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.
Because You're Mine
Nat King Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My love, and envies me because you're mine
Because you're mine because you're mine
The breeze that hurries by becomes a melody
And why, because you're mine, because you're mine
I only know for as long as I may live
I'll only live for the kiss that you alone may give me
And when we kiss that isn't thunder dear
Because you're mine! because you're mine!
Because you're mine the brightest star I see looks down
My love, and envies me because you're mine
Because you're mine because you're mine
The breeze that hurries by becomes a melody
And why, because you're mine, because you're mine
I only know for as long as I may live
I'll only live for the kiss that you alone may give me
And when we kiss that isn't thunder dear
It's only my poor heart you hear, and it's applause
The song “Because You’re Mine” sung by Nat King Cole, is an outpouring of emotions for his beloved. The lyrics seem to express that the brightest star is envious of him as he is the one who is in love with his partner. The singer seems to be intoxicated with love and can feel the melody in the breeze when his partner is around him. As long as he lives, he wants to feel the kiss of his beloved and with each kiss, his heart applauds. The thunder in the lyrics signifies the beating of his heart on hearing his beloved's voice. Nat King Cole’s voice blended with the music and lyrics creates a beautiful love ballad that touches the depths of one’s soul.
The song was written by Nicholas Brodszky and Sammy Cahn and was recorded in 1952. The song was featured in a movie of the same name, starring Mario Lanza and Doretta Morrow. The song was not only popular in the United States but also the United Kingdom where it reached number one position in the charts. Interestingly, the song was also played on the radio station of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation, making it popular even in Nigeria.
Line by Line Meaning
Because you're mine the brightest star I see looks down
My love, and envies me because you're mine
The singer sees the brightest star in the sky and believes it envies them because of their lover's affection. This starlight is a witness to the depth of the singer's love.
Because you're mine because you're mine
The breeze that hurries by becomes a melody
And why, because you're mine, because you're mine
The singer states that things in the world are transformed and made more special because of their love. Even the breeze that passes by is imbued with a special melody because of the singer's feelings.
I only know for as long as I may live
I'll only live for the kiss that you alone may give me
The singer's world revolves around their partner's love, and their existence is defined by the affection they receive from their partner. A single kiss from their partner means the world to the singer.
And when we kiss that isn't thunder dear
It's only my poor heart you hear, and it's applause
The artist feels ecstatic and overjoyed when they kiss their partner, and their heart is the only thing that seems to matter in that moment. They believe that their heart is clapping in happiness, and this is the applause the artist is referring to.
Because you're mine! because you're mine!
The repeated refrain of the song emphasizes that the artist's love for their partner is so intense and all-consuming that it is all they can think about. The artist may not be happy without their partner's love, and so they repeat the statement 'because you're mine' to reinforce the depth of their feelings.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: NICHOLAS BRODSZKY, SAMMY CAHN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jmrodas9
One of those Great songs Nat King Cole sang. 71 years after being released it is still Grand to listen to and enjoy.
@douglasford2257
The king at his natural best,the world misses you nat ❤ and R.I. P. The Goat.
@jmrodas9
One of my favorites for over sixty years now. Nat King Cole had such a nice manly voice which is tender and soothing through clearly masculine. This is a good song to hear no matter what time it is or what date it is. Timeless really a beautiful love poem with music added.
@maryannstipe8964
Love!!!!!! It is YOUUUUU!!!!! AAAHHHH I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!! 🥰🥰🥰💓💓💓
@jmrodas9
@@maryannstipe8964 Great interpretation and answer to what the song says. Regards and have a nice day.
@Onemic2008
Simply the greatest American singer who ever lived!
@jmrodas9
One of the best love songs I have ever Heard. One looks at the World differently when in love and even ordinary things or happenings become something special. And this song describes it so well.
@douglasford2257
The King is at it again singing songs all lovers identify with deep dying passionate charm.
@jmrodas9
One of the nicest love songs I have ever Heard. It is very well sung and pronounced and is nice and slow so it is easy to understand what is being said. And the music is very good to as are the superb lyrics in Nat's wonderful voice. Very nice to hear and a song I have enjoyed hearing for 65 years.
@jmrodas9
Sometims I wish I had been old enough to go to one concert by Nat King Cole. A very good Singer and his voice is so nice to hear. It is sweet and mellow at the same time and makes one relax which is just what we need after a busy working day.