another reference to slumming, but facetious, since Lincolns and Fords were middle-class, not luxury brands when the lyric was written
Anonymous
on Try a Little Tenderness
Here are the correct lyrics
Try A Little Tenderness - Frank Sinatra - Lyrics
Oh she may be weary
Women do get wearied
Wearing that same old shabby dress
And when she’s weary
You try a little tenderness
You know she’s waiting
Just anticipating things she’ll may never possess
While she is without them
Try just a little bit of tenderness
It’s not just sentimental
She has her grieve and her care
And the words that soft and gentle
Makes it easier to bear
You wont regret it
Women don't forget it
Love is their whole happiness
And it’s all so easy
Try a little tenderness
Musical Interlude
And, it’s all so easy
Try a little tenderness
Daniel
on The Way You Look Tonight
I met Frank Jr. in Las Vegas, a real gentleman. RIP you both.
Giorgi Khutashvili
on Theme from New York, New York
)))