Birthday

On December 12, 1990, Frank Sinatra celebrated his birthday by giving a concert at Meadowlands, and having a party after it. During the concert, Sinatra started with “You Make Me Feel So Young”, sang many songs, New York New York with Liza Minnelli, and songs with Eydie Gorme and Steve Lawrence. At the end of the concert, every single person at the Brendan Byrne Arena shouted “Happy Birthday” to him.

Frank Sinatra: This is without a doubt the finest birthday celebration I think I’ve ever had in my life. Not think, I know. I just simply want to say I love you all dearly and I thank you for taking part in this wonderful night for me. I should never forget as long as I live. God bless you all, and good night. Thank you.

After the concert, Barbara Sinatra threw a party for Frank at Waldorf Hotel with a hundred people. She rose to her feet, made a toast, and said:

“Darling, All these years you’ve given the world beautiful, wonderful music, but you have given me the world… One more thought, the fourth time around is really lovely!” said Barbara to Frank Sinatra at the private party after his Meadowlands concert in New Jersey Wednesday on the occasion of his 75th birthday.

Mrs. Sinatra was a dedicated and ravishing hostess at the Waldorf in New York when about 200 of the creme de la creme of the Sinatra world gathered to exude the milk of human kindness together.

The party was fairly low-key and sedate, yet warm and informal. Sinatra did a karate chop at his birthday cake, as if dismissing it, and he seemed overcome with emotion after all the speeches, particularly by his wife and children. So he decided to make a few jokes about the room’s sound system. “Charlie Waldorf better get in there and do something about this room; I’ve lived in this hotel for years and was never in here before. I never want to party here again.” This was all jest and comic relief.

Steve Lawrence, as emcee, said: “A lot of people would like to say something to you tonight, Frank, but some of them have day jobs.” New York Mayor David Dinkins commented that “the danger with success is that it makes us forget injustice. This is not true of you, Mr. Chairman!”

Alan King: “Mozart and Caruso could not have given me the pleasure Frank Sinatra gave me for 50 years!”

Jule Styne dubbed Sinatra “the only man who phrases the lyric; not music.”

Liza Minnelli: “In my whole life, I have never had more pleasure or fun than I have had with you. My sister thanks you, my mother thanks you, my father thanks you and I thank you!”

Robert Wagner: “Your real talent is as a friend.”

Phyllis Wagner: “You were always giving.”

Robert Marx” “Thanks for giving so much love to my mother and making her happy.”

Roger Moore read a rave about Sinatra by the Pulitzer Prizewinning writer William Kennedy.

Jilly Rizzo: “Happy Birthday. I never thought I’d live to see the day. A lot of other people didn’t think so either.

Tina Sinatra, weeping: “You are an American treasure. I am so grateful that you’re 75 and I expect so much more from you because without you, I’m nothing.”

Frank Jr. attributed his father’s long life to his eating properly and never letting smoke or alcohol touch his tongue. Sinatra responded: “These few days have been sensational for me. It was 6000 to one that I’d get to be 50 years old, but 75? I love it. I’ve had some fun in the past weeks and a few tears.” (by Liz Smith, 16 December 1990, The Evening Post)

Today, after 21 years of this concert, we are celebrating Frank Sinatra’s 96th birthday. Much has changed since then, the whole world has changed. But there are still millions of Sinatra fans out there, and a simple Sinatra song can make their day better.

Thank you Mr. Sinatra, for singing more than a thousand songs during your career, singing perfectly. Thank you for making us cry when we are sad, without your songs “sad” is never really “sad”. Thank you for the happy days we get when we listen to your songs. You are love, you are loneliness, you are happiness. You are every feeling there is.

Happy 96th Birthday Frank Sinatra, we miss you. May you rest in piece…