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.
That's How Much I Love You
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'd spend it all for candy and I'd give it all to you.
I'd spend it all for candy and give it all to you.
'Cause that's how much I love you, baby.
That's how much I love you, baby.
If you were a picture, I'd hang you up on the wall,
Sit back where I could see you and I'd never move at all.
Sit back where I could see you, never move at all.
That's how much I love you, baby.
If you were a kitten, with pretty glossy fur,
I'd take you up and stroke you, listen to you purr.
I'd take you up and stroke you, listen to you purr.
Mmmm, that's how much I love you, baby.
That's how much I love you, dear.
And if you were a tiger, I'd hang around your den,
And pester you, my honey, until you let me in.
And pester you, my honey, till you let me in.
'Cause that's how much I love you, baby.
That's how much I love you, baby.
Baby, if you were horse fly and I an old gray mare,
I'd stand and let you bite me, and I'd never move a hair.
I'd stand and let you bite me, never move a hair.
'Cause that's how much I love you, baby.
That's how much I love you, baby.
If you want to marry, now let me tell you what,
We'll go and find a parson, and I'd let him tie the knot.
We'll go and find a parson, and let him tie the knot.
'Cause that's how much I love you, baby.
That's how much I love you, dear.
When I say you I love you, honey child, I leans on you a little bit.
The lyrics of Frank Sinatra's "That's How Much I Love You" illustrate a person's immense love for their partner, expressed through whimsical comparisons and hypothetical scenarios. The singer portrays their love as unconditional and all-encompassing, willing to endure even the most unpleasant situations for their beloved. The opening lines "If I had a nickel, I know what I would do, / I'd spend it all for candy and I'd give it all to you" demonstrate a willingness to sacrifice personal pleasures for their partner's enjoyment, setting the tone for the rest of the song. The singer imagines their partner as a picture, a kitten, a tiger, and a horsefly, all of which they would adore in their unique ways, showing no limit to the depths of their affection.
The song is a testament to the theme of devoted love that is present in many of Sinatra's works. The lyrics utilize simple, childlike language to convey deep emotions, making the song both playful and sincere. Sinatra's smooth, gentle voice adds an additional layer of tenderness to the song, lending weight to the lyrics' ultimate message of love.
Line by Line Meaning
If I had a nickel, I know what I would do,
If I had a little bit of money, I would spend it all on something sweet, just to show you how much I care.
I'd spend it all for candy and give it all to you.
I would use my little bit of money to buy sweets and give it all to you because that's how much I love you, babe.
If you were a picture, I'd hang you up on the wall,
If you were a beautiful painting, I would love to hang you up where I could admire you every day.
Sit back where I could see you, never move at all.
I would sit back and gaze upon your beauty without ever wanting to leave your side.
If you were a kitten, with pretty glossy fur,
If you were a cute little cat, I'd be happy to hold you and hear you purr in my arms all day.
I'd take you up and stroke you, listen to you purr.
I would lovingly caress you and listen to the contented sound of your purring because that's how much I love you, my dear.
If you were a tiger, I'd hang around your den,
If you were a fierce wild animal, I would still want to be near you, to be close to you, to show you how devoted I am to you.
And pester you, my honey, till you let me in.
I would bother you until you let me close to you, because that's how much I love you, my dear.
Baby, if you were a horse fly and I an old gray mare,
Even if you were an annoying insect, I would tolerate you without moving until you were done, just to show you how much I cherish and respect you.
I'd stand and let you bite me, never move a hair.
I would endure any kind of painful experience if it meant that I could prove my boundless love to you, my dear.
If you want to marry, now let me tell you what,
If you want to take things further, here's my answer: I'm ready to commit and start a family with you, because that's how much I love you, honey.
We'll go and find a parson, and let him tie the knot.
We'll get married in front of God and the whole world, just to show that our love is strong and forever.
When I say you I love you, honey child, I leans on you a little bit.
Whenever I tell you that I love you, it's not just words, I truly mean it with all my heart and soul. It's a little sign of how much I rely on and need you in my life.
Contributed by Aaliyah O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@markettudorova6475
Absolutely perfect! Love that! 😍 And he was so handsome! 😍😍
@artanispower
Thanks for that early recording. A rarety. Love it. :-)
@andreadelrosariocervantesg8537
Handsome!!
@daleproctor3723
Backed by the Page Cavanaugh Trio with Al Viola on guitar.
@MrRJDB1969
Words & Music by: Eddy Arnold, Wally Fowler, & J. Graydon Hall - Copyright 1946
@MiaHessMusic
Thank you!!! I need the song info and wow, you can't find it on the internet!!
@dennisthemenace7801
Well I didn't know Arnold had a writing credit thats interesting. Thought he just performed it
@efrostrup
Yep; attempting a Cowboy song around Eddy Arnold , 'an Tex Ritter; Frankie sounds at ease; even with some mumble in my hearing. Frank indeed 'Wrote the Book' (His comments)..
@BuRDeNWORLDQuEEn
Frankie Blue Eyes
@sylvesterquast5832
Kinky lyrics