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.
Merry Christmas
Nat King Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ooh, merry Christmas baby, sure you did treat me nice
Gave me that love for Christmas
Now I'm living in paradise
Now I'm feelin' mighty fine, got good music on my radio
Well, I'm feelin' mighty fine, I got all that good music on my radio
I wanna kiss you baby
Well, I'm feelin' mighty fine, I got good music on my radio
Well I'm feelin' mighty fine, we got all that good music on my radio
Well, I wanna kiss you, Bonnie
While I'm standing here 'neath the mistletoe
Saintee came down the chimney
About half past three
Left these pretty presents
That you see before me
Ooh, Merry Christmas pretty baby
Sure your show been good to me
I haven't had a drink this morning
I'm all lit up
Ooh, baby, I'm all lit up
I'm all lit up, ooh, like a Christmas tree
The lyrics of Nat King Cole's "Merry Christmas" celebrate a love that is new, exciting and passionate. The first verse can be interpreted as a thankful response from the singer to Christmas gifts of love received from his romantic partner. He addresses his partner directly, calling her "baby" and exclaiming that she "sure did treat me nice." The use of the past tense in these lines indicates that the celebration is happening after the holiday has passed. The singer is grateful and excited about the love he received as a gift and declares that he is now "living in paradise." The paradise he speaks of is most likely a metaphor for a state of happiness he is experiencing in his relationship. The second verse continues in a similar romantic spirit, with the singer declaring his joy for the good music on his radio. He expresses his desire to kiss his lover under the mistletoe, symbolizing a desire for physical affection.
The third verse describes the entrance of Santa Claus, referred to as "Saintee," as he delivers gifts down the chimney. The singer is surprised and delighted to see that his lover has prearranged beautiful gifts for him. After receiving these gifts, he exclaims, "Sure your show been good to me," indicating that his partner has provided him with everything he needs to be happy. The final two lines of the song present a simile, comparing the singer's alcohol-induced high to the lights on a Christmas tree.
Line by Line Meaning
Merry Christmas baby, you sure did treat me nice
I had a great Christmas thanks to you, my dear. You treated me so well.
Ooh, merry Christmas baby, sure you did treat me nice
You made sure this Christmas was amazing, and I appreciate it so much.
Gave me that love for Christmas
Now I'm living in paradise
Your love was the best gift I received this Christmas, and now my life is like paradise.
Now I'm feelin' mighty fine, got good music on my radio
I'm feeling incredible right now because the music on my radio is really good.
Well, I'm feelin' mighty fine, I got all that good music on my radio
I wanna kiss you baby
While you're standing 'neath the mistletoe
I feel amazing listening to all this great music, and I want to kiss you under the mistletoe.
Saintee came down the chimney
About half past three
Left these pretty presents
That you see before me
Santa Claus came down the chimney around 3:30 in the morning, and he left these beautiful gifts that I'm admiring right now.
Ooh, Merry Christmas pretty baby
Sure your show been good to me
You, my pretty little baby, have been so good to me this Christmas. Thank you.
I haven't had a drink this morning
I'm all lit up
Ooh, baby, I'm all lit up
I'm all lit up, ooh, like a Christmas tree
I haven't had any alcohol this morning, but I'm still feeling really good - like I'm glowing like a beautiful Christmas tree.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lou Baxter, Johnny Dudley Moore
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@obchy9444
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like Eskimos
Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe
Help to make the season bright
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow
Will find it hard to sleep tonight
They know that Santa's on his way
He's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh
And every mother's child is gonna spy
To see if reindeers really know how to fly
And so I'm offering this simple phrase
To kids from one to ninety-two
Although it's been said many times, many ways
Merry Christmas to you
And so I'm offering this simple phrase
To kids from one to ninety-two
Although it's been said many times, many ways
Merry Christmas to you
Source: LyricFind
😍🤗🤗
@TheElementsAreWithMe
May this song remain just as magical for another 50 years.
@nazmulhassan3370
at least
@tonyharden7159
I know it's early but I am anxiously awaiting Christmas.
@faclonx6275
@@tonyharden7159 I am waiting for Christmas I am listening to this in October
@alisonbarlow7836
It always will be magical
@pindot787
I hope it is for forever
@80schild48
I have stage 4 colon / liver cancer…. And this song really puts me at ease… hope this isn’t my last…. Merry Christmas my friends
@grizzlybear352
You got this. I know you do.
@jocejoce7638
I send prayers that the treatments works. Allow yourself to live experiences that you never dared to live before, and don't let fear take on you (sounds silly, but anti-anxiety herb tea like passiflora-valerian really helped me when I was diagnosed with kidney cancer). Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones!!
@baryntn41
And to you. And don't forget the reason for Christmas - the incarnation of God.