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.
Street of Dreams
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Kings don't mean a thing
On the street of dreams
Dreams broken in two, can be made like new
On the street of dreams
Gold, sliver and gold
All you can hold up there on a moonbeams
Poor and nobody's poor
On the street of dreams
All the gold, sliver and gold
All you can hold up there on a moonbeam
Poor, and nobody's poor
Long as love is sure
On the street of dreams
The lyrics to Frank Sinatra's "Street of Dreams" describe a world where love is valued above all else. The song illustrates that individuals in love are more important than great kings or vast riches. The line "Love laughs at a king, Kings don't mean a thing" emphasizes this view. The street of dreams is where broken dreams can be reignited and made new again when two people are in love. No matter if they are rich or poor, as long as they have the certainty of love, they will be fulfilled on this street of dreams. The lyric that reads "All the gold, silver and gold, All you can hold up there on a moonbeam" suggests that even material wealth pales in comparison to the eternal nature of love.
The song's simple yet meaningful lyrics are meant to remind listeners that love is the most valuable currency in the world. No matter how wealthy or successful a person may be, they will only find true happiness when they share love with someone they care about. The overall theme of the song is that love can transform broken dreams into magical memories.
Line by Line Meaning
Love laughs at a king
Love is a force more powerful than any king or ruler; even those in the highest positions of power are not immune to its influence and allure.
Kings don't mean a thing
In the grand scheme of things, the importance and significance of kings or rulers are insignificant compared to the power of love.
On the street of dreams
The setting for this song is a place of hope and endless possibilities, where dreams can come true.
Dreams broken in two, can be made like new
No matter how many times your dreams are shattered or torn apart, they can always be mended and made whole again on the street of dreams.
On the street of dreams
The repetition of this line drives home the idea that the street of dreams is the focal point of the song's message.
Gold, silver and gold
This line alludes to the idea that on the street of dreams, anything is possible; even things as valuable and precious as gold and silver can be found there.
All you can hold up there on a moonbeam
The street of dreams is a place where even the impossible can become possible; it is a place where you can hold onto things as delicate and intangible as a moonbeam.
Poor and nobody's poor
On the street of dreams, wealth and status are irrelevant; even those who are considered poor in real life can find a sense of abundance and happiness there.
Long as love is sure
As long as you have the unwavering support of love, any obstacles or challenges you may face on the street of dreams can be overcome.
On the street of dreams
The song comes full circle, returning once again to the idea that the street of dreams is a magical place where hope reigns supreme and anything can be achieved.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Sam Lewis, Victor Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Monique Medeiros
maravilhoso!
Tita Evans-Santini
You can really hear his beautiful voice in this song......
Mews Small
Love it
Nilanjana Bhattacharjee
Frank Sinatra forever and eternity 💞
Rossella Scozzi
When I think on Sinatra , I imagine a word
more clean than this.
His voice is poetry and mistery of uncertain epoque.
Caaahlos
This song is in the same tempo as the one in “Sinatra at the Sands” with Count Basie. I love it.
Nadia Garibaldi
Precioso!!💋
Maestro INOLVIDABLE.⭐🌹❤️🇺🇸
🧡💋
LA VOZ: 🎤🎼
Juan de Cristo
So cool, Forever Sinatra
Mr G
What a Beautiful Song
Alfredo Dominguez
If I had wish.. it would be 2 see Frank the man performer live.. he gave it all on that spot light ...