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.
Make Me
Nat King Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And so I dare say, would you care to dance?
Something tells me there's a change with you, something in the air
It's everywhere each time we share a dance
Let me lead you in a rhythm that's great
Now you're getting with me; that's great
When we take the floor
Making an advance
And dancing something makes me want to dance with you; lady, I'll be there
To do my share in case you care to dance
Let me lead you in a rhythm that's great
Now you're getting with me; that's great
When we take the floor
I will just adore
Making an advance
And dancing something makes me want to dance with you; lady, I'll be there
To do my share in case you care to dance
You're taking quite a chance
Perhaps you'll find romance
Would you care to dance?
"Make Me" is a lively and upbeat song by Nat King Cole that speaks to the irresistible allure of dancing with someone. The lyrics convey the singer's strong desire to dance with a special lady at a dance affair. There is a feeling in the air, a sense of change and possibility, which intensifies whenever they share a dance. The singer confidently offers to lead the lady in a rhythm that is great, hoping that she will join him on the dance floor. The excitement and anticipation in his voice are palpable as he expresses his adoration for making an advance and dancing with her.
The lyrics also hint at the potential for romance that may unfold on the dance floor. By taking the chance to dance together, they may discover a deeper connection and perhaps even find love. The singer urges the lady to seize the opportunity and take a chance with him on the dance floor, implying that the experience could be transformative.
Line by Line Meaning
Something makes me want to dance with you at a dance affair
There is an indescribable feeling inside me that compels me to want to dance with you at this special event
And so I dare say, would you care to dance?
With confidence, I ask if you would be interested in dancing with me
Something tells me there's a change with you, something in the air
I sense that there is a shift or something different about you, a certain energy that surrounds us
It's everywhere each time we share a dance
This extraordinary feeling is present whenever we dance together, it permeates the atmosphere
Let me lead you in a rhythm that's great
Allow me to guide you in a wonderful rhythm that will enhance our dance experience
Now you're getting with me; that's great
I am pleased to see that you are following my lead and enjoying the dance
When we take the floor
Once we step onto the dance floor
I will just adore
I will deeply appreciate
Making an advance
Progressing and taking steps forward in our dance
And dancing something makes me want to dance with you; lady, I'll be there
The act of dancing itself evokes a strong desire within me to dance with you. My presence will be there for you, my lady
To do my share in case you care to dance
I am willing to contribute my efforts and participate, just in case you are interested in dancing
You're taking quite a chance
You are being daring and brave
Perhaps you'll find romance
There is a possibility that you may discover a romantic connection
Would you care to dance?
Are you interested in engaging in a dance with me?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: COLIN ROMOFF, DANNY MEEHAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Av-lm6zh
L is for the way you look at me
O is for the only one I see
V is very, very, extraordinary
E is even more than anyone that you adore can
Love is all that I can give to you
Love is more than just a game for two
Two in love can make it
Take my heart and please don't break it
Love was made for me and you
L is for the way you look at me
O is for the only one I see
V is very, very, extraordinary
E is even more than anyone that you adore can
Love is all that I can give to you
Love is more than just a game for two
Two in love can make it
Take my heart and please don't break it
Love was made for me and you
Love was made for me and you
Love was made for me and you
@the_monstah6378
Can we appreciate the fact that Nat sang this while dying from terminal lung cancer. If that doesn’t prove that singers back then had 10x the talent then idk what does.
@neodomdom7210
Ya know joji
@yallsucks6678
♡
@saxo689
Like walter white
@skyehope6354
Sad that this comment has like 200 likes and the comment about L standing for Loser from the WRONG SONG has 2000. Pathetic
@Queen-lf2oi
There still are some talented singers right now but i do agree that back then we had better singers
@simonklein6588
Let's show some appreciation for the person that makes all these lyrics video's of old songs for vevo
@jillmessingham5021
Simon Klein ❤️ Thank you!
@lauradelaney1656
Thank You!!!!
@everyoneshatesmirza3806
Thank you