As a piano player, he formed a jazz trio in 1938 that played Los Angeles nightclubs, one of the first jazz trios featuring guitar and piano. Prior to this he had played music since he was a child and had worked with bands since he was 16. He was raised in Chicago and exposed to the abundant jazz scene there. He was heavily influenced by pianist Earl "Fatha" Hines.
Later he became more popularly known as a singer and crooner and his work became more orchestrated.
His first mainstream vocal hit was in 1944 with Straighten Up and Fly Right, based on a black folk tale that his father had used as a theme for a sermon. Although hardly a rocker, the song's success proved that an audience for folk-based material existed. It is considered a predecessor to the first rock and roll records. Indeed, Bo Diddley, who performed similar transformations of folk material, counted Cole as an influence.
Beginning in the late 1940s, Cole began recording and performing more pop-oriented material for mainstream audiences, often accompanied by a string orchestra. His stature as a popular icon was cemented during this period with such hits as The Christmas Song (1946), Nature Boy (1948), Mona Lisa (1950), and his signature tune Unforgettable (1951). While this shift to pop music led some jazz critics and fans to accuse Cole of selling out, he never totally abandoned his musical roots; as late as 1956, for instance, he recorded an all-jazz album, After Midnight. In 1991, Mosaic Records released the Complete Nat King Cole Trio Recordings on Capitol, which contained 349 songs on 27 LPs or 18 CDs.
Throughout the 1950's Cole continued to rack up hit after hit, including Smile, Pretend, A Blossom Fell, and If I May. Most of his pop hits were collaborations with famed arranger/conductor Nelson Riddle. It was with Riddle that Cole released his first 10-inch long-play album in 1953 entitled Sings For Two In Love. Several more albums followed, including the Gordon Jenkins arranged Love Is the Thing, which peaked at #1 on the album charts in April, 1957.
Inspired by a trip to Havana, Cuba in 1958, Nat went back there that same year and recorded Cole Espanol, an album sung entirely in Spanish and Portuguese. The album was a hit not only in the U.S., but in Latin America as well. The album was so popular, that two others followed: A Mis Amigos in 1959, and More Cole Espanol in 1962.
Musical tastes were changing in the late 1950's, and despite a successful stab at rock n' roll with Send For Me (peaked at #6 pop), Cole's ballad singing had grown old to younger listeners. Like contemporaries Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, Nat found that the pop singles chart had been almost entirely taken over by youth oriented acts. In 1960, Nat's longtime collaborator Nelson Riddle, left Capitol Records for Frank Sinatra's newly formed Reprise Records label. The two parted ways with one final hit album Wild Is Love, based on lyrics by Ray Rasch and Dotty Wayne. Nat would later re-tool the concept album into an off-Broadway production called I'm With You.
As the 1960s progressed, Nat once again found success on the American singles chart, starting with the country/pop flavored hit Ramblin' Rose in August of 1962. Three more hit singles followed: Dear Lonely Hearts, Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days Of Summer, and That Sunday, That Summer. Nat's final album was entitled L.O.V.E, and was recorded in late 1964. It was released just prior to his death and peaked at #4 on the Billboard Albums chart in the spring of 1965. A "Best Of" album went gold in 1968. His 1957 song When I Fall In Love was a chart topping hit for Great Britain in 1987.
Cole was the first African American to have his own radio program. He repeated that success in the late-1950s with the first truly national television show starring an African-American. In both cases, the programs were ultimately canceled because sponsors shied away from a black artist. Cole fought racism all his life, refusing to perform in segregated venues. In 1956, he was attacked on stage in Birmingham, Alabama by members of the White Citizens' Council who apparently were attempting to kidnap him. Despite injuries, Cole completed the show but vowed never to perform in the South again.
On August 23, 1956, Cole spoke at the Republican National Convention in the Cow Palace, San Francisco, California. He was also present at the Democratic National Convention in 1960, to throw his support behind President John F. Kennedy. Cole was also among the dozens of entertainers recruited by Frank Sinatra to perform at the Kennedy Inaugural gala in 1961. Nat King Cole frequently consulted with President Kennedy (and later President Johnson) on the issue of civil rights. Yet he was dogged by critics, who felt he shied away from controversy when it came to the civil rights issue. Among the most notable was Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, who was upset that Cole didn't take stronger action after the 1956 on-stage attack.
In 1948, Cole purchased a house in the all-white Hancock Park neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. The property owners association told Cole they didn't want any undesirables moving in, to which Cole retorted "Neither do I. And if I see anybody undesirable coming in here, I'll be the first to complain."
He and his second wife, Maria Ellington, were married in Harlem's Abyssinian Baptist Church by Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. They had five children, including twin girls. Daughter Carol Cole, and son Kelly Cole were adopted. Kelly Cole died in 1995. Nat's daughter, Natalie Cole, and his younger brother, Freddie Cole are also singers.
Natalie and her father had an unexpected hit in the summer of 1991. The younger Cole mixed a 1961 recording of her father's rendition of Unforgettable with her own voice, creating an electronic duet. Both the song and the album of the same name won several Grammy awards the following year.
Cole performed in many short films, and played W. C. Handy in the film Saint Louis Blues. He also appeared in The Nat King Cole Story, China Gate and The Blue Gardenia.
Nat King Cole, a heavy smoker, died of lung cancer at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California, on February 15th, 1965. His funeral was held at St. Victor's Catholic Church in West Hollywood, and he was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. Cat Ballou, his final film, was released several months later.
When I Fall in Love
Nat 'King' Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or I'll never fall in love
In a restless world like this is
Love is ended before it's begun
And too many moonlight kisses
Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun
When I give my heart, it will be completely
And the moment I can feel that you feel that way too
Is when I fall in love with you
And the moment I can feel that you feel that way too
Is when I fall in love with you
The lyrics of Nat 'King' Cole and Natalie Cole's "When I Fall in Love" express the singer's hope and apprehension about falling in love. The first two lines set a high standard for love, suggesting that the singer will only fall in love if it is a lifelong commitment. The singer understands that in the world we live in, love often ends before it truly begins. The following two lines of the lyrics convey this idea that our fast-paced world makes it hard for people to love each other with the depth and permanence necessary for a lasting relationship.
The third and fourth lines refer to the impermanence of love. The lyricist suggests that love is like a moonlit kiss that can't stand up to the heat and strain of daylight. The singer implies that love is fragile and can easily crumble in the face of the trials and tribulations of life. The following lines assert the singer's commitment to give their heart completely or not at all, underscoring the importance of finding a reciprocal love.
The final two lines of the lyrics voice the idea that love is a mutual emotion. The singer believes that they will know when they have found love when they can sense that the other person feels it too. The song's writer hopes, like many of us do, to find that special person with whom we can share a mutual love that will last forever.
Line by Line Meaning
When I fall in love it will be forever
The singer desires a love that lasts indefinitely and doesn't diminish with time.
Or I'll never fall in love
If the singer can't have a love that lasts forever, they'd rather not fall in love at all.
In a restless world like this is
The world is constantly changing, which makes it difficult for love to endure.
Love is ended before it's begun
Due to the fickleness of the world or the individuals involved, love often ends before it has a chance to flourish.
And too many moonlight kisses
The artist has experienced many fleeting romantic moments that didn't lead to lasting love.
Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun
The initial passion and excitement of those romantic moments eventually fades away.
When I give my heart it will be completely
The singer is hesitant to give their heart away unless it is to someone who is deserving and will cherish it.
Or I'll never give my heart
The artist's heart is something they highly value, and refuse to give it away to someone who doesn't deserve it.
And the moment I can feel that you feel that way too
The artist only falls in love when they are certain that the other person reciprocates their feelings.
Is when I fall in love with you.
It's only after the mutual feelings of love are confirmed that the artist is willing to open their heart entirely and let themselves fall in love.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Edward Heyman, Victor Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Fabianoblancx
When I fall in love
It will be forever
Or I'll never fall in love
In a restless world
Like this is
Love is ended before it's begun
And too many moonlight kisses
Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun
When I give my heart
It will be completely
Or I'll never give my heart
(Oh let me give my heart)
And the moment I can feel that
You feel that way too (I feel that way too)
Is when I'll fall in love (I fall in love)
With you
When I fall in love
It will be forever
Or I'll never fall in love
Oh I'll never never fall in love
In a restless world
Like this is
Love is ended before it's begun
And too many moonlight kisses
Seem to…
@larrysink6908
We fell in love in 1956. We were married in 1961. She died in April a year ago. I am still in love.
@Barry4B
Bless
@Sarasdad91
One life. One wife. That's the way it's supposed to be.
@CiprianIonut
❤
@stevefernandez84
All the best Larry pal,
@TheAuntyjudy
This was also my husband’s favorite singer and he so loved this song!
Listening to Nat sing this song makes my heart melt!
My heart aches as I remember and reminisce listening to Nat sing his beautiful songs.. his voice is so soothing..
As I reminisce over the beautiful moments my husband and I shared over our 60+ years of marriage.
Thank you Jesus for my life with my one true love … MY HUSBAND!!! Rest in Peace sweetheart!
@aftertherainkr
Beautiful from Korea
@islezynkeez72
I’m listening to this absolute classic of a gem in 2024. What a truly beautiful magnificent voice Nat King Cole had. I can’t stand most of the music that’s popular today, and I feel my faith restored when I listen to vocals as beautiful as this. I’m 33 years old.
@broadstreet223
I’m 21 and feel the same way, I love music from the 50s. Back when people all had class and respect for each other. I never fit in with my generation or understood what they consider “fun” and “good”
@lovelyalln1
I know exactly how feel. If songs like this was played on the air more, I truly believe there would be more love than anything else.