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.
You'll Never Walk Alone
Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hold your head up high,
And don't be afraid of the dark.
At the end of the storm,
Is the golden sky,
And the sweet silver song of the lark.
Walk on through the wind,
Though your dreams be tossed and blown,
Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart,
And you'll never walk alone,
You'll never walk alone.
Frank Sinatra's rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone" is a powerful anthem about hope and perseverance through adversity. In this song, Sinatra encourages listeners to hold their heads up high and keep pushing forward, even during the darkest of times. He describes a storm, which represents the challenges and obstacles that we may face in life, and assures his listeners that there is always a golden sky at the end of it. The sweet silver song of the lark represents the hope and beauty that can be found even in the toughest of situations.
As the song continues, Sinatra tells listeners to keep walking through the wind and rain, even if their dreams are tossed and blown. He urges them to hold on to hope and to never give up, because they will never walk alone. This line is particularly poignant because it acknowledges that while we may feel alone at times, there is always someone there for us, whether it's a friend, family member, or a higher power.
Overall, "You'll Never Walk Alone" is a powerful and inspiring song that speaks to the resilience of the human spirit. Sinatra's delivery is both comforting and uplifting, and his message of hope is one that can speak to anyone who is going through a difficult time.
Line by Line Meaning
When you walk through a storm,
When you face difficulties in life,
Hold your head up high,
Stay confident and be strong,
And don't be afraid of the dark.
Don't be scared of the tough times ahead,
At the end of the storm,
After you overcome the challenges,
Is the golden sky,
There will be bright and better days ahead,
And the sweet silver song of the lark.
And joy will come back into your life once again.
Walk on through the wind,
Keep moving forward despite the obstacles,
Walk on through the rain,
Keep pushing even in difficult situations,
Though your dreams be tossed and blown,
Even if life throws you curveballs and your goals seem unattainable,
Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart,
Continue to push forward with optimism and determination,
And you'll never walk alone,
And you'll find comfort in knowing that you're not alone,
You'll never walk alone.
And you'll always have someone with you throughout your journey.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@elateaful
When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark
At the end of a storm
There's a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark
Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown
Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone…
@ChadTheChipmunkV2
Liverpool is lucky to have this as their anthem, a best song for the best Football team
@murieldeangeli5254
Je chante ce chant à mes enfants depuis qu'ils sont petits.
Par Mr Sinatra,c'est la grande classe!
Quant à travers l'orage tu dois marcher,lève la tête et ne crains pas le noir...
Tu ne seras jamais seul...
@claddaghclare22
Stunned! Didn't know he sang this! As an LFC fan ...I needed to listen...
@peace-now
Exactly. You need to look up Carousel. It is based on a Hungarian play, which was adapted for the United States. Like many famous tunes, it has been copied by soccer fans.
@seanhunter3395
He was the first ever to sing it
@nickbarth9111
@@seanhunter3395 he was not. It's a Rodgers and Hammerstein song written for the musical Carousel. His cover is one of my favorites though.
@stevesilverman5296
@@peace-now Check out the version on The Concert Sinatra from '63, arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle.
@heatherhampson635
nowhere near as good as the Aretha version
@jennifervonpickartz2428
I thank God for You. Love, Light, Peace, Music and Joy
@nitaramos4695
God will always walk with those who needs Him....