Only the Lonely

The title song for what many consider Sinatra’s greatest album, Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely (1958) — a late-night meditation on heartbreak and solitude that set the tone for one of the most emotionally devastating records ever made. Cahn’s lyric is spare and aching, Van Heusen’s melody perfectly matched to the mood.

The album is frequently cited as a pinnacle of the concept album format, and this opening track announces its intentions with quiet devastation from the very first note.