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.
Three Coins in the Fountain
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Each one seeking happiness
Thrown by three hopeful lovers
Which one will the fountain bless?
Three hearts in the fountain
Each heart longing for its home
There they lie in the fountainSomewhere in the heart of Rome
Which one will the fountain bless?
Which one will the fountain bless?
Three coins in the fountain
Through the ripples how they shine
Just one wish will be granted
One heart will wear a valentine
Make it mine
Make it mine
Make it mine
Three coins in the fountain
Through the ripples how they shine
And just one wish will be granted
One heart will wear a valentine
Make it mine
Make it mine
Make it mine
In Frank Sinatra's song "Three Coins in the Fountain," the lyrics describe the tradition of throwing coins into the Trevi Fountain in Rome with the belief that it will bring good luck and grant wishes. The first stanza talks about the three coins that are tossed into the fountain, each representing a love-filled desire of three lovers. These coins symbolize hope and the quest for happiness in life. And while the lyrics pose a question of which coin will the fountain bless, it reflects the universal hope that we all feel in life to have our desires fulfilled, to have our wishes granted.
The second stanza focuses on the three hearts that are longing for their home. The metaphorical meaning of this could be that each heart is longing for a place or a person to call their own. They lie in the fountain, representing how love can be a journey with ups and downs, mirroring the movement of the water in the fountain. The final part of the stanza again poses a question of which heart will the fountain bless, adding to the mystery of the fountain and the powerful belief in luck and fate.
Overall, the song "Three Coins in the Fountain" portrays love as a hopeful and magical journey with the belief that the fountain will bring luck to those who seek it. The song is a timeless classic that captures the essence of love, hope, and the beauty of Rome, making it an all-time favorite.
Line by Line Meaning
Three coins in the fountain
Three coins are thrown into a fountain in Rome for good luck and the possibility of the fountain granting a wish.
Each one seeking happiness
The three coins were thrown by individuals seeking happiness in their lives.
Thrown by three hopeful lovers
The coins were thrown by three individuals in love, hoping for their love to be returned.
Which one will the fountain bless?
It is uncertain which of the three coins will be chosen by the fountain and have its wish granted.
Three hearts in the fountain
The three individuals who threw their coins represent the heart and soul of the fountain.
Each heart longing for its home
Each individual is longing to find their place in the world, a place to call home.
There they lie in the fountain
The coins and the hopes and dreams they represent remain in the fountain, waiting for their answers.
Somewhere in the heart of Rome
The fountain and the coins are located in Rome, the heart of Italian culture and romance.
Which one will the fountain bless?
The question of which coin will be granted its wish remains unanswered.
Through the ripples how they shine
The light reflecting off the coins creates a beautiful sparkling effect through the ripples of the fountain.
Just one wish will be granted
Only one of the three wishes will be granted by the fountain, leaving the others unfulfilled.
One heart will wear a valentine
The one wish that is granted will result in one person finding love, symbolized by wearing a valentine.
Make it mine
The singer is expressing their desire for the fountain to choose their wish, granting them happiness and potentially love.
Make it mine
The singer repeats their plea to have their wish granted by the fountain.
Make it mine
The final repetition emphasizes the importance of the wish and the need for it to come true.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jaytotheell
i'm instantly transported back to my living room as a little girl hearing my parents listening to this on the stereo.
@joaobuzato8376
Suddenly transported to Fontana di Trevi....There I did It with a coin.....I have been blessed.
@markhourihan6054
A jewel to the ear - god I love that man's voice.
@mesolithicman164
The lyrics are pure poetry, simple yet profound. I saw the movie but you could listen to this song and save yourself an hour and a half. Fantastic melody and beautifully sung. Collaborative art at it's best.
@ofeliatolop8002
Listening to this song really reminds me of my mother.this is one of her favorite song.
@Dunlaoghairepunkers
I heard it from my mother singing in the kitchen, thank you.
@cindychristie6314
Love this have the movie, 3 coins in the fountain, very old, but a lovely old movie! I based this song when i was very young as a romantic kind of song for me. A few years back hubby and i visited the trevi fountain and threw in our coins, i sang the song! I don't have that sought of a voice, but i try,lol!!!
@robertsamson4610
This song will be forever young.
@bettylavergne6200
Smooth as velvet voice!
@mark1968
Very true Betty.