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.
Sweet Caroline
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But then I know it's growing strong
Was in the spring, then spring became the summer
Who'd have believed you'd come along.
Hands, touching hands, reaching out, touching me, touching you
[Chorus:]
Sweet Caroline, good times never seemed so good
Look at the night and it don't seem so lonely
We filled it up with only two, and when I hurt
Hurting runs off my shoulder
How can I hurt when I'm holding you
One, touching one, reaching out, touching me, touching you
[Chorus]
Frank Sinatra's version of Sweet Caroline is a nostalgic, romantic ballad about a love that has grown unexpectedly and gives the singer a sense of comfort and companionship. The first verse expresses the mystery and magic of falling in love with someone unexpectedly, as the singer doesn't know where it began but he knows it's growing stronger with time. The reference to spring turning into summer indicates the gradual progression of the relationship, which has blossomed into a beautiful love that he never expected.
The second verse highlights the power of physical touch and emotional support in a relationship. The singer reflects on how being with his loved one makes him feel less lonely, and the two of them are able to fill up the emptiness of the night with their love. He also notes how being with his loved one helps him overcome his pain, as their physical connection and emotional bond make him feel stronger and more able to cope with life's struggles.
The chorus, which is repeated throughout the song, is a celebration of the joy and happiness that the singer feels with his loved one. He believes that their times together are the best times of his life, and that they will always be as good as they are now.
Overall, Sinatra's interpretation of Sweet Caroline is a beautiful tribute to the power of love and its ability to transform our lives for the better.
Line by Line Meaning
Where it began, I can't begin to knowing
I'm not sure where this feeling came from or how it started
But then I know it's growing strong
But I do know that it's getting stronger
Was in the spring, then spring became the summer
This feeling started in the spring and continued into the summer
Who'd have believed you'd come along.
I never would have thought I would meet someone like you
Hands, touching hands, reaching out, touching me, touching you
Our hands are touching, and it feels like we're reaching out to each other, connecting
Sweet Caroline, good times never seemed so good
You make me feel so happy, like I've never felt before
I'd be inclined to believe they never would, so good, so good
I never thought I could feel this good, but you make it possible
Look at the night and it don't seem so lonely
When I'm with you, the world feels less lonely
We filled it up with only two, and when I hurt
It's just the two of us together, and when I'm feeling down or hurt
Hurting runs off my shoulder
You make my pain and worries disappear
How can I hurt when I'm holding you
When I'm with you, I can't help but feel happy and loved
One, touching one, reaching out, touching me, touching you
We're each other's one and only, reaching out to each other, connected
Sweet Caroline, good times never seemed so good
You make me feel so happy, like I've never felt before
I'd be inclined to believe they never would, so good, so good
I never thought I could feel this good, but you make it possible
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Neil Diamond
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
mm43501
This is the best! It has the perfect happy swing mood for the song, no wonder Neil loved it. People who don't like it means they simply don't like the idea of the cover anyway, because this is the most similar to Niel's one and it's just so good in its own swing band style that is impossible not to appreciate it, even if you prefer the original one.
Ashynz
I think I get why this is Neil Diamonds' fave cover - it's so similar to his own style singing wise and has such a happy tone to it - it's a good feeling to hear your own work covered by a fellow genius...
Ricardo Amaral Oliveira
Simplesmente Maravilhoso
Sun Search
In Diamond's bio-doc, "Solitary Man," Neil says this is his favorite cover of one of his songs. Good enough for me. Only someone with the swagger and confidence of the Chairman could pull this off, and own the song in a different way. Signature Sinatra ending.
Leo Smith
Awesome version. I am a Sinatra fan therefore whatever song he sings I like better than the original singer. Its F. A. S. PLUS the great big band roaring that does it for me.
Mike Fisher
Love this version of this song just cool
Bryan ismyname
A fun cover of the Neil Diamond song. Not one of Sinatra's great classics, but it works on its own.
Arthur Steven
The man doing it his WAY 👏👏👏🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶🎷🎷🎷🎷
oldbiff
When I was a young man guys like this were the adults in the room. It was comforting.
xperimentvictim
i love this versions because dumb people can't go "bah bah bah" when that isnt even in the song. also, sinatra has to be one of the top singers of all time.