It Happened In Monterey
Sinatra Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

It happened in Monterey, a long time ago
I met her in Monterey, in old Mexico
Stars and steel guitars
And luscious lips, as red as wine
Broke somebody's heart
And I'm afraid that it was mine
It happened in Monterey
Without thinking twice
I left her and threw away the key to paradise
My indiscreet heart, longs for the sweetheart
That I left in old Monterey

It happened in Monterey, a long time ago
I met her in Monterey, in old Mexico
Stars, guitars
Lips, red as wine
Broke somebody's heart
And I'm afraid that it was mine
It happened in Monterey
And without thinking twice
I left her and I threw away the key to paradise




My indiscreet heart, how it longs for the sweetheart
That I left in old Monterey

Overall Meaning

The song "It Happened in Monterey" by Frank Sinatra tells the story of a love affair that took place in the beautiful city of Monterey in Mexico. The singer met a woman in Monterey who had luscious, red lips like wine and was playing with stars and steel guitars. While the singer was enamored by her, it seems that his heart was not the only one that was broken. It is implied that he may have caused the heartbreak when he left without a second thought and threw away the key to paradise.


The singer's heart is now longing for the sweetheart he left behind, and he regrets his actions. The lyrics are full of regret, but at the same time, they are romantic and describe the beauty of Monterey. The song's lyrics and melody work together to convey a sense of wistful nostalgia and lost opportunity.


The song was written by Mabel Wayne and Billy Rose, with lyrics by Rose. It was first recorded by dance band leader Paul Whiteman in 1930, but Sinatra's 1956 recording is perhaps the best-known version of the song.


Line by Line Meaning

It happened in Monterey, a long time ago
This event that changed my life happened in Monterey ages ago


I met her in Monterey, in old Mexico
I first encountered her in the beautiful town of Monterey, which was then in Mexico


Stars and steel guitars
The night was filled with stars and the sweet sound of steel guitars


And luscious lips, as red as wine
She had a pair of sensuous lips that were as red as the finest wine


Broke somebody's heart
She broke someone's heart, and that someone was me


And I'm afraid that it was mine
I'm pretty sure that it was I who had my heart broken


It happened in Monterey
The entire event took place in the wonderful town of Monterey


Without thinking twice
I acted impulsively, without giving a second thought


I left her and threw away the key to paradise
I abandoned her and let go of the chance of ever being happy with her


My indiscreet heart, longs for the sweetheart
My reckless heart strongly desires the girl I left behind in Monterey


That I left in old Monterey
The woman who holds my heart remained in the enchanting town of Monterey




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Billy Rose, Mabel Wayne

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions