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.
They Didn't Believe Me
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like to watch you all the day
And it certainly seems fine
Just to think that you'll be mine
When I see your pretty smile
Makes the living worth the while
So I've got to run around
Telling people what I've found
And when I told them how beautiful you are
They didn't believe me, they didn't believe me
Your lips, your eyes, your cheeks, your hair
Are in a class beyond compare
You're the loveliest girl that one could see
And when I tell them
And I certainly am goin' to tell them
That I'm the man whose wife one day you'll be
They'll never believe me, they'll never believe me
That from this great big world you've chosen me
Don't know how it happened quite
May have been the summer night
May have been; well, who can say?
Things just happen any way
All I know is I said "yes"
Hesitating more or less
And you kissed me where I stood
Just like any fellow would
And when I told them how wonderful you are
They didn't believe me, they didn't believe me
Your lips, your eyes, your curly hair
Are in a class beyond compare
You're the loveliest thing that one could see
And when I tell them
And I certainly am goin' to tell them
That I'm the girl whose boy one day you'll be
They'll never believe me, they'll never believe me
That from this great big world you've chosen me
The song, "They Didn't Believe Me," was written in 1914 by Jerome Kern and was popularized by Frank Sinatra in his 1961 album "Sinatra's Swingin' Session!!!" In the song, the singer describes their partner's beauty and charm, and expresses their disbelief that they are lucky enough to have found someone so wonderful. The lyrics suggest that the singer is constantly telling people about their partner's beauty and personality, but feels like no one truly understands how amazing they are.
The first verse describes the singer's fascination with their partner's cuteness, stating that they could watch them all day. The second verse explains that the singer has told others about their partner's beauty and elegance, but no one believes them. The chorus reiterates the singer's amazement with their partner's beauty and expresses their excitement at the idea of being with them forever. The third verse shifts perspectives to the partner, who expresses a similar disbelief that they are lucky enough to have found someone so wonderful.
The song is a classic example of a romantic ballad, with its focus on the beauty and charm of a loved one. The vivid descriptions of physical features such as lips, eyes, cheeks, and hair paint a picture of the idealized partner that the singer has found. The repetition of the phrase "they didn't believe me" emphasizes the disbelief of the singer and serves to contrast the doubters with the singer's own feelings of love and adoration.
Overall, "They Didn't Believe Me" is a charming and romantic song that celebrates the joy of finding true love. The lyrics capture the feelings of awe and wonder that come with discovering someone who is truly special, and remind us of the transformative power of love.
Line by Line Meaning
Got the cutest little way
I adore the unique, charming way you behave.
Like to watch you all the day
I enjoy observing you throughout each day.
And it certainly seems fine
I feel content and satisfied when I am with you.
Just to think that you'll be mine
The mere thought of being in a relationship with you makes me happy.
When I see your pretty smile
Your beautiful smile brings joy into my life.
Makes the living worth the while
Your presence makes life enjoyable and worthwhile.
So I've got to run around
I feel the need to tell everyone about my feelings for you.
Telling people what I've found
I am sharing with others the wonderful person I have discovered.
And when I told them how beautiful you are
I expressed to others how gorgeous you are.
They didn't believe me, they didn't believe me
They did not believe that such a stunning person exists.
Your lips, your eyes, your cheeks, your hair
Each feature of yours - lips, eyes, cheeks, and hair - is beyond compare.
Are in a class beyond compare
Your features are unparalleled and exquisite.
You're the loveliest girl that one could see
You are the most beautiful girl in the world to me.
And when I tell them
I inform people about your beauty.
And I certainly am goin' to tell them
I will proudly inform anyone who will listen.
That I'm the man whose wife one day you'll be
I express that I am fortunate to have you as my future wife.
They'll never believe me, they'll never believe me
People will not believe in my good fortune.
That from this great big world you've chosen me
I have been chosen by such a wonderful person in this vast world.
Don't know how it happened quite
I am unsure how I was able to catch your interest.
May have been the summer night
Perhaps it was the romantic atmosphere of a summer evening.
May have been; well, who can say?
It is difficult to pinpoint what led to our relationship.
Things just happen any way
Sometimes, things simply occur naturally and organically.
All I know is I said "yes"
Despite hesitation, I agreed to be with you because of my feelings.
Hesitating more or less
I was uncertain, but eventually made the decision to be with you.
And you kissed me where I stood
You made a move on me which led to us being together.
Just like any fellow would
Your actions were those of any person in love.
And when I told them how wonderful you are
I expressed to others how fantastic you are.
Your lips, your eyes, your curly hair
Your eyes, lips, and curly hair stand out and make you stunning.
You're the loveliest thing that one could see
You are the most gorgeous person I have ever met.
That I'm the girl whose boy one day you'll be
I am proud to be your future partner.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Herbert Reynolds, Jerome Kern
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@xfhghe
Excellent performance! It's also a window on what we were as a society. I wonder how far a yound Frank Sinatra would get today.
@Sandy-du4ev
Sinatra was a spectacular artist...his timing and phrasing are excellent and he belts it out with the talent of a true musician
@179cpv
I love the way he sings “and I’m certainly going to tell them,” as if he just thought of it at that moment. Great phrasing.
@knarfartanis
Sinatra makes every song special, like he is singing it for you alone,,the very best of all times, no doubt.
@fredengle4346
When I Tell Them How Beautiful You Are
@jackiemcmeekin6551
Great singer, great song. Mario Lanza sung it in a movie. He of course had an operatic voice. Two very talented men!!!
@VJG1950
Love this song..sung to perfection by " The Voice"..💕💕
@christopherdavis80
of course
@Chris-jq1qb
That belt at 1:38 is such early 50's Sinatra
@Bellabrinda
This makes my heart smile.