Frank Sinatra recorded In the Wee Small Hours in 1955 with arrangements by Nelson Riddle. Unlike previous albums, all songs were specifically selected for this one, using only ballads that somehow related to late-night isolation and aching lost love—quite probably inspired by Sinatra’s separation from Ava Gardner after four years of marriage.

In the wee small hours of the morning
While the whole wide world is fast asleep
You lie awake and think about the girl
And never even think of counting sheep

When your lonely heart has learned its lesson
You’d be hers if only she would call
In the wee small hours of the morning
That’s the time you miss her most of all

The album cover, very much a classic today, reinforces the overall theme, featuring a pensive Sinatra set against the backdrop of a deserted and eerie night-time streetscape. In the Wee Small Hours remains one of the most celebrated and enduring concept albums that Sinatra put out during the 1950s.