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.
Caroling Caroling
Nat King Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Christmas bells are ringing
Caroling, caroling now we go
Christmas bells are ringing
Caroling, caroling through the snow
Christmas bells are ringing
Joyous voices sweet and clear
Ding, dong, ding, dong
Christmas bells are ringing
Caroling, caroling, caroling, caroling
Caroling, caroling through the town
Christmas bells are ringing
Caroling, caroling up and down
Christmas bells are ringing
Mark ye well the song we sing
Gladsome tidings now we bring
Ding, dong, ding, dong
Christmas bells are ringing
Caroling, caroling now we go
Caroling, caroling through the snow
Joyous voices sweet and clear
Sing the sad of heart to cheer
Ding, dong, ding, dong
Christmas bells are ringing
Ding, dong, ding, dong
Christmas bells are ringing
The lyrics of Nat King Cole’s “Caroling Caroling” are a celebration of the Christmas season and the joy and happiness it brings. The song begins with the ringing of the Christmas bells, a familiar sound that signals the arrival of the holiday season. The carolers then set out into the snowy streets, spreading joy and cheer to all they encounter.
The carolers’ voices are described as “joyous” and “sweet and clear,” lending a sense of warmth and comfort to those who may be feeling sad or lonely during the holidays. The chorus of “ding, dong, ding, dong” emphasizes the repetitive and joyful nature of the carolers’ mission as they go from town to town, spreading the message of hope and goodwill.
The second half of the song focuses on the importance of the carolers’ message. They sing of “gladsome tidings” and encourage their listeners to “mark ye well the song we sing,” underscoring the significance of the Christmas story and the joy it brings to people of all walks of life. By the end of the song, the bells are ringing once again, signifying the enduring joy and hope that are at the heart of the holiday season.
Line by Line Meaning
Ding, dong, ding, dong
The sound of Christmas bells ringing fills the air.
Christmas bells are ringing
The joyful and familiar sound of Christmas bells can be heard all around.
Caroling, caroling now we go
We join together to go caroling and sing songs of the season.
Caroling, caroling through the snow
We continue singing and spreading cheer as we walk through the winter snow.
Joyous voices sweet and clear
Our happy and melodious voices bring forth the warmth and joy of the season.
Sing the sad of heart to cheer
Our singing provides comfort and solace to those who are feeling down or troubled.
Mark ye well the song we sing
Take notice of the meaning behind the song we sing, for it is one of hope and love.
Gladsome tidings now we bring
We bring glad and joyful news with our singing and celebration of the holiday.
Caroling, caroling through the town
We continue to spread the holiday cheer and song throughout the town.
Caroling, caroling up and down
Our singing echoes up and down, filling the streets and buildings with the sound of Christmas.
Ding, dong, ding, dong
The sound of the bells continues to ring, a symbol of the hope and happiness of the holiday season.
Christmas bells are ringing
The consistent ringing of the Christmas bells creates a joyous atmosphere that fills everyone's heart with cheer.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Alfred Burt, Wihla Hutson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@andreaallaire9076
Does anyone notice there is a verse missing from this rendition of the song? The last verse should be sung:
Caroling caroling near and far
Christmas bells are ringing
Following, following yonder star
Christmas bells are ringing
Sing we all this happy morn
“Lo, the King of Heav’n is born!”
Ding dong, ding dong
Christmas bells are ringing!
Makes you wonder why they left it out, right?
I know why….. Do you?
@janenepearce1898
I cannot imagine Christmas without Nat King Cole's golden resonant voice ringing through the air like bells!
@stevenbabinski7635
Him or bing crosby
@icarusthor754
@Steven Babinski Crosby, Williams, Sinatra, King Cole..
@taliadavis4297
I cannot imagine Christmas without Jesus Christ our saviour😊
@taliadavis4297
And His promises ringing in my ear
@taliadavis4297
😊😊
@veeseee128
Nat sung with a whole choir during this recording! Capital records spared no expense, they rolled out the red carpet for Nat and put together some of the world's finest musicians
And choir singers to make this one of the best Christmas Albums of all time. Many say that Nat king Cole's Christmas album is the best traditional Christmas album of all time. I think so.
@brgreg8725
Wholeheartedly agree! Perfection
@pwhite.5
I have always loved this song even as much as The Christmas Song he recorded! I’m in my 50’s and these songs transport me back to the magical Christmases I had as a child. These are honestly “Timeless Classics”.
@nativetexanful
This has always been one of my favorite Christmas carols.