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.
Gone With the Draft
Nat King Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gone, gone, gone with the draft!
Gone, gone, gone with the draft!
When skinny me went out with my honey,
The boys all started to laugh,
But now it's not so funny,
They're all gone with the draft!
As a sheik I can't be beat,
The boys all hand me a laugh,
But since I have got flat feet,
I'm not gone with the draft!
I used to envy the fellows
Who had such a fine physique,
But all they can say is "Hello"
On seven fifty a week!
When the boys get back and see how I'm doin',
They'll be sorry they left,
'Cause one can't keep on wooin'
And still be gone with the draft!
When Franklin B did sign the draft,
The cats all had a chill;
The boys turned pale and ceased to laugh,
'Cause this is as serious bill!
They now realize that skinny me
Was the luckiest one of all,
Who can stay at home with Minnie
While they face the cannon ball!
So boys, take it on the chin
And always wear a smile,
You'll find it hard to grin
Carrying fifty pounds for miles!
When your year of drillin's up,
You get to camp discharge,
You can come back home and freshen up,
And run around at large!
Gone gone gone gone,
With the draft draft draft draft!
Nat King Cole's "Gone With the Draft" is a clever song about a man who was initially laughed at for being skinny, but who ultimately becomes the lucky one. In the song, Nat King Cole tells the story of a young man who goes out with his girlfriend, but his friends laugh at him because of his skinny frame. However, fate has a way of turning things around, and when the draft is instituted, the man is the only one who is not subject to being drafted because he has flat feet. Despite the fact that he can no longer be drafted, the man is still mocked by his friends for his skinny frame, but the joke is on them as they all end up getting drafted, while he is able to stay at home with his girlfriend.
The song is a satirical take on the draft and how it affected young men during World War II. The lyrics are witty and clever, and the melody is jaunty, making it a fun song to listen to. Nat King Cole's smooth voice adds a touch of sophistication to the lyrics, making them all the more enjoyable to listen to.
Line by Line Meaning
Gone, gone, gone with the draft!
Repeating that they are gone with the draft.
When skinny me went out with my honey,
When I was thin and with my lover,
The boys all started to laugh,
The other guys mocked me,
But now it's not so funny,
It's not amusing anymore,
They're all gone with the draft!
They've all been drafted and left.
As a sheik I can't be beat,
As someone popular with women, I reign supreme,
The boys all hand me a laugh,
The guys laugh at me,
But since I have got flat feet,
Because I have flat feet,
I'm not gone with the draft!
I wasn't drafted.
I used to envy the fellows
I was envious of other guys
Who had such a fine physique,
Who had great bodies,
But all they can say is "Hello"
But now all they say to me is greeting,
On seven fifty a week!
And they only make seven fifty a week.
When the boys get back and see how I'm doin',
When the other guys return and see how well I'm doing,
They'll be sorry they left,
They'll regret leaving,
'Cause one can't keep on wooin',
Because one can't always chase after women,
And still be gone with the draft!
And still be drafted.
When Franklin B did sign the draft,
When Franklin Roosevelt signed the draft order,
The cats all had a chill;
Everyone got nervous
The boys turned pale and ceased to laugh,
The guys got scared and stopped making fun of me,
'Cause this is as serious bill!
Because this is a serious matter.
They now realize that skinny me
They now realize that I, a skinny guy,
Was the luckiest one of all,
Was actually the luckiest one,
Who can stay at home with Minnie
Who can stay home with his girlfriend, Minnie,
While they face the cannon ball!
While they go off to face dangerous situations!
So boys, take it on the chin
So, guys, take it like a man,
And always wear a smile,
And keep smiling,
You'll find it hard to grin
You'll find it hard to be happy
Carrying fifty pounds for miles!
When you're carrying fifty pounds for miles!
When your year of drillin's up,
When your year of military training is up,
You get to camp discharge,
You get discharged from camp,
You can come back home and freshen up,
You can come back home and refresh yourself,
And run around at large!
And enjoy your freedom!
Gone gone gone gone,
Repeating that they are gone.
With the draft draft draft draft!
With the draft.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: WALT WESLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
john
on A Blossom Fell
i want the song" I'll never settle for less" lyrics,would somebody be so kind to give it to me?