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 sixteen. 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 twenty-seven LPs or eighteen CDs.
Throughout the 1950s 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 ten-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 reached number one 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 1950s, and despite a successful stab at rock n' roll with Send for Me, 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 reached number four 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 the U.K. 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 23rd August 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 was a heavy smoker of Kool menthol cigarettes, believing that smoking up to three packs a day gave his voice the rich sound it had (Cole would smoke several cigarettes in rapid succession before a recording for this very purpose). Cole died of lung cancer at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California, on 15th February 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.
All I Want For Christmas
Nat King Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My two front teeth, my two front teeth
Gee, if I could only have my two front teeth
Then I could wish you, Merry Christmas
It seems so long since I could say
Sister Susie, sitting on a thistle?
Gosh, oh gee, how happy I'd be
All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth
My two front teeth, my two front teeth
Gee, if I could only have my two front teeth
Then I could wish you, Merry Christmas
All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth
Two front teeth, two front teeth
Gee, if I could only have my two front teeth
Then I could wish you, Merry Christmas
It seems so long since I could say
Sister Susie, sitting on a thistle?
Gosh, oh gee, how happy I'd be
If I could only whistle
All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth
Two front teeth, two front teeth
Gee, if I could only have my two front teeth
Then I could wish you, Merry Christmas
It seems so long since I could say
Sister Susie, sitting on a thistle?
Gosh, oh gee, how happy I'd be
If I could only whistle
All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth
Two front teeth, my two front teeth
Gee, if I could only have my two front teeth
Then I could wish you, Merry Christmas
The lyrics of "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth" by Nat King Cole is a light-hearted and humorous song that captures the innocence and whimsy of childhood. The song is a plea from a child who has lost their two front teeth and wishes for nothing more than to have them back for Christmas. The missing front teeth prevent the child from being able to whistle or pronounce certain words, such as "Sister Susie, sitting on a thistle."
The song is relatable to many people who have experienced the loss of childhood teeth and have had to adapt to new speech patterns. The child's simple wish for their two front teeth reflects the magic of Christmas and the hope that anything is possible during the holiday season. The song's playful tone and catchy melody have made it a timeless holiday classic that continues to be enjoyed by listeners of all ages.
Line by Line Meaning
All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth
The singer is expressing the simple desire to have his two front teeth for Christmas
My two front teeth, my two front teeth
He repeats the desire for his two front teeth, highlighting the importance of them
Gee, if I could only have my two front teeth
He exclaims how much he wants his two front teeth and how it's the only thing he wants for Christmas
Then I could wish you, Merry Christmas
He fantasizes about singing and wishing those around him a Merry Christmas, but only if he had his two front teeth
It seems so long since I could say
Sister Susie, sitting on a thistle?
The singer remembers happy times when he could easily pronounce the phrase 'Sister Susie, sitting on a thistle', but he can no longer do so without his two front teeth
Gosh, oh gee, how happy I'd be
If I could only whistle
The singer reflects on how much joy he would experience if he could whistle. Alas, he cannot because he does not have his two front teeth.
All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth
The singer's desire for his two front teeth remains constant
Two front teeth, two front teeth
He reiterates his wishes for his two front teeth again
Gee, if I could only have my two front teeth
Once again, the singer expresses his fervent desire for his two front teeth
Then I could wish you, Merry Christmas
The singer continues to hold onto his dream of wishing others a Merry Christmas, but only if he has his two front teeth
It seems so long since I could say
Sister Susie, sitting on a thistle?
The singer still remembers how much he used to enjoy saying 'Sister Susie, sitting on a thistle' before he lost his two front teeth
Gosh, oh gee, how happy I'd be
If I could only whistle
He reiterates how happy he would be if he could whistle, which he can't without his two front teeth
All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth
The song ends with a repetition of the singer's sole, simple wish for his two front teeth
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Donald Yetter Gardner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ExotiKZBoy17
My mom used to love this song because she found it very funny. It's been over a year since she passed away. After hearing this song without her, I'll always remember her laughing about it.
@lisasellers8814
My mom loved this song too
@dingoswamphead
How Nat could make even this song sound cool!
@gailmcindoe8623
What a cool rendition of this song! Love the background singers too! I love the depth of sound in Nat King Cole's voice. So mellow and lyrical!
@TheSilvergold45
WHAT A SENSATIONAL ARRANGEMENT
Nat King Cole was sensational !!
ONE OF THE ALL TIME GREATS !!!
@BrightSpirit619
This is real musical and vocal genius. It still sounds fresh and that’s how you know it’s real, ingenious talent.
@apolloholmes208
Ever since I've been asked to take care of the music at our lobby every Christmas, our staff and clients always says that I was able to capture the feels of 40-70s Christmas because of the music I've chosen.
This is one of their favorites.🙂
🎄🎄🎄
Christmas is just around the corner and I hope the playlist I'm going to prepare will be a blast like these past few years.🙂
●~~<<02>>~~●
@davidrichter3736
Nat's voice was as smooth as polished brass.
@markoconnell3186
Just great. What a singer!
@Elsie903
The last of my littles, just lost both her front baby teeth and I have been singing this to her all day lol ❤😂