Frank Sinatra's 10 greatest hits of all time

Francis Albert Sinatra (December 12, 1915 - May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Sinatra is considered one of the most popular artists of the mid-20th century and is among the most commercially successful artists in the world of music, with sales of his recordings estimated at 150 million copies.

Singers Room writes: "Born to Italian immigrants in Hoboken, New Jersey, Sinatra began his musical career during the swing era, heavily influenced by the vocal style of Bing Crosby." After signing with Columbia Records in 1943, he gained success as a solo artist, becoming an idol of the Bobby Soxers (an outdated term for fans of traditional pop music in the 1940s).

In 1946, Sinatra released his debut album The Voice of Frank Sinatra. He then signed with Capitol Records and released several critically acclaimed albums.

In 1960, Sinatra left Capitol Records and founded his own record label, Reprise Records, releasing a number of successful albums. In 1965, he recorded the retrospective album September of My Years and starred in the television movie Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music, which won an Emmy Award.

First, in 1966, Sinatra at the Sands was released, then Sinatra recorded one of his most famous collaborations with Tom Jobim - the album Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim. This was followed by the 1968 album Francis A. & Edward K. with Duke Ellington.

In 1971, after the release of My Way, the singer left the stage, but two years later he returned and recorded several albums. In particular, in 1980, he released his famous album New York, New York.

In 1983, Sinatra was honored at the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony. In 1985, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and in 1997, the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal.

Sinatra is the recipient of eleven Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Trustees Award, the Grammy Legend Award, and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He is also included in Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.

Here are 10 of Frank Sinatra's greatest hits from Singers Room.

My Way

"My Way" is a song popularized in 1969 by Frank Sinatra and set to the music of the original French composition "Comme d'habitude" (1967), written by Jacques Reveau with lyrics by Gilles Thibault and Claude François. The English version of the lyrics was written by Paul Anka and had nothing to do with the French version.4

The song was a success for many artists, including Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and Sid Vicious. Sinatra's version of "My Way" spent 75 weeks in the UK top 40, the 3rd most successful ever.

Fly Me to the Moon

The song "Fly Me to the Moon" (originally titled "In Other Words") was written in 1954 by Bart Howard. The first recording of the song was made in 1954 by Kaye Ballard. Frank Sinatra's version of the song, performed in 1964, was closely associated with the Apollo missions to the moon.

In 1999, the Songwriters Hall of Fame honored "Fly Me to the Moon" by including it in its "Towering Song" list.

New York, New York

"New York, New York" is the theme from Martin Scorsese's 1977 film of the same name (composed by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb). It was recorded by Liza Minnelli and performed by her in the film, but did not become a popular hit until Sinatra performed it during his performance at Radio City Music Hall in October 1978.

In 1979, the composition "Theme from New York, New York" was recorded for his album Trilogy: Past Present Future (1980) and soon became a signature track.

The composition was nominated for a Grammy Award for its energetic orchestration. Sinatra sometimes performed this song live with Minnelli as a duet. He recorded it for the second time for the 1993 album Sinatra's Duets.

Sinatra's June 1980 recording peaked at #32 and was his last Top 40 hit. New York, New York also became a hit in the Adult Contemporary genre, reaching #10 in the US and #2 in Canada.

In addition, the song was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

Sinatra made two more studio recordings of the song in 1981 (for his NBC TV show "A Man and His Music") and in 1993 (for Capitol Records)

Strangers in the Night

"Strangers in the Night" is a song by Burt Kempfert, with English lyrics by Charles Singleton and Eddie Snyder. Kempfert originally used it under the title "Beddy Bye" as an instrumental score for the movie A Man Could Get Killed.

"Strangers in the Night" became famous in 1966, thanks to Frank Sinatra, although it was originally given to Melina Mercury, who decided that male vocals were better suited to this melody and refused to perform it.

Reaching No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Easy Listening charts, the song became the title track for Sinatra's 1966 album Strangers in the Night, which became his most profitable album. The song also reached number one on the British singles chart.

Strangers in the Night won Sinatra a Grammy Award for Best Pop Male Vocal Performance and a Grammy Award for Record of the Year, as well as a Grammy Award for Best Arrangement.

I've Got You Under My Skin

"I've Got You Under My Skin" is a song written by American composer Cole Porter in 1936. In the same year, it was featured in Eleanor Powell's musical film Born to Dance, where it was performed by Virginia Bruce.

The song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song, but lost to The Way You Look Tonight.

Subsequently, hundreds of artists recorded the song, but Frank Sinatra made it his calling card. It was thanks to him that "I've Got You Under My Skin" was included in the top ten hits of the Four Seasons magazine in 1966.

The Way You Look Tonight

"The Way You Look Tonight" is a song from the movie "Swing Time", performed by Fred Astaire and written by Jerome Kern with lyrics by Dorothy Fields.

Astaire's recording became a hit in 1936. Other versions that year were made by Guy Lombardo and Teddy Wilson with Billie Holiday.

The most popular version of The Way You Look Tonight was recorded by Frank Sinatra with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra in 1964.

Somethin' Stupid

"Somethin' Stupid" is a song written by C. Carson Parks. It was originally recorded in 1966 by Parks and his wife Gail Foote under the name Carson and Gaile.

The most successful and well-known version of the song "Somethin' Stupid" was released in 1967 as a single by Nancy and Frank Sinatra and later appeared on Frank's album "The World We Knew".

The single spent four weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and nine weeks at number one on the easy listening (now adult contemporary) chart, becoming Frank's second RIAA-certified gold single and Nancy's third.

By the way, this was the first and only time a father-daughter song became number one in America.

The same year, the single reached number one on the UK Singles Chart. It was also nominated for the 10th Grammy Awards in the Record of the Year category.

That's Life

"That's Life" is a popular song written by Dean Kay and Kelly Gordon and first recorded in 1963 by Marion Montgomery.

The most famous version of the song is performed by Frank Sinatra, released on his 1966 album of the same name. Sinatra recorded "That's Life" after hearing its cover version by O.K. Smith.

The song became popular and reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. After the success of Sinatra's version, it was recorded by many artists. "That's Life" was featured in the films Bronze Tale (1993), Casper (1995), The Joker (2019), the video game Tony Hawk's Underground 2 (2004), a Toyota commercial in South Africa (1996), and the finale of the sixth season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Come Fly with Me

"Come Fly with Me" is a popular 1958 song written by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sam Kahn for Frank Sinatra. It became the title track of his 1958 album of the same name. The song sets the tone for the entire album, describing adventures in exotic places, in Bombay, Peru and Acapulco Bay, when the era of jet airplanes began.

Subsequently, "Come Fly with Me" became a staple in Sinatra's concert repertoire and has been performed by him many times at concerts.

Summer wind

"Summer wind" is a 1965 song originally released in Germany under the title "Der Sommerwind". It was written by Heinz Mayer and Hans Bradtke. Johnny Mercer rewrote the lyrics in English, using the southern European sirocco wind as a metaphor.

"Summer wind" became most popular in 1966 when Frank Sinatra performed it, reaching number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Easy Listening chart.