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.
It's All In the Game
Nat King Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All in the wonderful game that we know as love
You had words with him and your future's looking dim
But these things your heart can't rise above
Once in a while he won't call but it's all in the game
Soon he'll be there at your side with a sweet bouquet
And he'll kiss your lips and caress your waiting fingertips
Once in a while he won't call but it's all in the game
Soon he'll be there at your side with a sweet bouquet
And he'll kiss your lips and caress your waiting fingertips
And your heart will fly away
This classic song by Nat King Cole, "It's All in the Game," explores the ups and downs of love. The opening lyrics "Many a tear has to fall but it's all in the game / All in the wonderful game that we know as love" speaks to the idea that while love can bring great joy, it can also bring pain and heartache. However, the use of the word "game" suggests that love is something that people willingly participate in, knowing that there will be both winners and losers.
The lyrics then describe a situation where the singer's lover is in a disagreement with someone else. Despite the situation looking bleak, the singer suggests that the heart is a resilient thing that can't be held back by petty disputes. The use of the word "rise" implies that the lover may be feeling low or upset, but that ultimately they will get past it, suggesting that love is a force too strong to be held back by other concerns.
The final verse of the song reflects on a common experience in relationships: waiting for your lover to call or show up. The use of the phrase "once in a while" suggests that this is a common occurrence, but once again the song suggests that this is all part of the game of love. The lover will eventually show up with a sweet gesture, such as a bouquet, and make up for any doubts or anxieties. The imagery of kissing and caressing suggests the tender and romantic side of love, reminding the listener that despite its difficulties, love can also bring great pleasure and fulfillment.
Overall, "It's All in the Game" is a captivating piece of music that captures the many facets of love. Despite the difficulties that often come with romantic relationships, the song suggests that it is all worth it in the end.
Line by Line Meaning
Many a tear has to fall but it's all in the game
Relationships have their ups and downs, and even painful moments, but that's just a part of the whole experience.
All in the wonderful game that we know as love
Love is a beautiful and mysterious thing, like a game that we never fully understand.
You had words with him and your future's looking dim
You and your partner had a disagreement, and it seems like things might not work out between you two.
But these things your heart can't rise above
Despite knowing that the disagreement is causing you pain, you cannot help but feel the way you do.
Once in a while he won't call but it's all in the game
Sometimes, when things seem like they might not be going well, your partner might not reach out to you when you expect them to.
Soon he'll be there at your side with a sweet bouquet
However, you know that your partner will come back to you with a sweet and heartfelt gesture.
And he'll kiss your lips and caress your waiting fingertips
Your partner will shower you with affection and remind you of how much you mean to them.
And your heart will fly away
In that moment, you will be filled with joy and love and all of your worries will disappear.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Carl Sigman, Charles Gates Dawes
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@larrycourtney5638
This man had a special voice and over the years his delivery of these romantic songs got better and better. He is undoubtedly the greatest romantic crooner ever. Thanks Mr. Cole.
@trappistpreserves
Superb pianist too.
@garethshaw6455
I love how you can understand every single word he says in all of his songs ...pure class
@traimitchell5043
Real muaic
@dwighthansen8087
Smile, Unforgettable, Its all in the game, Love is a many splendored thing, When I fall in love, LOVE, Mona Lisa,
@dorothyhorton5592
Was a great singer. I've listened to Mr. Cole since I was about 18 and now I'm 72.
@trappistpreserves
Listened to him from age 14 to now (60)
@paulcampanini
Beautiful song sung by the legend of music Nat King Cole,
😊
@thomas-ow8pu
Nat King Cole is one of the greatest singers to have ever drawn a breath. No bells and whistles just raw emotion and grace and talent!
@bruceking
AMEN TO THAT.