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.
My Love
Nat King Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everything in love goes round and round
But my love goes on and on, my love goes on and on
Nothing in the world can change my love for you
Like the cat told the bird on the window sill
I'll be lovin' you from now until
My love goes on and on, my love goes on and on
You keep my heart jumpin' a flip-flop
You keep me feelin' a tip-top
When everything else is long gone
My love will still be goin' strong
You make me mad for a little while
But I get so glad when I see you smile
My love goes on and on, my love goes on and on
Nothin' in the world can change my love for you
My love goes on and on, my love goes on and on
You keep my heart jumpin' a flip-flop
You keep me feelin' a tip-top
When everything else is long gone
My love will still be goin' strong
You make me mad for a little while
But I get so glad when I see you smile
My love a goes on and on, my love a goes on and on
Nothin' in the world can change my love for you
Nothin' in the world a can change my love for you, my love
The lyrics of Nat King Cole's song My Love revolve around the persistence and enduring strength of the singer's love for someone. The first two lines set the scene for the song, suggesting that the natural order of things in the universe is love that goes "round and round" - like the moon and sun that appear to take turns in the sky. But the singer's love is different, as it continues "on and on." He declares that nothing in the world can change his love for the person he is addressing in the song.
The next verse plays on the image of a cat and a bird, with the cat representing the singer who is determined to keep the object of his affection close by. He pledges to love them "from now until" his love runs out (which he suggests will not happen). The third and fourth verses describe how the person he loves keeps him feeling happy and alive, even when everything else in the world has fallen away. The ups and downs of their relationship - the moments of anger and happiness - do not diminish his love, which persists despite any hardships.
The final repetition of the chorus emphasizes the unchanging nature of the singer's love. He does not offer any explanation for why he loves this person so much or what they mean to him, but it is clear that his feelings are steadfast and unwavering.
Line by Line Meaning
The moon comes out and the sun goes down
As day turns into night, love goes through its own cycles of ups and downs.
Everything in love goes round and round
Love is like a never-ending cycle of emotions that can be both exhilarating and exhausting at the same time.
But my love goes on and on, my love goes on and on
Despite the ups and downs, my love for you remains constant and unwavering.
Nothing in the world can change my love for you
My love for you is so strong that it cannot be shaken by anything that the world throws our way.
Like the cat told the bird on the window sill
Just like the cat who promises to love and protect the bird, I promise to love and cherish you always.
I'll be lovin' you from now until
My love for you is eternal and will last forever, from this moment and beyond.
You keep my heart jumpin' a flip-flop
Your love keeps me on edge, always excited and anticipating what's next.
You keep me feelin' a tip-top
Your love keeps me feeling happy and healthy, both physically and emotionally.
When everything else is long gone
In a world where everything is temporary and fleeting, my love for you is the one constant that remains.
My love will still be goin' strong
My love for you will never fade away, but rather grow stronger with each passing day.
You make me mad for a little while
Sometimes you might frustrate me, but those moments of anger are quickly overshadowed by the love I have for you.
But I get so glad when I see you smile
Seeing you happy and smiling makes everything worth it, and reminds me of how much I love you.
My love a goes on and on, my love a goes on and on
My love for you is a never-ending story, a journey that continues to evolve and grow over time.
Nothin' in the world can change my love for you
My love for you is steadfast and unchanging, and will always be there for you no matter what the world may bring.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JOHN GRANT, ROGER KURT GREEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@christinataylor6572
Beautiful song and Lyrics…..Chris,♥️🎶🥀🎶♥️🥰😘🌴😎🌴
Answer Me
/
Lyrics
Answer me, oh my love
Just what sin have I been guilty of
Tell me how I came to lose your love
Please answer me, sweetheart
You were mine yesterday
I believed that love was here to stay
Won't you tell me where I've gone astray
Please answer me, my love
If you're happier without me
I'll try not to care
But if you still think about me
Please listen to my prayer
You must know I've been true
Won't you say that we can start anew?
In my sorrow now I turn to you
Please answer me, my love
If you're happier without me
I'll try not to care
But if you still think about me
Please listen to my prayer
You must know I've been true
Won't you say that we can start anew?
In my sorrow now I turn to you
Please answer me, my love
Answer me, my love
Source: LyricFind
@daisyisidro7022
Answer me
Oh, my love
Just what sin have I been guilty of
Tell me how I came to lose your love
Please answer me, sweetheart
You were mine yesterday
I believed that love was here to stay
Won't you tell me where I've gone astray
Please answer me, my love
If you're happier without me
I'll try not to care
But if you still think about me
Please listen to my prayer
You must know I've been true
Won't you say that we can start anew
In my sorrow now I turn to you
Please answer me, my love
But if you still think about me
Please listen to my prayer
You must know (You must know)
I've been true (I've been true)
Won't you say that we can start anew
In my sorrow now I turn to you
Please answer me, my love
Answer me, my love
@nidga
The most melodic voice I've ever heard, absolutely effortless
@majortom4543
There is no such thing. All voices are melodic. Its a matter of if they are good or not.
@myleslynk3749
Beautiful, sad, haunting. A truly great song sung by a truly great singer. It resonates in my life, with longing and regret.
@dragonreborn4704
LONGING,YES!!!...NO REGRETS...HOMEWARD BOUND!!!...
@Paul-dw2cl
have you heard Nature Boy? It’s even more of those things you said. And the backstory of how the song came to be is mystifying
@myleslynk3749
I did not know that. Thanks! I will check it out! @@Paul-dw2cl
@Blossom1948
My father loved Nat King Cole's voice...when dad passed i found a song called "Stardust" written out on a piece of paper ..obviously he was thinking of mom who had passed a short while before him ❤️...my father had a lovely voice too... God rest mom and dad and of course the great Nat King Cole....
@keithwright4921
One,of my favourites,Stardust,just love it,Keith&Molly,France,xx
@williamainsworth3777
I first heard Nat when I was a small child. My mother had all his records. Even as a child, I thought he had the voice of an angel. My only regret is that I never saw him in concert. I'm sure it would have been wonderful.
@claudiashim8345
My mothers favorite song and only Nat King Cole takes it to the soul. My mom has crossed the rainbow bridge, but I play this often in memory of her. ❤❤❤❤