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.
Where or When
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We looked at each other in the same way then
But I can't remember where or when
The clothes you're wearing are the clothes you wore
The smile you are smiling you were smiling then
But I can't remember where or when
Some things that happened for the first time
Seem to be happening again
And so it seems that we have met before
And laughed before, and loved before
But who knows where or when?
Some things that happened for the first time
Seem to be happening again
(I can't remember, my darling, I can't remember when)
And so it seems that we have met before
And laughed before, and loved before
But who knows where or when?
Frank Sinatra's song "Where or When" portrays the feeling of familiarity and nostalgia associated with encountering someone from the past. The lyrics indicate a sense of déjà vu and confusion as the singer tries to pinpoint the moment or place where they previously met the person. The singer notes that they are experiencing a sense of repetition, with the clothes and smile of the person resonating with their memories. The closing lines express a sense of uncertainty, as the singer muses on the possibility of having met, laughed, and loved before.
Overall, the lyrics of "Where or When" evoke a sense of longing and introspection, as the singer grapples with the intangible nature of memory and the persistence of past experiences in the present. The song speaks to universal themes of love, loss, and the passage of time, reminding listeners of the power of nostalgia and the importance of cherishing meaningful moments.
Line by Line Meaning
It seems we stood and talked like this before
We are in a situation that feels familiar, like we have been here before.
We looked at each other in the same way then
Our gaze at each other is reminiscent of a time when we were in a similar situation.
But I can't remember where or when
Despite the familiarity, I cannot recall the exact time or place where we met before.
The clothes you're wearing are the clothes you wore
Your attire right now is similar to what you wore in the past, adding to the feeling of déjà vu.
The smile you are smiling you were smiling then
Your smile right now resembles the one you had during the previous encounter, further emphasizing the déjà vu effect.
Some things that happened for the first time
Events that occurred for the initial time in the past.
Seem to be happening again
These events are reoccurring, creating the illusion of familiarity.
And so it seems that we have met before
It appears that we have met in the past, but the exact time and date are unclear.
And laughed before, and loved before
We've shared happy moments and might have even been in love previously.
But who knows where or when?
But the question remains: when and where did we meet before?
(I can't remember, my darling, I can't remember when)
Even though I want to remember, my memory doesn't permit me to do so.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@norahj.9970
It seems we stood and talked like this, before
We looked at each other in the same way then
But I cant remember where or when
The cloths you're wearing are the cloths, you wore
The smile you are smiling you were smiling then
But I can't remember where or when
Some things that happened for the first time
Seem to be happening again
And so it seems that we have met before
And laughed before, and loved before
But who knows where or when
@MarkBlackburnWPG
“Best of Nancy for Frank - 8/10/2008” is playing now (8/12/2021) on Siriusly Sinatra satellite radio
Wish we had the set list for this one, don't you?
Nancy says "One of our Forum members Bob Freed suggested we pair this famous Sinatra song with another version of the same song – by a different artist. [and] we are happy to oblige! Bob suggested Where Or When – Dad and Tierney Sutton .... "
----
Frank's 'Where or When' opens with solo piano, played out-of-tempo – Bill Miller and Frank alone together, building to a peak of vocal greatness – ending with an orchestral crescendo that distorts:
I always imagine the engineer allowing the volume to slip 'into the red' zone and allowing it to be declared a 'take' before anyone listened really closely to the ending. Wonder how many mics recorded the orchestra that night? Details no longer just a mouse click away in the 'discography.'
First version offered at YouTube this night -- this one, from nine years ago, set to an inspired slide show with a note that the pictures are from
“Henri Cartier-Bresson (August 22, 1908 -- August 3, 2004) – a French photographer considered to be the father of modern photojournalism. "...Te amo sin saber cómo, ni cuándo, ni de dónde, te amo directamente sin problemas ni orgullo: así te amo porque no sé amar de otra manera.." [Translation, anyone?]
Thanks again, for sharing this one Catman 916 -- celebrated elsewhere this night [search] " Great Melody, Great Lyric, Great Rendition, Songwriting Workshop, Harmony Central "
@howard1beale
It seems we stood
and talked like this
Before
We looked at each other in the same way then
But I can't remember
Where or when
The clothes you're wearing
Are the clothes you wore
The smile you are smiling you were smiling
then
But u can't remember
where or
When
Some things that happened for the first time
Seem
to be happening again
And
so it seems
that we have met
before
and laughed
before
and loved before
But who
knows where or
when?
@MarkBlackburnWPG
WHERE OR WHEN -- saving the best until last . . .
Listening at the computer to Siriusly Sinatra satellite radio and left a note to Nancy at Sinatra Family:
Hit the "back an hour" button (twice) to re-listen to the closing segment -- just ended. You and Chuck (Granata) saved the best till last, Nancy. That final segment and especially the concluding song, WHERE OR WHEN. Yes, we can see your Dad smiling down in appreciation, Nancy.
Rodgers & Hart's best-ever song about 'deja vu' -- and the finest reading ever: Frank & Bill Miller, alone together for a minute and forty seconds -- out-of-tempo (that accompanist Miller makes look so easy). Timeless beauty that will never grow old.
This one, posted by "Catman916" has the best slide show and most views]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA2wkej7DFE
[Closing orchestral crescendo of WHERE OR WHEN -- followed immediately by Nancy's lovely voice:]
"It's time again to say 'Farewell' from all of us at Nancy for Frank . . . "
Sinatra Family -- Forum -- "Siriusly Sinatra" -- NANCY FOR FRANK SHOW #472
https://sinatrafamily.com/forum/showthread.php/50421-NFF-SHOW-472-Week-of-July-28-2019
@arnoldblashak171
It took me a while to appreciate Frank Sinatra but after I got a little bit older yeah he he's the man
@thomasgrantvickers2875
Frank's voice is liquid Gold. The man and his voice are immortal.
@Glenn1970-y7b
As always, no one could sing this song with such emotion & passion. His Diction and Phrasing will never be matched. Thanks for all of the wonderful memories. I got to see him live in London, New York and at Sanctuary Cove in Queensland, Australia. I will never forget those great performances.
@anthonydecruz4515
Sinatra's singing, especially on songs like this, or' what's new,' has the uncanny ability to go past musicality and touch your emotions in a way no other singer can. Utterly and totally Unique!
@lavenderfields2910
Sinatra's good, but you need to listen to George Michael ! Nobody touches your emotions, like George !
@hughmanatee7657
This is the greatest version ever sung of this great song. When he begins he’s almost talking, and intimately, but then he gradually builds up to an operatic crescendo that gives the words a universal meaning.
@lavenderfields2910
It's a good version, but George Michael's is the best ! Michael Buble's version is awesome, too !
@FacheChanteDeux
Frank was the master of song delivery. Chairman of the Board.
@marcelosebastian4171
Escucha la versión de George Michael… después me contás!
@rodbutler4054
@@lavenderfields2910I like the group Dion and the Belmonts version.