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.
Love Is Here to Stay
Nat King Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Not for a year but ever and a day
The radio and the telephone and the movies that we know
May just be passing fancies and in time may go
But oh, my dear, our love is here to stay
Together we're going a long, long way
In time the Rockies may crumble, Gibraltar may tumble
But our love is here to stay
In time the Rockies may crumble, Gibraltar may tumble
They're only made of clay
But our love is here to stay
The song "Love Is Here to Stay" by Nat King Cole was written by George Gershwin in 1937, just two years before his untimely death at the age of 38. The song, which was originally titled "It's Here to Stay," was intended to be the theme song for the movie "The Goldwyn Follies," but unfortunately, Gershwin passed away before the film was released.
The lyrics of the song suggest that while many things in life may be fleeting and temporary, love is forever. The first two lines of the song express this sentiment directly, stating "It's very clear, our love is here to stay/ Not for a year but ever and a day." The following lines compare the transience of popular culture with the permanence of true love, saying "The radio and the telephone and the movies that we know/ May just be passing fancies and in time may go/ But oh, my dear, our love is here to stay."
The final stanza of the song uses a metaphor to emphasize the strength and durability of love: "In time the Rockies may crumble, Gibraltar may tumble/ They're only made of clay/ But our love is here to stay." This comparison of love to natural structures that are generally thought to be indestructible suggests that love is something that is not subject to decay or deterioration, but rather endures over time.
Line by Line Meaning
It's very clear, our love is here to stay
Our love is strong and enduring, and it's obvious to both of us.
Not for a year but ever and a day
Our love will last forever and will never fade away.
The radio and the telephone and the movies that we know
May just be passing fancies and in time may go
The entertainment we enjoy now is temporary and fleeting, but our love will stay.
But oh, my dear, our love is here to stay
Regardless of what happens, our love is unwavering and will always be present.
Together we're going a long, long way
We have a future together and our love will endure the test of time.
In time the Rockies may crumble, Gibraltar may tumble
They're only made of clay
Even the strongest physical structures can fall apart, but our love is stronger than that.
But our love is here to stay
No matter what the future holds, our love will remain constant and unchanging.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rebecca Runions
“Love Is Here to Stay” was the last musical composition George
Gershwin completed before his death on July 11, 1937. Ira Gershwin wrote
the words after George's death as a tribute to his brother’s passing.
Originally titled "It's Here to Stay" and then "Our Love Is Here to
Stay", the song was finally published as "Love Is Here to Stay". Ira
Gershwin said that he wanted to change the song's name back to "Our Love
Is Here to Stay" for years, but felt that it wouldn't be right since
the song had already become a standard.
Giorgio BROWNIE Milia
It's very clear our love is here to stay
Not for a year but ever and a day
Oh the radio and a telephone, movies that we know
May just be passing fancies and in time may go
But oh my dear our love is here to stay
Together we're going on a long, long way
In time the rockies may crumble, Gibraltar may tumble
They're only made of clay but our love is here to stay
It's very clear our love is here to stay
Not for a year but ever and a day
The radio and the telephone and the movies that we know
May just be passing fancies and in time may go
But oh my dear our love is here to stay
Together we're going a long, long way
In time the rockies may crumble, Gibraltar may tumble
They're only made of clay but our love is here to stay
But oh my dear our love is here to stay
Together we're going a long, long way
In time the rockies may crumble, Gibraltar may tumble
They're only made of clay but forever and a day
Our love is here to stay, our love is here to stay
Compositori: George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
Testo di Love Is Here to Stay © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc, Peermusic Publishing, Raleigh Music Publishing
compsecure77
That voice was made in heaven like Gershwin's music, wow what a combination.
cerveza
I agree. He's like no other. Reminds me of my parents. Dad used to say "There's only one Nat Cole" Fucking a right?
Ray Breaux 2
I've heard the song sung by many artist but none could do it like Nat King Cole. That velvet voice and classy persona could only be created by him. Thank you for sharing. It's nice to be reminded of a time when real talent graced our auditoriums and recording studios.
Rebecca Runions
“Love Is Here to Stay” was the last musical composition George
Gershwin completed before his death on July 11, 1937. Ira Gershwin wrote
the words after George's death as a tribute to his brother’s passing.
Originally titled "It's Here to Stay" and then "Our Love Is Here to
Stay", the song was finally published as "Love Is Here to Stay". Ira
Gershwin said that he wanted to change the song's name back to "Our Love
Is Here to Stay" for years, but felt that it wouldn't be right since
the song had already become a standard.
Thomas Timlin
Oscar Levant, famous pianist and close friend of George Gershwin's, and brother Ira Gershwin had heard George play the unfinished tune and heard George play what he had intended to write to finish or polish off the melody. They reconstructed that bit from memory.
Alec Youngman
Rebecca Runions I didn't know all that thank you for that information
irishsetterarchie
Absolute PERFECTION! I miss him today more than I realized. I find I really have to look hard and long in today's world to find this kind of class, honesty, warmth and brilliance. Nat Cole is and always will be a shining star!
Benofficial
Best version of this song hands down IMO
Надежда Капитанова
Отличный певец и прекрасная и чудесная песня! Супер! Благодарю!
Erdem Hussein
One of the best songs written by the Gershwin brothers and one of my favourites and of course sung beautifully by the one & only great Nat King Cole