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.
Lush Life
Nat King Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Those come what may places
Where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life
To get the feel of life
From jazz and cocktails
The girls I knew had sad and sullen gray faces
With distant gay traces
By too many through the day
Twelve o'clock tales
Then you came along with your siren of song
To tempt me to madness
I thought for a while that your poignant smile was tinged with the sadness
Of a great love for me
Ah yes, I was wrong
Again, I was wrong
Life is lonely again
And only last year everything seemed so sure
Now life is awful again
A thoughtful of hearts could only be a bore
A week in Paris will ease the bite of it
All I care is to smile in spite of it
I'll forget you, I will
While yet you are still burning inside my brain
Romance is mush
Stifling those who strive
I'll live a lush life in some small dive
And there I'll be, while I rot
With the rest of those whose lives are lonely, too
The lyrics of Nat King Cole's song "Lush Life" describe the emotions of a person who used to frequent the glamorous and lively places, where jazz and cocktails served as a way to feel alive. However, their experience was changed when they met someone who they felt was the perfect fit for them, but in the end, they realized that they were wrong, and this person didn't feel the same way. They feel lonely and their dreams of a happy life have been washed away.
The person decides that they will forget their lover and live a lush life in a small dive. It seems like they have given up on love and believe that romanticism is for those who are unable to handle the pain that follows. Instead, they will focus on enjoying themselves in their small dive where they will be in the company of others who have lost hope for a happy ending.
The lyrics of the song Lush Life are famous for their emotional depth and interpretation of the Jazz age. The song was first composed by the American composer Billy Strayhorn in 1933, who was only 16 years old.
Strayhorn closely collaborated with Duke Ellington nearly his entire life, and they both performed this song on various occasions.
The song has been covered by numerous artists like John Coltrane, Barbra Streisand, Queen Latifah, and even Lady Gaga.
The lyrics of the song have been inspiration for Jim Jarmusch's film 'Night on Earth' and it featured the song's instrumental version in the film.
Audrey Hepburn sang this song in the film 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' but it was later cut.
In 2019, a graphic novel named 'Lush Life' came out which was inspired by different jazz performances and this song too.
Nat King Cole recorded this song twice, once in 1954 and then in 1957.
The song is often called a standard song and is usually played at Jazz bars till date.
Many critics like James Gavin have written about Strayhorn's progressive lyrics in the song, which depict the jazz age and modernist movements.
Chords: Cmaj7, A7, Dm7, G9, Am7, D7, Gmaj7, B7, E7, C7, Fmaj7, D#dim7, Bb9, Am7b5, D7sus4/G.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to visit all the very gay places
I used to frequent places full of excitement
Those come what may places
Places that people visited, regardless of the circumstances
Where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life
Where people take a break from the daily grind and try to enjoy life
To get the feel of life
To experience everything that life has to offer
From jazz and cocktails
By listening to jazz music and sipping on drinks
The girls I knew had sad and sullen gray faces
The girls I knew had a melancholic expression
With distant gay traces
With a hint of happiness that has long since faded away
That used to be there you could see where they'd been washed away
You could tell that they used to be happy, but not anymore
By too many through the day
From being exposed to too much stress throughout the day
Twelve o'clock tales
Stories that people shared with each other over drinks late at night
Then you came along with your siren of song
Then you arrived with your alluring voice
To tempt me to madness
To entice me into a state of insanity
I thought for a while that your poignant smile was tinged with the sadness
I was briefly convinced that your sad smile was somehow connected to me
Of a great love for me
Of the deep affection that you felt towards me
Ah yes, I was wrong
I made a mistake in thinking that way
Again, I was wrong
I've made this mistake before
Life is lonely again
I'm alone once more
And only last year everything seemed so sure
I had a sense of security in the past, but not anymore
Now life is awful again
Now, I feel terrible once again
A thoughtful of hearts could only be a bore
A sensitive person like me would find life to be dull and uninteresting
A week in Paris will ease the bite of it
A trip to Paris would help me forget all my troubles
All I care is to smile in spite of it
All I want is to be happy despite everything else that's happening
I'll forget you, I will
I'll forget about you eventually
While yet you are still burning inside my brain
Right now, however, you're still on my mind
Romance is mush
Love is sentimental and ultimately meaningless
Stifling those who strive
It prevents people from achieving their goals
I'll live a lush life in some small dive
I'll live life to the fullest, even if it means hanging out in a seedy bar
And there I'll be, while I rot
I'll be living in that bar as I slowly waste away
With the rest of those whose lives are lonely, too
In the company of other lonely people
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Written by: Billy Strayhorn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BrewskLitovsk
-- Here's more information, especially on "Lush Life":
Quotes:
"Ellington stepped to the microphone and announced: "Have a seat, Mr. Strayhorn. Of course you know Billy Strayhorn wrote our radio theme, 'Take the A Train.' And now the purpose, of course, of him appearing on tonight's program which is a little extra added thought. I should say is that I'd like for him to play for Kay Davis to introduce a new tune of his called Lush Life."
"As played at the 1948 concert the first documented recording Lush Life is a theatrical song to be sung dramatically. It seems as though Strayhorn's lyrics carry the melody. Duke must have also understood the nature of the piece as neither he nor Strayhorn ever arranged Lush Life for the Ellington orchestra. Occasionally, Duke invited Strayhorn to perform the song on stage, but it never became an official part of the working repertoire. To add further confusion as to the song's origins, Lush Life was not copyrighted until 1949 by Duke's publishing company Tempo Music. Live at Carnegie Hall, New York City. November 13, 1948."
LUSH LIFE
Words & music by Billy Strayhorn
Kay Davis sings "The guys I knew"; the words in brackets are Nat King Cole's altered lyrics from 1949.
Verse:
I used to visit all the very gay places
Those come-what-may places
Where one relaxes on the axis
Of the wheel of life
To get the feel of life
From jazz and cocktails
The girls I knew had sad and sullen gray faces
With distingué traces
That used to be there
You could see where
They'd been washed away
By too many through the day
Twelve o'clock tales
Then you came along
With your siren (of) song
To tempt me to madness
I thought for awhile
That your poignant smile
Was tinged with the sadness
Of a great love for me
Ah, yes, I was wrong
Again, I was wrong
Refrain:
Life is lonely again
And only last year everything seemed so sure
Now life is awful again
A troughful of hearts could only be a bore
A week in Paris will ease the bite of it
All I care is to smile in spite of it
I'll forget you I will
While yet you are still
Burning inside my brain
Romance is mush
St(r)ifling those who strive
I'll live a lush life
In some small dive
And there I'll be
While (where) I rot with the rest
Of those whose (who) lives are lonely, too.
http://www.jazzstandards.com/compositions-0/lushlife.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lush_Life_(jazz_song)
“I made two records of only versions of Lush Life! Eventually there will be seven records, yeah.”
- Tony Scott
"In 1933 a teenage Billy Strayhorn started work on “Lush Life.” He would fine-tune his composition over the next few years and in 1938, at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh, Strayhorn played the piano and sang for Duke Ellington. Ellington’s son, Mercer, would later recall that “Lush Life” and “Something to Live For” were responsible for Ellington hiring Strayhorn in early 1939. It would mark the beginning of their legendary collaboration."
"In 1939 “Lush Life” could boast lyrics but no title. Strayhorn frequently played the song at parties but it was a pet project and was not intended for publication. On November 13, 1948, however, Billy Strayhorn (piano) with vocalist Kay Davis performed “Lush Life” in the last of seven Ellington Carnegie Hall concerts. The difficult-to-find Duke Ellington-Carnegie Hall, November 13, 1948, released in 1991 on Vintage Jazz Classics, contains the first documented performance of “Lush Life” with Billy Strayhorn on piano and Kay Davis singing."
"Recording by other artists began soon after that. An initial Nat “King” Cole B-side, rearranged in a Latin impressionistic style, infuriated Strayhorn. To make matters worse, Cole’s misreading of the lyrics irked the usually unflappable Strayhorn and resulted in an angry phone call. (...)"
@reh331
I love how Nat just seems to so confidently move through the melody and form. This is no easy standard.
@DeGrate-bb5bo
Well, Billy Strayhorn, your life was short; too short. The arc of history is long, sometimes too long--but it bends toward justice. That this brilliant composition, commenced in your teens, is now a jazz standard, is justice. Rest in splendid and harmonious peace.
@DarrenGauthier
This is the stereo rerecording from 1960 for this massive three-record set. Nat is ten times a better singer than he was in 1951 on the original. The orchestra sounds more assured, relaxed. This is the definitive version. No wonder Sinatra just walked away!
@jamesvs7331
Yeah, I agree. I think the arrangement did not suit Frank in particular though. He never got to feel it. I would have liked to hear him sing this arrangement. Not saying it would have been better than Nat's though :)
@RanBlakePiano
Darren Gauthier thanks for your comment
@grecomic
Yeah, the accompaniment in the 1949 recording was way too loud and abrupt, comparatively speaking. It made their punctuations way too intrusive for such a contemplative song. The bongos almost sounded like a jackhammer outside the studio!
@brucescott4261
Darren Gautier ...The original version (Capitol 57-606) was recorded on March 29th, 1949 at Capitol Studios (the old KHJ Building), which was located at 5515 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California. Ironically, LUSH LIFE was recorded twelve years later to the exact date at Capitol Records Tower, Studio A in Hollywood, California.
@tonstudiopolyester7482
Re Sinatra: I wish Nelson Riddle had tried harder to talk Sinatra into trying again. The first two lines of his recording sounded amazing. Here, at 1:02:00 https://youtu.be/1EHoLU1-SVU
@charliesims2380
Nat king cole the king of class.
@howardcohen7784
The best version of the song that I have heard.