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.
Fascination
Nat King Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know
And it might have ended
Right then, at the start
Just a passing glance
Just a brief romance
And I might have gone
On my way
It was fascination
I know
Seeing you alone
With the moonlight above
Then I touch your hand
And next moment
I kiss you
Fascination turned to love
It was fascination
I know
Seeing you alone
With the moonlight above
Then I touch your hand
And next moment
I kiss you
Fascination turned - to - love
The lyrics of Nat King Cole's song "Fascination" speak of a chance encounter that turned into a deep and passionate love. The singer talks about how this love story started as just a fascination with the other person. The lyrics reflect the feeling of sudden attraction that is often experienced when two people meet and feel a strong connection. The singer mentions how their brief romance could have ended right there and then if they hadn't reached out to touch each other.
The moonlight setting and the touch of the hand create a magical atmosphere, which the singer uses to describe how fascination turned into love. The intense attraction between the two made the singer feel like they were under a spell, and that is what makes the love story so special. The lyrics suggest that the singer is grateful for this magical encounter and that they were lucky to have found love in such an unexpected way.
Overall, the lyrics of "Fascination" are a romantic ode to the beauty of chance encounters and how they can lead to lasting love. The song is a perfect example of Nat King Cole's smooth and effortless singing style, and the lyrics are a testament to his ability to convey complex emotions with ease.
Line by Line Meaning
It was fascination
The feeling of attraction or interest surfaced.
I know
I understood that I was experiencing a unique emotion.
And it might have ended
The fascination could have stopped at that moment.
Right then, at the start
At the beginning of my fascination with you.
Just a passing glance
A brief moment of observation.
Just a brief romance
A short period of passionate love.
And I might have gone
I could have walked away from the attraction.
On my way
Continuing my journey without cherishing the experience.
Empty hearted
Feeling alone and unfulfilled in my heart.
Seeing you alone
Observing you in solitude.
With the moonlight above
Under the influence of beautiful and captivating moonlight.
Then I touch your hand
The beginning of physical touch and intimacy.
And the next moment
Instantaneously.
I kiss you
Expressing my passion and love through physical affection.
Fascination turned to love
The feeling of attraction has grown into deep love for you.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: CONNER, MARCHETTI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
정용서
I feel like I'm falling into the sweet voice of Nat King Cole. Many years have passed, but it still seems to give a comfortable rest. As expected, it's so beautiful.
Veronika Wislocka
This was my grandfather's favourite song. He passed away last week at the age of 103. I love you and listening to this song will always remind me of you.
Bernie Fagan
Maria callas
Eric Montiel
I am so sorry for your loss. Fascination as an instrumental piece was a waltz that I, and my 6th grade classmates had to learn so we could dance on Mother's day. :-)
jean palumbo
Had 103 he must've had a fascinating life. Play the song and dance with somebody you love and think of your grandfather🙏❤
Graeme Rae
This was also my grandfathers favourite. He died 4 years ago at 91. Sorry for your loss. Forever they my live in our thoughts.
Bonnie Chito Borga
. NUM? C NI
sherryminier
I used to ask my favorite uncle to sing this to me when I was a little girl. I didn't remember all the words..I'm almost 64 now and he's been gone since 1972...but he had a beautiful voice and would sing it every time I asked. This is the first time I've listened to it since he passed in 72..I'm crying like a baby..
be happy be great
Iam from IRAQ and iam 20 years but iam practice about this song . Is it shy if I sing now for people ?!. I can sing 5 languages and iam try to English also
be happy be great
Iam from IRAQ and iam 20 years but iam practice about this song . Is it shy if I sing now for people ?!. I can sing 5 languages and iam try to English also