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.
Hajji Baba
Nat King Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hajji, Hajji, Hajji, Hajji, Hajji Baba, Hajji Baba
Hajji Baba, Hajji Baba, Hajji Baba
He was always in love, in love, in love
Come to my tent, oh my beloved
Bring me your lips, warm as the sun
Hear my lament, oh my beloved
Enter my heart and stay there forever
Lost in the spell of stars up above
And we'll be like the man Hajji Baba
Always in love, always in love
(Hajji, Hajji, Hajji, Hajji, Hajji, Hajji, Hajji, Hajji)
Hajji, Hajji, Hajji, Hajji, Hajji Baba, Hajji Baba
Hajji Baba, Hajji Baba, Hajji Baba
He was always in love, in love
Deep in each soul, carefully hidden
There's a desire to be indiscreet
Hajji has said when love is forbidden
Love is so sweet, love is so sweet
Hajji, Hajji, Hajji, Hajji, Hajji Baba, Hajji Baba
Hajji Baba, Hajji Baba, Hajji Baba
He was always in love, in love, in love
Come to my arms, oh my beloved
(Hajji, Hajji, Hajji, Hajji, Hajji, Hajji, Hajji, Hajji) [fade]
The song "Hajji Baba" by Nat King Cole tells the story of a man named Hajji Baba, who is always in love. The song has romantic lyrics that express the desire to be with a loved one. The opening line repeats the name "Hajji" several times, emphasizing the singer's name and identity. The chorus also repeats the name "Hajji Baba" along with the phrase "in love", highlighting his constant state of infatuation.
The song's verses describe the desire for closeness with a beloved, with requests such as "Come to my tent, oh my beloved" and "Enter my heart and stay there forever." The lyrics express the idea that love is irresistible and worth pursuing, even if it is forbidden. The line "Deep in each soul, carefully hidden / There's a desire to be indiscreet" suggests that people are naturally driven to love, even if societal norms or rules forbid it.
Overall, "Hajji Baba" is a romantic song that celebrates the beauty and power of love. The lyrics highlight the singer's name and his constant state of love, emphasizing the universal desire for closeness and connection with others.
Line by Line Meaning
Hajji, Hajji, Hajji, Hajji, Hajji Baba, Hajji Baba
Repeatedly calling out to Hajji Baba, a man who was always in love
Hajji Baba, Hajji Baba, Hajji Baba
Further emphasizing the name of the man who was always in love
He was always in love, in love, in love
Stating again that Hajji Baba was always enamored
Come to my tent, oh my beloved
Asking the artist's beloved to come to their tent
Bring me your lips, warm as the sun
Requesting a passionate kiss from their beloved
Hear my lament, oh my beloved
Asking their beloved to listen to their sorrowful cry
Come to my arms, oh wonderful one
Inviting their wonderful beloved into their embrace
Enter my heart and stay there forever
Asking the beloved to stay in their heart for eternity
Lost in the spell of stars up above
Describing a state of spiritual or romantic ecstasy
And we'll be like the man Hajji Baba
Comparing the artist's love to the eternal love of Hajji Baba
Deep in each soul, carefully hidden
Implying that every person has hidden desires
There's a desire to be indiscreet
Suggesting that people crave intimacy and secrecy
Hajji has said when love is forbidden
Referencing a quote from Hajji Baba about forbidden love
Love is so sweet, love is so sweet
Affirming that love, even forbidden love, is worth pursuing
Come to my arms, oh my beloved
Repeating the singer's desire for their beloved to come to them
(Hajji, Hajji, Hajji, Hajji, Hajji, Hajji, Hajji, Hajji) [fade]
Continuing to call out to Hajji Baba and fading out
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DIMITRI TIOMKINE, NED WASHINGTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@divergentsenior
Nat used to be on a lot of shows in the 50’s. I was a small kid and do not recall this, but my parents told me when we lamented his death at such a young age in 1965, that when he came on tv I used to say “look mommy, it’s haji baba.”
He would probably be cancelled for cultural appropriation today.
RIP, Mr. Cole. You and your lovely daughter left us too soon. I bet you are making beautiful music in heaven together.
Damn cigarettes!
@dancasey1370
Thanks for listening.
@hipsterabster
Saw this movie as a kid; loved it then and still remember the song.. thanks for the upload..
@dancasey1370
I enjoyed this movie as a teen and the melody stuck in my head for years. I'm glad that it came to me as I began up-loading videos. Thank you for your comments hipsterabster.
@gabithemagyar
I saw this movie when I was around 4 years old and the tune stuck in my head forever after even though I never saw the movie again ! :-)
@dancasey1370
I remember the movie too, but the song with it's haunting melody became one of my favorites. Thanks for listening and commenting gabfhemagyar.
@corazonbrasopa
Essa música nunca saiu da minha memória. Assiati o filme na minha infância e ficou.
@dancasey1370
Sorry corazonbrasopa, but I don't understand. Thank you for listening.
@philipchretienkarlsson8157
The song is very much enjoyed....a slow bolero, with nat's beautiful voice...
@dancasey1370
It was not a real big hit, but one I enjoyed. I'm glad that you liked it too Philip. Thanks for your comments.