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.
I Tho't You Ought To Know
Nat King Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Many years from now.
Will you still be sending me a valentine
Birthday greetings bottle of wine.
If I′d been out till quarter to three
Would you lock the door,
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I'm sixty-four.
And it you say the word,
I could stay with you.
I could be handy, mending a fuse
When your lights have gone.
You can knit a sweater by the fireside
Sunday mornings go for a ride,
Doing the garden, digging the weeds,
Who could ask for more.
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I'm sixty-four.
Every summer we can rent a cottage,
In the Isle of Wight, if it's not too dear
We shall scrimp and save
Grandchildren on your knee
Vera Chuck & Dave
Send me a postcard, drop me a line,
Stating point of view
Indicate precisely what you mean to say
Yours sincerely, wasting away
Give me your answer, fill in a form
Mine for evermore
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I′m sixty-four.
The song "When I'm Sixty-Four" by the Beatles is a light-hearted and humorous exploration about getting older and still being loved by someone. The lyrics of the song begin with a classic stereotype of an aging male who loses his hair, but still wonders if his partner would shower him with love and care, such as sending a Valentine's Day card or a bottle of wine on his birthday. This romantic relationship is interrogated from the standpoint of what will happen when the singer is old enough to lose his hair and develops other elder problems. The singer becomes increasingly anxious about whether or not his partner will still want him around, and the lyrics suggest that he may offer his services as a handyman in order to keep her affection. There is an appeal for partnership and reassurance as the singer asks if they‘ll still be together in the future. As the song continues, it emphasizes more & more on how their partnership will take a new direction with grandchildren running around and renting a cottage in a serene location. The song concludes with the singer's poignant plea to know if their partnership will persist, asking for her commitment towards him for always.
Overall, the song is a lighthearted and sweet song that touches upon a topic that is often considered taboo, aging. The lyrics are written in such a way that they create a sense of warmth and endearment, which ultimately encourages the listener to embrace the idea of growing old together. The song's playful and light lyrics contrast with its underlying tones of insecurity, which act to create a sense of empathy and understanding for the listener as well. The song is symbolic of the Beatles' progression from a simpler time in their youth to aging adults & how they will cope with it.
Line by Line Meaning
When I get older losing my hair,
As I age and my hair starts to fall out,
Many years from now.
Perhaps in the distant future,
Will you still be sending me a valentine
Will you continue to express your love for me by sending me a valentine,
Birthday greetings bottle of wine.
Or celebrating my birthday with me, possibly with a bottle of wine,
If I′d been out till quarter to three
If I was out late, even as late as three in the morning,
Would you lock the door,
Would you still make sure to lock the door for safety,
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
Do you think you'll still require my emotional and physical support,
When I'm sixty-four.
Even when I'm an old man of sixty-four years,
You′ll be older too,
You'll also be getting older by that point,
And it you say the word,
And if you desired it,
I could stay with you.
I could become a caretaker or companion to you,
I could be handy, mending a fuse
I could still be useful by fixing small things, like a broken fuse,
When your lights have gone.
When your electricity stops working,
You can knit a sweater by the fireside
You can do a cozy, comforting activity like knitting a sweater by the warm fire,
Sunday mornings go for a ride,
Go on scenic rides together on peaceful Sunday mornings,
Doing the garden, digging the weeds,
We can continue to do outdoor activities like gardening and weeding,
Who could ask for more.
What more could anyone ask for,
Every summer we can rent a cottage,
Every year, we can spend our summers in a little rented cottage,
In the Isle of Wight, if it's not too dear
On the beautiful Isle of Wight, as long as it's an affordable option,
We shall scrimp and save
We will work hard to save up enough money for it,
Grandchildren on your knee
In the future, we may have grandchildren to dote on and spoil,
Vera Chuck & Dave
Possibly referring to fictional grandchildren or a humorous reference to friends,
Send me a postcard, drop me a line,
Keep in touch with me even if we're far apart, by sending a postcard or letter,
Stating point of view
Expressing your thoughts and feelings on things or topics,
Indicate precisely what you mean to say
Make sure to communicate your thoughts and feelings very clearly,
Yours sincerely, wasting away
Ending the letter with a humorous reference to aging and perhaps wasting away,
Give me your answer, fill in a form
Let me know what you decide or think by completing a form or sending a message,
Mine for evermore
I will always be yours, forever,
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
In my old age, I wonder if you'll still want and care for me,
When I′m sixty-four.
When I'm old and grey, at the age of sixty-four.
Writer(s): Cecil Carrer, Tommy Dilbeck
Contributed by Owen M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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?