Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely (also known as
Sings for Only the Lonely and simply
Only the Lonely) is an album by the
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer
Frank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became a successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, being the idol of the "bobby soxers." His professional career had stalled by the...
, released in the United States by
Capitol RecordsCapitol Records is a major United States-based record label owned by EMI and located in Los Angeles and New York City as part of Capitol Music Group...
, in September 1958.
The album consists of a haunting collection of melancholic ballads about sadness and loss . At the time of the recording, Sinatra's divorce from
Ava GardnerAva Lavinia Gardner was an American actress.She was signed to a contract by MGM Studios in 1941 and appeared in supporting roles until she drew attention with her performance in The Killers . She became one of Hollywood's leading actresses, admired for her beauty, and highly regarded for her...
had been finalised, and the arranger of the album,
Nelson RiddleNelson Smock Riddle, Jr. was an American bandleader, arranger and orchestrator whose career spanned from the late 1940s, struggled with the advent of rock 'n' roll, and saw a career revival in the early 1980s...
, had recently suffered the deaths of his mother and daughter.
Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely (also known as
Sings for Only the Lonely and simply
Only the Lonely) is an album by the
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer
Frank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became a successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, being the idol of the "bobby soxers." His professional career had stalled by the...
, released in the United States by
Capitol RecordsCapitol Records is a major United States-based record label owned by EMI and located in Los Angeles and New York City as part of Capitol Music Group...
, in September 1958.
The album consists of a haunting collection of melancholic ballads about sadness and loss . At the time of the recording, Sinatra's divorce from
Ava GardnerAva Lavinia Gardner was an American actress.She was signed to a contract by MGM Studios in 1941 and appeared in supporting roles until she drew attention with her performance in The Killers . She became one of Hollywood's leading actresses, admired for her beauty, and highly regarded for her...
had been finalised, and the arranger of the album,
Nelson RiddleNelson Smock Riddle, Jr. was an American bandleader, arranger and orchestrator whose career spanned from the late 1940s, struggled with the advent of rock 'n' roll, and saw a career revival in the early 1980s...
, had recently suffered the deaths of his mother and daughter. Of these events Riddle remarked "If I can attach events like that to music...perhaps
Only the Lonely was the result."
Sinatra had planned to record
Only the Lonely with arranger
Gordon JenkinsGordon Hill Jenkins was an American arranger, composer and pianist who was an influential figure in popular music in the 1940s and 1950s, renowned for his lush string arrangements...
, with whom he had worked on
Where Are You? (1957), a previous album of ballads. However, since he was unavailable at the time of the sessions, Sinatra chose to work with his frequent collaborator,
Nelson RiddleNelson Smock Riddle, Jr. was an American bandleader, arranger and orchestrator whose career spanned from the late 1940s, struggled with the advent of rock 'n' roll, and saw a career revival in the early 1980s...
. The three tracks conducted by Riddle at the first session were not used, and the subsequent sessions were conducted by
Felix SlatkinFelix Slatkin was an American violinist and conductor.-Biography:Slatkin was born in St. Louis, Missouri to a Jewish family originally named Zlotkin from areas of the Russian Empire now in Ukraine. He began studying the violin at the age of nine with Isadore Grossman...
, after Riddle went on tour with
Nat King ColeNathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat "King" Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz...
.
According to
John RockwellJohn Rockwell is a music critic, editor, and dance critic. He studied at Phillips Academy, Harvard, the University of Munich, and the University of California, Berkeley, earning a Ph.D. in German culture....
's book,
Sinatra: An American Classic, when asked at a party in the mid-1970s if he had a favorite album among his recordings, Sinatra unhesitatingly chose this one. Rockwell writes at length about Sinatra's performance on Only the Lonelys final track,
Harold ArlenHarold Arlen was an American composer of popular music.Having written over 500 songs, a number of which have become known the world over. In addition to being the composer of The Wizard of Oz, Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the Great American Songbook.His 1938 song "Over the Rainbow”...
and
Johnny MercerJohn Herndon "Johnny" Mercer was an American songwriter and singer. As a songwriter, he is best known as a lyricist, but he also composed music. He was also a popular singer who recorded his own songs as well as those written by others...
's "
One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)"One for My Baby " is a popular song written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the musical The Sky's the Limit and first performed in the film by Fred Astaire. It was popularized by the American singer Frank Sinatra...
", which also provided the musical accompaniment for
Twyla TharpTwyla Tharp is an American dancer and choreographer. She has won Emmy and Tony awards, and currently works as a choreographer in New York City.-Early years:...
's Sinatra ballets.
The album cover is adorned with a portrait of Sinatra's face as a tragic, Pagliacci-like
clownClowns are comical performers, stereotypically characterized by their grotesque appearance: colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, red-nose, etc., who entertain spectators by acting in a hilarious fashion. The types of their acts varies greatly...
, painted by Nicholas Volpe; on the back of the album is another of Sinatra's recurrent visual motifs, a lamppost. Q Magazine placed Only the Lonely
at #1 on the '15 Greatest Stoner Albums of All Time'.
Only the Lonely
peaked at #1 on Billboard's pop album chart during a 120 week chart-run, and was certified GoldMusic recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped a certain number of copies.Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories, which are named after the precious materials gold, platinum and diamond...
on June 21, 1962, nearly four years after its release.
Grammy Awards
Sinatra was nominated for five Grammys at the inaugural Grammy AwardsThe inaugural Grammy Awards were held on May 4, 1959. They recognized musical accomplishments by performers for the year 1958. Domenico Modugno, Henry Mancini, Ella Fitzgerald and Ross Bagdasarian Sr...
in 1959. Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely
and Sinatra's other album released in 1958, Come Fly with MeCome Fly with Me is an album by American singer Frank Sinatra, released in 1958.Sinatra's first collaboration with arranger/conductor Billy May, Come Fly With Me was designed as a musical trip around the world...
, were nominated for the Album of the YearThe Grammy Award for Album of the Year is one of the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer...
, and Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely won the Grammy Award for Best Album Cover.
Side one
- "Only the Lonely" (Sammy Cahn
Sammy Cahn was an American lyricist, songwriter and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to Tin Pan Alley and Broadway songs, as recorded by Frank Sinatra, Doris Day and many others. He played the piano and violin...
, Jimmy Van Heusen) – 4:10
- "Angel Eyes" (Matt Dennis
Matt Dennis was a singer, pianist, bandleader, arranger, and writer of music for popular music songs.He was born in Seattle, Washington. His mother was a violinist and his father a singer, and the family was in vaudeville, so he was early exposed to music. In 1933 he joined Horace Heidt's...
, Earl Brent) – 3:46
- "What's New?
"What's New?" is a 1939 popular song composed by Bob Haggart, with lyrics by Johnny Burke.It was originally an instrumental tune titled "I'm Free" by Haggart in 1938, when Haggart was a member of Bob Crosby and His Orchestra. The tune was written with a trumpet solo, meant to showcase the talents...
" (Bob HaggartRobert Sherwood Haggart was a dixieland jazz double bass player, composer and arranger....
, Johnny BurkeJohnny Burke was a lyricist, widely regarded as one of the finest writers of popular songs in America between the 1920s and 1950s.-Biography:...
) – 5:13
- "It's a Lonesome Old Town" (Harry Tobias, Charles Kisco) – 4:18
- "Willow Weep for Me
-Notable recordings:*Irene Taylor with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra *Billie Holiday - The Complete Verve Studio Master Takes*Art Tatum - solo piano, live at the Just Jazz concert, presented by Gene Norman at Shrine Auditorium, LA...
" (Ann RonellAnn Ronell was an American composer and lyricist best known for the jazz standard "Willow Weep for Me" .-Biography:...
) – 4:49
- "Goodbye
Goodbye is a song written by American composer and arranger Gordon Jenkins, published in 1935. It became well known as the theme tune of the Benny Goodman orchestra....
" (Gordon JenkinsGordon Hill Jenkins was an American arranger, composer and pianist who was an influential figure in popular music in the 1940s and 1950s, renowned for his lush string arrangements...
) – 5:45
Side two
- "Blues in the Night
"Blues in the Night" is a popular song which has become a pop standard and can certainly be considered part of the Great American Songbook. The music was written by Harold Arlen, the lyrics by Johnny Mercer, for a 1941 film begun with the working title Hot Nocturne, but finally released as Blues in...
" (Harold ArlenHarold Arlen was an American composer of popular music.Having written over 500 songs, a number of which have become known the world over. In addition to being the composer of The Wizard of Oz, Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the Great American Songbook.His 1938 song "Over the Rainbow”...
, Johnny MercerJohn Herndon "Johnny" Mercer was an American songwriter and singer. As a songwriter, he is best known as a lyricist, but he also composed music. He was also a popular singer who recorded his own songs as well as those written by others...
) – 4:44
- "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry
"Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry" is a 1945 popular song composed by Jule Styne, with lyrics by Sammy Cahn. It was memorably recorded by Frank Sinatra, on his 1958 album Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely, in an arrangement by Nelson Riddle....
" (Cahn, Jule StyneJule Styne was a British-born American songwriter especially famous for a series of Broadway musicals, which included several very well known and frequently revived shows.-Early life:...
) – 4:00
- "Ebb Tide" (Robert Maxwell
Robert Maxwell is a harpist and songwriter, who wrote the music for two well-known songs: "Ebb Tide" and "Shangri-La."He was born in New York City. Neither of his parents had been involved in music, but at age 10 he began playing the harp. In high school, he won a scholarship to the Juilliard...
, Carl SigmanCarl Sigman was a major American songwriter.-Biography:Born in Brooklyn, New York, he graduated from law school and passed his Bar exams to practice in the state of New York...
) – 3:18
- "Spring is Here
"Spring is Here" is a 1938 popular song composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Lorenz Hart for the musical I Married an Angel , where it was introduced by Dennis King and Vivienne Segal.-Notable recordings:*The Supremes...
" (Richard RodgersRichard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
, Lorenz HartLorenz "Larry" Hart was the lyricist half of the famed Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart. Some of his more famous lyrics include, "Blue Moon", "Isn't It Romantic?", "Mountain Greenery", "The Lady Is a Tramp", "Manhattan", "Where or When", "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered", "Falling in...
) – 4:47
- "Gone with the Wind
"Gone with the Wind" is a popular song. The music was written by Allie Wrubel, the lyrics by Herb Magidson. The song was published in 1937. A version recorded by Horace Heidt was a #1 song in 1937.Diane E...
" (Allie WrubelAllie Wrubel was an American composer and songwriter.-Biography:Born in Middletown, Connecticut, Wrubel attended Wesleyan University and Columbia University before working in dance bands. He began his musical career in Greenwich Village, New York where he roomed with his close friend and famous...
, Herb MagidsonHerbert A. "Herb" Magidson was an American popular lyricist. His work was used in over 23 films and four Broadway reviews. He won the first Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1934....
) – 5:15
- "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)
"One for My Baby " is a popular song written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the musical The Sky's the Limit and first performed in the film by Fred Astaire. It was popularized by the American singer Frank Sinatra...
" (Arlen, Mercer) – 4:23
- Bonus tracks included on the 1987 CD release:
- "Sleep Warm" (Lew Spence
Lew Spence was an American songwriter.Spence received little formal musical training, and led a dance band in his hometown as a teenager. He played piano and sang in his twenties, but did not publish any songs until he was almost 30 years old...
, Marilyn KeithMarilyn Bergman is a composer, songwriter and author.She was born Marilyn Keith in Brooklyn, New York and studied psychology and English at New York University. She and her husband Alan Bergman, whom she married in 1958, were born in the same hospital and raised in the same Brooklyn neighborhood,...
, Alan BergmanAlan Bergman is an American lyricist and songwriter.Born in Brooklyn, New York, he studied at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UCLA. His involvement in the entertainment industry began in the early 1950s as a director of children's television shows...
) – 2:45
- "Where or When
"Where or When" is a show tune from the 1937 Rodgers and Hart musical Babes In Arms. It was first performed by Ray Heatherton and Mitzi Green. That same year, Hal Kemp recorded a popular version. It also appeared in the movie of the same title two years later...
" (Rodgers, Hart) – 2:25
Selected personnel
- Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became a successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, being the idol of the "bobby soxers." His professional career had stalled by the...
– vocalsSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. A person who sings is called a singer or vocalist...
- Nelson Riddle
Nelson Smock Riddle, Jr. was an American bandleader, arranger and orchestrator whose career spanned from the late 1940s, struggled with the advent of rock 'n' roll, and saw a career revival in the early 1980s...
– arrangerIn music, an arrangement is either a rewriting of a piece of existing music with additional new material or a fleshing-out of a compositional sketch, such as a lead sheet...
- Felix Slatkin
Felix Slatkin was an American violinist and conductor.-Biography:Slatkin was born in St. Louis, Missouri to a Jewish family originally named Zlotkin from areas of the Russian Empire now in Ukraine. He began studying the violin at the age of nine with Isadore Grossman...
– conductorConducting is the act of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. Orchestras, choirs, concert bands and other musical ensembles often have conductors.-Nomenclature:...
- Bill Miller
Bill Miller was an American jazz pianist, who accompanied Frank Sinatra over fifty years, and for the last eight years of his life, accompanied Frank Sinatra, Jr.....
– pianoThe piano is a musical instrument which is played by means of a keyboard. Widely used in Western music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
- Gus Bivona
Gus Bivona was an American musician.This reed player -- covering a range of clarinets, saxophones, and flute -- was at the height of the big band era. Following World War II, he was a staff musician for the MGM Studio Orchestra, playing on countless soundtracks and sessions...
– alto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by the Belgian instrument designer in 1841 Adolphe Sax. The alto, with the tenor, is the most common size of saxophone...