60 years ago today, one of the best-selling music artists of all time reached his first No. 1 hit in the United States in more than a decade.
Frank Sinatra experienced a brief career decline in the late '40s and early '50s. In 1950, he suffered a throat hemorrhage that put his career in jeopardy. That same year, he divorced his first wife, Nancy, after having an affair with Ava Gardner.
Sinatra enjoyed a career revival with hit songs like "Young at Heart" (1954) and "Learnin' the Blues" (1955). At the time, Sinatra and his fanbase couldn't have guessed that "Learnin' the Blues" would be his last No. 1 hit for another 11 years.
In April 1966, Sinatra released a new song called "Strangers in the Night." And on July 2, 1966, that very song would reach No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, knocking off "Paperback Writer" from the Beatles.
As The Wall Street Journal noted, this was Sinatra's first No. 1 hit since '"Learnin' the Blues" 11 years earlier. Needless to say, it was a big-time statement by Sinatra, who proved that he was still at the top of his game.
60 years ago today, July 2, 1966, ‘Strangers in the Night’ by Frank Sinatra began a 1-week run at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 💯.
— Boston Radio Watch®️ (@bostonradio) July 2, 2026
Performing it live at the Concert For Americas music festival in the Dominican Republic 🇩🇴 on August 20, 1982. pic.twitter.com/MjIbMFfPA5
"Paperback Writer" would reclaim the top spot a week later, with "Strangers in the Night" moving down to No. 3. One year later, Frank and his daughter Nancy released "Somethin' Stupid," another hit that topped the Billboard Hot 100.
Frank Sinatra Hated 'Strangers in the Night'
(Photo by Sjöberg Bildbyrå/ullstein bild via Getty Images)
Even though "Strangers in the Night" revived Sinatra's career, the music legend actually hated the song.
According to Page Six, Sinatra's widow, Barbara, once claimed that "Strangers in the Night" was his most despised song. Sinatra reportedly called it "a piece of (expletive)" and "the worst (expletive) song I’ve ever heard."
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