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.
The Surrey With the Fringe on Top
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You will sit behind a team of snow-white horses in the slickest gig you'll ever see.
Chicks and ducks and geese better scurry when I take you out in the surrey,
When I take you out in the surrey with the fringe on top.
Watch that fringe and see how it flutters when I drive them high steppin' strutters,
Nosy folks will peep through the shutters and their eyes will pop.
With nice bright curtains that can roll right down in case there's a change in the weather.
Two bright side lights winking and blinkin, ain't no finer rig I'm a-thinking,
You can keep your rig if you're thinking that I care to swap
For that shiny little surrey with the fringe on the top.
(Would you say the fringe was made of silk?) Wouldn't have no other kind but silk.
(Has it really got a team of snow-white horses?)
One's like snow, the others more like milk (so you can tell `em apart)
All the world would fly in a flurry, when I take you out in the surrey,
When I take you out in the surrey with the fringe on top.
When we hit that road hell for leather, cats and dogs all dance in the heather.
Birds and frogs will sing all together and the toads will hop.
The wind will whistle as we rattle along, the cows will moo in the clover
The river will ripple out a whispered song, and whisper it over and over.
Don't you wish you'd go on forever, don't wish you'd go on forever,
Don't you wish you'd go on forever and would never stop
In that shiny little surrey with fringe on the top
In Frank Sinatra's "The Surrey With the Fringe On Top," the lyrics describe a romantic evening out in a sleek, stylish carriage drawn by a pair of snow-white horses. The singer boasts about the attention they will receive as they drive past, with curious onlookers peeking through their windows to take a closer look at the carriage and its occupants. The upholstery is brown, the wheels are yellow, and the dashboard is leather. The carriage is adorned with bright curtains that can be drawn down in case of poor weather. The chorus repeats, emphasizing the beauty and allure of the vehicle and its surroundings.
The lyrics further describe the experience of riding in the surrey. The animals in the fields around them will rejoice as they pass, and the wind will whistle as they travel along. The singer wishes for their ride to continue forever, giving the impression of a perfect, idyllic evening out.
Line by Line Meaning
When I take you out tonight with me, honey, here's the way it's gonna be,
I will take you out for a special night in a fancy ride.
You will sit behind a team of snow-white horses in the slickest gig you'll ever see.
You will sit behind a pair of horses with the smoothest carriage you'll ever see.
Chicks and ducks and geese better scurry when I take you out in the surrey,
Other animals in the area will hurry out of the way when we ride by.
When I take you out in the surrey with the fringe on top.
We will ride in a carriage with a fashionable fringe on the top.
Watch that fringe and see how it flutters when I drive them high steppin' strutters,
Observe how the fringe moves when I drive the horses with their high and graceful steps.
Nosy folks will peep through the shutters and their eyes will pop.
People will be curious and look out their windows to see this impressive ride.
Those wheels are yellow, the upholstery's brown, the dashboard's genuine leather.
The wheels are painted yellow and the seats are covered in brown fabric with a leather dashboard.
With nice bright curtains that can roll right down in case there's a change in the weather.
There are curtains that can be pulled down in case the weather changes.
Two bright side lights winking and blinkin, ain't no finer rig I'm a-thinking,
Two bright lights on the side of the carriage twinkle, and I believe this is the best ride you can find.
You can keep your rig if you're thinking that I care to swap
You can keep your own carriage if you think I want to trade for it.
For that shiny little surrey with the fringe on the top.
I only want this flashy carriage with a fringe on the top.
Would you say the fringe was made of silk?) Wouldn't have no other kind but silk.
If you asked me, I'd say the fringe is made of silk and no other material would be good enough.
(Has it really got a team of snow-white horses?) One's like snow, the others more like milk (so you can tell `em apart)
Yes, there really are snow-white horses pulling the carriage, and one of them is whiter than the other so you can distinguish them.
All the world would fly in a flurry, when I take you out in the surrey,
Everyone will take notice when we ride by in this impressive carriage.
When we hit that road hell for leather, cats and dogs all dance in the heather.
When we gallop on the road at top speed, even the animals like cats and dogs will frolic in the heather.
Birds and frogs will sing all together and the toads will hop.
The birds and frogs will sing in unison, while the toads will jump along beside us.
The wind will whistle as we rattle along, the cows will moo in the clover
The wind will howl as we go by, and cows grazing in the field will moo at us.
The river will ripple out a whispered song, and whisper it over and over.
The river will murmur a soothing song, repeating it again and again.
Don't you wish you'd go on forever, don't wish you'd go on forever,
Don't you want this ride to last forever?
Don't you wish you'd go on forever and would never stop
I hope we can continue this ride forever and never have to stop.
In that shiny little surrey with fringe on the top
Riding in this glossy carriage with a fashionable fringe on the top.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@anthonynasti1279
Frank's voice sounds great here, closer to 1965 than 1979. The Trilogy period was a great period for him, vocally.
@bennyjazzful
WOW WOW WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
From a mad keen 75yo Aussie fan.
Frankie was trying to get a jazzier & more upbeat arrangement.
He & the band sound fantastic.
@beforeourveryeyes
This is the most up-tempo I've ever heard Sinatra sing. Does anyone know of any other recordings this fast? I always thought of him singing at heart-beat or slower. Thank you!
@kingaaryan4562
This isn't a Sinatra song. Its a cover of a song in the Broadway musical "Oklahoma!"
@beforeourveryeyes
It's by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Many artists covered it. I don't think Sinatra wrote any songs, although he has credit for co-writing "I'm a Fool to Want You". Almost all of the singers in that era sang songs that were written by professional songwriters as popular songs or from shows or films. Thanks for responding.@@kingaaryan4562
@josephgrimes9577
Hey! Did this for singing assessment! So fun!
@lanitarenee4668
This truly is a favorite of mine --- ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
@itisibuffmonster
Love this song!
@chrisvegas8769
I like this song by Frank
@davewray9909
He phoned that one in...fecklessly. But he was still the best God ever put breath into.