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.
Let's Face The Music And Dance
Nat King Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But while there's moonlight
And music and love and romance
Let's face the music and dance
Before the fiddlers have fled
Before they ask us to pay the bill
And while we still have the chance
Soon, we'll be without the moon
Humming a different tune and then
There may be tear drops to shed
So while there's moonlight
And music and love and romance
Let's face the music and dance
Let's face the music and dance
Soon, we'll be without the moon
Humming a different tune and then
There may be tear drops to shed
So while there's moonlight
And music and love and romance
Let's face the music and dance
Let's face the music and dance
The lyrics of Nat King Cole's song "Let's Face The Music And Dance" convey a sense of urgency and the need to seize the moment. The first verse sets the tone by acknowledging that there may be trouble ahead, but that doesn't mean we should avoid living in the present. In fact, the second line suggests that the presence of moonlight, music, and love make it all the more important to face whatever comes our way. The word "romance" is particularly significant here, as it implies a sense of adventure and risk-taking.
The second verse develops the first by adding a sense of practicality to the mix. Before the fiddlers leave and the bill comes due, we must seize the opportunity to fully live in the moment. There's an implication here that time is running out and we must act before it's too late.
Line by Line Meaning
There may be trouble ahead
Our future may hold some difficulty or danger, but we should not let this stop us from enjoying ourselves while we still can.
But while there's moonlight
As long as the moon is shining, symbolizing hope and opportunity, there is a chance for us to enjoy life.
And music and love and romance
These are positive and joyful aspects of life that we should embrace and take pleasure in while we can.
Let's face the music and dance
We should confront the challenges of the future with optimism and confidence, and enjoy the present moment to the fullest.
Before the fiddlers have fled
We should not wait until the opportunity to enjoy life has passed us by or disappeared, but take advantage of it while it lasts.
Before they ask us to pay the bill
We should make the most of opportunities before they demand a price or before we are too old or too busy to enjoy them.
And while we still have the chance
We need to appreciate and enjoy the good things in life while they are still available to us and before they disappear.
Soon, we'll be without the moon
Life is fleeting and temporary, and we should make the most of it while we can because everything eventually comes to an end.
Humming a different tune and then
Life will bring changes, challenges, and difficulties, and we must adapt and face them head on.
There may be tear drops to shed
Life is not always easy, and we may experience hardship and sadness, but we should still find joy and appreciate what we have.
So while there's moonlight
Again, we should take advantage of opportunities and enjoy life while we can before it too late.
And music and love and romance
These are things that bring joy and happiness to our lives, and we should cherish them while they are still present.
Let's face the music and dance
In spite of life's difficulties, we should have the courage to face them and move forward, taking pleasure in the journey.
Let's face the music and dance
We must embrace what life has to offer us and make the most of our time, no matter the circumstances.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Irving Berlin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@AnnaNovikova-ls9qj
There may be trouble ahead
But while there's moonlight and music
And love and romance
Let's face the music and dance
Before the fiddlers have fled
Before they ask us to pay the bill
And while we still have a chance
Let's face the music and dance
Soon, we'll be without the moon
Humming a different tune and then
There may be teardrops to shed
So while there's moonlight and music
And love and romance
Let's face the music and dance, dance
Let's face the music and dance
There may be teardrops to shed
So while there's moonlight and music
And love and romance
Let's face the music and dance, dance
Let's face the music and dance
So while there's moonlight and music
And love and romance
Let's face the music and dance
@robertromero8692
God, how I wish today's Hollywood and popular music had this kind of class and style. No more....
@sandythompson5096
Agree wholeheartedly.
@jehovahschild3781
AMEN to that
@phyllispetras2181
@Ebony_Love_R_007 I hope not!!!!!!
@sonicpopcorn1066
oMg I lOvE tHe OlD dAyS tHeY wErE bEtTeR tHaN tOdAy
No they're weren't, shut up. There was more sexism, violence, racism and a lot of other issues in this time period that you do not want to live trough.
@robertromero8692
@@sonicpopcorn1066 Where the hell did I say everything about the past was perfect? I was talking about the class and style of yesterday's Hollywood performers, NOT about "all facets of society in general". Sheesh!
@riverduck3
Dear Lord in Heaven, thank You thank You thank You for giving us Nat King Cole!!!!!
@andrejackson8249
I agree 100%, but this video is a trifecta of sheer excellence. The song written by Irving Berlin is poetry in its purest sense. And Fred Astaire... My goodness... just watch his feet... its pure magic!
@tuxtommy69
@@andrejackson8249 Berlin sung by Cole & danced to by Astaire? UNBEATABLE!
@UnapologeticallyKrisK
Amazon commercial brought me to this classic gem.