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.
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't
Have flashy flunkies everywhere?
I don't
Who wants the bother of a country estate?
A country estate is something I'd hate
Who wants to wallow in champagne?
I don't
I don't
And I don't, 'cause all I want is you
Who wants to be a millionaire?
I don't
Who wants uranium to spare?
I don't
Who wants to journey on a gigantic yacht?
Do I want a yacht?
Oh, how I do not
Who wants a fancy foreign car?
I don't
Who wants to tire of caviar?
I don't
Who wants a marble swimming pool too?
I don't
And I don't 'cause all I want is you
Who wants to be a millionaire?
I don't
And go to every swell affair?
I don't
Who wants to ride behind a liveried chauffeur?
A liveried chauffeur, do I want?
No sir!
Who wants an opera box, I'll bet?
I don't
And sleep through Wagner at the Met
I don't
Who wants to corner Cartiers too?
I don't
And I don't 'cause all I want is you
The song "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" by Frank Sinatra, featured in the film High Society, expresses the idea that material possessions and wealth do not necessarily bring happiness. Sinatra lists off all of the luxurious things that a millionaire could have but then states that he doesn't want any of those things because all he wants is the person he loves. The lyrics highlight the idea that love and companionship are more valuable than extravagance and material possessions. Instead of aspiring to be wealthy, Sinatra values the simple things in life, such as companionship and love.
The song's lyrics also suggest that having too much money can be burdensome, as shown when Sinatra asks, "Who wants the bother of a country estate?" and "Who wants to wallow in champagne?" This suggests that money can create problems and burdens that one wouldn't have without it.
Overall, the song's message is that no matter how much money one has, true happiness and contentment come from love and companionship. Money can buy material things, but it cannot buy deeper emotions and experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
Who wants to be a millionaire?
I have no desire to be wealthy
I don't
I don't want it at all
Have flashy flunkies everywhere?
Do I want assistants or subordinates trailing me? No, I don't!
Who wants the bother of a country estate?
Dealing with or owning a countryside mansion is not my cup of tea
A country estate is something I'd hate
I would detest owning a rural retreat
Who wants to wallow in champagne?
Do I want to indulge or bathe in champagne? No, that's not my thing
Who wants a supersonic plane?
Do I want a hypersonic aircraft? Certainly, I have no need for one
And I don't, 'cause all I want is you
I don't want any of these things because I only desire you
Who wants uranium to spare?
Do I want a surplus of uranium? No, I have no use for it
Who wants to journey on a gigantic yacht?
Do I want to travel on a massive boat? No, that's not my thing
Do I want a yacht? Oh, how I do not
I have no interest in owning or sailing on a yacht
Who wants a fancy foreign car?
Do I want an extravagant imported vehicle? No, that's not appealing to me
Who wants to tire of caviar?
Do I want to experience ennui from eating caviar? No, I don't think so
Who wants a marble swimming pool too?
Do I want to possess a swimming pool made of marble? No, that's not something I desire
And go to every swell affair?
Do I want to attend every high-class occasion with the socialites? No, that's not my scene
Who wants to ride behind a liveried chauffeur?
Do I want to sit behind a liveried chauffeur as he drives a car? No, I don't care for that
A liveried chauffeur, do I want? No sir!
I don't want to be driven around by a chauffeur dressed in a uniform
Who wants an opera box, I'll bet?
Do I want to own or visit an opera box? No, I don't think so
And sleep through Wagner at the Met
Do I want to sleep through a show by Richard Wagner at the Metropolitan Opera? No, I wouldn't find that enjoyable
Who wants to corner Cartiers too?
Do I want to monopolize the products of Cartier? No, I have no desire for that
And I don't 'cause all I want is you
I don't want any of these things because all I want is you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COLE PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@laurasofiacardona720
Who wants to be a millionaire? I don't
Have flashy flunkies everywhere? I don't
Who wants the bother of a country estate?
A country estate is something I'd hate
Who wants to wallow in champagne? I don't
Who wants a supersonic plane? I don't
Who wants a private landing field through? I don't
And I don't 'cause all I want is you
Who wants to be a millionaire? I don't
Who wants uranium to spare? I don't
Who wants to journey on a gigantic yacht?
Do I want a yacht? Oh, how I do not
Who wants a fancy foreign car? I don't
Who wants to tire of caviar?
Who wants a marble swimming pool too? I don't
And I don't 'cause all I want is you
Who wants to be a millionaire? I don't
And go to every swell affair?
Who wants to ride behind a liveried chauffeur?
A liveried chauffeur, do I want? No sir
Who wants an opera box I'll bet? I don't
And sleep through Wagner at the Met? I don't
Who wants to corner Cartiers too? I don't
And I don't 'cause all I want is you
@Ampex196
Thanks for posting!
This sequence is imprinted on my memory: They don't normally place reel changes in the middle of a musical number but here they did.
In the (not so) old days we screened 35mm prints properly ie: with changeovers between reels.
The 'cue dots' (absent in this clip) may be legendary now, but were essential to the poor projectionist slaving away over his hot carbon arcs (screens were bigger then)!!
Motor is around 1:38 and changeover at 1:46 (give or take a frame or two)!
@MarkBlackburnWPG
SHARED WITH JAMES TAYLOR THIS DAY (his dog's named "Ting")
Ways to stay sane? (What rhymes with champagne?)
What rhymes with 'hunkered down' and 'mitigating'?
(two terms we've heard a thousand times each day)
I ask, 'cause I am writing out a poem
– a parody, to keep 'Covid' at bay.”
It's just one way of 'keeping all your marbles'
while keeping 'proper distance' from your friends
– or strangers, when you must return to town;
So what's another term for 'mitigation'?
And what's another term for 'hunkered down?'
You see where this is going. The trick is to make your parody timely. It's funnier than trying to find a rhyme for uranium – a buzz word from a 50's song (below). Plus . . . you're only as good as your latest work, right?
A pug named Ting? (Jim & Kim Taylor's dog) What rhymes with that? I wondered this time yesterday. “A tug named Ping!” Which led, almost as easily as falling off a log – to recapitulating the first stanza of the funniest song on AMERICAN STANDARD. And as Mr. Taylor attested, to a world-wide audience on the BBC: “That is a “hard thing to do – write a funny song.” This as he introduced, to millions who'd never heard it, Stubby Kaye's original screen version of Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat. (So and thus)
I dreamed last night, I was on a boat to heaven
Surrounded by, some tugboats that could sing!
I heard their voice, yet could not see their faces
I knew not one . . . except a tug named Ping.
Just to keep in shape, I turned on the computer intending to work with whatever is playing 'right this minute' on Siriusly Sinatra satellite radio: “Frank Sinatra – Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” I type fast and see possibilities here. You too?
Who wants to be a millionaire? (I don't)
Who wants uranium to spare? (I don't)
HE: Who wants to journey on a gi-gantic yacht?
SHE: Who wants a yacht? Oh how I do NOT!!
SHE: Who wants a fancy foreign car?
HE: I don't!
SHE: Who wants to tire of caviar? (I don't)
HE: Who wants a marble swimming pool too (I don't)
TOGETHER: And I don't, 'cause all I want is you.
“Come make breakfast,” says my better half. “Be there in a minute,” I lied. Celeste Holm. Isn't she lovely.
Comment below video from a kindred spirit who was just waiting for AMERICAN STANDARD "two years ago"
MYSTIC QUEEN2
I grew up in a family who has a tendency to sing show tunes, so it was inevitable I should become a theatre kid. High Society, Singin' in the Rain, The Music Man, Oklahoma, Carousel, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Phantom of the Opera, Disney films. [ ] I still love listening to these songs.
Thanks for sharing this one, Phil. Celebrated this day at Sinatra Family - Forum - "Siriusly Sinatra" - MY FAVORITE VERSION, YOURS TOO? https://sinatrafamily.com/forum/showthread.php/50225-My-Favorite-Version-%28yours-too-%29?p=1286846#post1286846
@steinwaygrande3971
Sad that they dont make shows like this anymore.This was true entertainment.
@oldmancommonscents
u must b a senior citizen. If they made films like this today, it would not do business. The film audience has changed. Today the singers of today have tatoos, body piercings, and b undressed that leaves nothing to the imagination. Oh yeah, they yell and scream .
@olliemartinelli4034
While it's understandable that musical tastes have changed, the only thing I lament is the lack of full orchestral scores in modern films. The emotions an orchestra gives u is just unparalleled, whether classical or the swooning magic of these Hollywood classics.
@MissWizard
You can’t beat an old Hollywood musical. They had such class.
@groovymovie3213
Celeste Holm, what a lady! One of the most underrated leading ladies! ❤️
@cinephile9885
Today is her 100th birthday.
@djmotise
underrated? by whom? and she's not the ideal leading lady type of that time anyway.
@ECHORISING8982
Simp
@gingersal8052
Loved her in All about Eve as well!
@beachchaos1863
@@djmotiseJust say you don't have taste and go