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.
Just One of Those Things
Nat King Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just one of those crazy flings
One of those bells that now and then rings
Just one of those things
It was just one of those nights
Just one of those fabulous flights
A trip to the moon on gossamer wings
If we'd thought of it 'bout the end of it
When we started painting the town
We'd have been aware that our love affair
Was too hot not to cool down
So goodbye, dear, and Amen
Here's hoping we'll meet now and then
It was great fun
But it was just one of those things
Just one of those bells that now and then rings
Just one of those things
A trip to the moon on gossamer wings
Just one of those things
If we'd thought of it 'bout the end of it
When we started painting that town
We'd have been aware that our love affair
Was too hot not to cool down
So goodbye, dear, and Amen
Here's hoping we'll meet now and then
It was great fun
But it was just, just one of those things
In Nat King Cole's song "Just One of Those Things," the singer reflects on a brief, intense relationship that they had, acknowledging that it was just a passing fling. The singer describes it as one of those unexplainable events that happen occasionally, comparing it to the sound of a bell or the feeling of flying on gossamer wings. The singer admits that if they had thought about the inevitable end of the relationship when they had started, they would have known that their love was too intense to last. In the end, the singer bids their lover goodbye and expresses hope that they'll see each other again, recognizing that their time together was enjoyable but transient.
The song "Just One of Those Things" is a reflection on the fleeting nature of love and relationships. The singer acknowledges the excitement and intensity of a short-term love affair, but ultimately realizes that such passion cannot be sustained indefinitely. The use of metaphors such as the ringing of a bell and the feeling of flying on wings adds to the dreamlike, ethereal nature of this experience. By the end of the song, the singer has resigned themselves to the idea that their love affair was just one of those things that had to come to an end.
Line by Line Meaning
It was just one of those things
It was an unexpected or unusual occurrence
Just one of those crazy flings
A brief, intense romantic relationship that is not expected to last long
One of those bells that now and then rings
An infrequent event or situation that happens unexpectedly
Just one of those things
It was a random and unimportant event
It was just one of those nights
An evening that was particularly memorable or enjoyable
Just one of those fabulous flights
A wonderful experience or moment
A trip to the moon on gossamer wings
A surreal or dreamlike experience
If we'd thought of it 'bout the end of it
If we had considered the consequences of our actions in advance
When we started painting the town
When we began to enjoy a night out on the town
We'd have been aware that our love affair
We would have realized that our relationship was not sustainable
Was too hot not to cool down
Our relationship was too passionate and intense to be sustained for a long time
So goodbye, dear, and Amen
Farewell, and may your journey be blessed
Here's hoping we'll meet now and then
I hope that we will see each other occasionally in the future
It was great fun
It was enjoyable and exciting
But it was just one of those things
However, it was just a brief moment in time that is not expected to last
Lyrics ยฉ BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@krissmgvlogs
Without you tube most of us would never get to see this kind of footage, wonderful.
@kathyyansick5382
...I'm so very thankful this was wonderful, you have to find his live performance of "Stay With Love" it's like a modern day video so upbeat! And maybe buy the "Love Is The Thing" CD while you can still find it, it's so beautiful! I found mine on e Bay what a awesome collection of songs!
@GatorGirl04
Nat's piano playing and arranging are his most unappreciated aspects of his artistry. I read in a biography that his finger placement was so unique bc when he was starting out professionally most of the clubs had pianos with broken keys or weren't tuned. My guy learned how to play around them.....genius.
@dougmilesmedia
Nat was one of the all time greats and somehow under appreciated. He was one of the greatest jazz piano players in addition to being a hall of fame singer.
@KosmasMJpec
I just want to say that I don't think he was under appreciated.. People back in the days I think had jealousy about black people and bring white people to the fore more than they deserved. For example Frank Sinatra. In my opinion he is just an ordinary singer next to Nat king Cole. This is my opinion. Everyone can have their opinion.
@KalmAM
@@KosmasMJpec I love Frank but he was no nat or ella Fitzgerald my two favorites.
@ivanbilic3643
Was thinking the same thing the moment i saw your comment...hehe
@tubemagpie
@@KosmasMJpec I've been saying this for years..... glad I'm not alone.... The managers used to try to lighten Nat's complexion. Sinatra loses out in that he couldn't play a piano......
Then there was Ella...
@jadezee6316
@@KosmasMJpec of course everyone has an opinion....and the opinions of most musicians...most historians...most other singers....most music critics....most other who evers was that Sinatra was the greatest pop singer who ever lived...you can like Nat better i..love the guy....but i would never say he was an ordinary singer because Sinatra was my favorite....it shows low class..just my opinion
@holyart4all
No warm ups, Nat just went and played the piano like crazy! He also sits at an angle so the audience can see his playing and singing.