"I started playing piano at five or six," Freddy remembers. "Music was all around me." In the Chicago home of his youth, visitors included Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Lionel Hampton. He also credits Billy Eckstine as a major influence. " He was a fantastic entertainer," Freddy recalls. " I learned so much from just watching and being around him." After a possible career with the NFL was shelved due to a hand injury, he began playing and singing in Chicago clubs as a teenager. Although he was ready to hit the road at 18, his mother intervened and he continued his musical education at the Roosevelt Institute in Chicago.
Freddy moved to New York in 1951, where he studied at the Juilliard School of Music and found himself profoundly influenced by John Lewis, Oscar Peterson and Teddy Wilson. He got a Master's degree at the New England Conservatory of Music and then spent several months on the road as a member of an Earl Bostic band that also included Johnny Coles and Benny Golson.
It was back in New York that Freddy successfully laid the groundwork for a career that continues to flourish to this day. He developed a vast repertoire of songs in Manhattan bistros and concurrently began to supplement his live performances with television and radio commercial jingle work.
A resident of Atlanta since 1972, he currently leads a trio made up of himself, guitarist Jerry Byrd, drummer Curtis Boyd and bassist Elias Bailey that regularly tours the US, Europe, the Far East and South America. Freddy has been a recording artist since 1952, when his first single, "The Joke's on Me", was released on an obscure Chicago-based label.
Freddy recorded several albums for European and English companies during the 1970s that helped him develop a loyal overseas following. Cole believes that becoming an international favorite made him "widen my scope a little bit." He developed a stand-up act, a better rapport with audiences, and learned to sing in other languages. "It made me much more of a performer."
Cole doesn't apologize for sounding like his brother, Nat "King" Cole. There are certain unmistakable similarities. He plays piano and sings and performs live with guitar and upright bass, just like Nat. Yet his voice is raspier, smokier, jazzier even. But he has emerged from the awesome shadow cast by his elder brother. In truth, his phrasing is far closer to that of Frank Sinatra or Billie Holiday than that of his brother and his timing swings a little more. His vocals - suave, elegant, formidable, and articulate - are among the most respected in jazz. Cole's career continues to ascend as he has moved into the front ranks of America's homegrown art form with a style and musical sophistication all his own.
I Loved You
Freddy Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Although against my will
All I knew I loved you
Time was standing still
Because I loved you
But someday I knew you would fly away
Tomorrow
For I can only think of yesterday
In every way
I loved you
Such memories of moments
When I loved you
I loved you then but you were never mine
A summer
A summer to remember for all time
Leaving me with tears from farewell eyes
Those precious moments saying last goodbyes
And I loved you
But you were never mine
I loved you
Such memories of moments
When I loved you
I loved you then but you were never mine
You were never mine
A summer
A summer to remember for all time
Leaving me with tears from farewell eyes
Those precious moments saying last goodbyes
And I loved you
I loved you
I loved you
I loved you
But you were never mine
The lyrics to Freddy Cole's "I Loved You" explore the complex feelings of loving someone who does not belong to you. The singer is infatuated with someone, despite knowing that nothing can come of it, leading to a bittersweet sense of longing and regret. The opening lines ("I loved you / Although against my will / All I knew I loved you / Time was standing still") are particularly poignant, conveying a sense of helplessness and intensity in the singer's emotions.
As the song continues, we see a contrast between the present and the past. The singer mourns the loss of what could have been ("Tomorrow / There could never be a new tomorrow / For I can only think of yesterday / In every way"), simultaneously reliving the memories of their time together ("Such memories of moments / When I loved you"). The repeated line "And I loved you / But you were never mine" highlights the central theme of the song: the push and pull between desire and reality.
Overall, "I Loved You" is a powerful meditation on unrequited love and the deep emotional bonds that can form even in the absence of a real relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I loved you
Even though it was not what I wanted, I had feelings of love towards you
Although against my will
Despite not being able to control how I feel, I still loved you
All I knew I loved you
Without a doubt, I was aware that I had strong emotions toward you
Time was standing still
The passage of time seemed to slow or even stop when I was in love with you
Because I loved you
My emotions had such power over me that they affected my actions or decisions
But someday I knew you would fly away
I was aware that you would be leaving in the future, even though I loved you and wanted you to stay
Tomorrow
In the future, when today has passed and become a memory
There could never be a new tomorrow
Even though time continues, it will never be the same again because of my feelings for you
For I can only think of yesterday
My thoughts are wrapped up in memories from the past, which make it difficult for me to move forward
In every way
Without exception or limitation, my thoughts are consumed in the memories of loving you
Such memories of moments
I have specific, meaningful recollections of times spent with you
When I loved you
During a time when I was in love with you
I loved you then but you were never mine
Even though I loved you at the time, we were never officially together
A summer
A particular time in the past filled with memories of being in love with you
A summer to remember for all time
A significant period that stands out in my memory, which I will never forget
Leaving me with tears from farewell eyes
At the end of the summer, my eyes were filled with tears because of the sadness of saying goodbye to you
Those precious moments saying last goodbyes
The moments when we said goodbye to each other were especially meaningful to me
And I loved you
Even during the goodbyes, I still had love for you in my heart
You were never mine
Despite my feelings of love, you were never actually mine to keep
Writer(s): Paul Curtis
Contributed by Tristan O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mariadaconceicaovilela6909
Eu te amei
Embora contra a minha vontade eu sabia que te amava
O tempo estava parado porque eu te amava
Mas um dia eu sabia que você voaria para longe
amanhã
Nunca poderia haver um novo amanhã
Pois eu só posso pensar em ontem
de qualquer maneira
eu te amei
Tais memórias de momentos
Quando eu te amei
Eu te amei, mas você nunca foi meu
para o verão
Um verão para se lembrar para sempre
Deixando-me com lágrimas de olhos de despedida
Aqueles momentos preciosos dizendo últimos adeus
E eu te amei
Mas você nunca foi meu
eu te amei
Tais memórias de momentos
quando eu te amei
Eu te amei, mas você nunca foi meu
Você nunca foi meu
para o verão
Um verão para se lembrar para sempre
Deixando-me com lágrimas de olhos de despedida
Aqueles momentos preciosos dizendo últimos adeus
E eu te amei
eu te amei
eu te amei
Mas você nunca foi meu
@sheilabelonidearaujogracia5803
Lindíssima e raríssima.Muito melhor essas músicas de antigamente.Nai é como essa poluição sonora que se tem hoje em dia
@juliahmendez67
43 anos depois, em pleno século XXI e eu aqui, ouvindo essa preciosidade ❤. Obrigada pela postagem 🙏👏
@stelamenezes7073
Maravilhosa música e letra...Parabéns, por postar bom gosto ! Adorei ❤️
Canção atemporal... ontem, hoje e sempre 👈
@user-qc7rc5xc9o
Мурвшки по телу от такой красоты‼️🙏❤️ А какое многоголосье.......🤷♂️🪻🌺🪻❤️
@beverlyharris9859
❤😊 SENSATIONAL AWESOME BEAUTIFUL HEAVENLY AMAZING WONDERFUL PHENOMENAL EXTRAORDINARY!😊❤.
@user-qc7rc5xc9o
Господи!🙏 ❤❤Как же красиво☝️А слова.....🤷♂️ Спасибо, что дали возможность послушать эту песню.❤️👏👌 Божественное исполнение 🫠🌹🪷🪻
@Wilmar.Santos
Ah anos 70... saudades do que nao vivi. Gosto de olhar para frente, mas nao tem como ser saudosista comparando aquela época com os dias atuais.
@jeannecarvalho8266
Essa música é realmente uma das melhores lembranças. Gratidão!
@luizamoraes4891
Lembro quantas vezes eu e meu saudoso pai ouvíamos essa música juntos. Letras e melodias que não existem mais.
@alexandreaugusto193
Eu e minha mãe. Devo a ela meu bom gosto musical