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.
Non Dimenticar
Nat King Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Means don't forget you are my darling
Don't forget to be
All you mean to me
Non dimenticar
My love is like a star, my darling
Shining bright and clear
Just because you're here
Please do not forget
That our lips have met
And I've held you tight, dear
Was it dreams ago
My heart felt this glow?
Or only just tonight, dear?
Non dimenticar
Although you travel far, my darling
It's my heart you own
So I'll wait alone
Non dimenticar
Se ci separò, se ci allontanò
L'ala del destino
Non ne ho colpa, no
E mi sentiro sempre a te vicino
Non dimenticar
Although you travel far, my darling
It's my heart you own
So I'll wait alone
Non dimenticar (non dimenticar)
The song "Non Dimenticar" by Nat King Cole is a love song that expresses the singer's desire for their lover not to forget the depth of their love and how important they are to one another. The title is Italian for "do not forget" and is repeated throughout the song as a reminder to the listener. The lyrics speak of the singer's love being like a star, shining bright and clear because the one they love is with them. They entreat their lover not to forget the moments they have shared and the love they have felt together. The singer acknowledges that distance may separate them, but their heart belongs to their beloved, and they will wait for them to return.
The poignant melody and lyrics of "Non Dimenticar" reflect the era in which the song was written. The 1950s were a time when people connected through music, and love songs were incredibly popular. "Non Dimenticar" encapsulates the message of that time, expressing a deep love and connection that endures despite any distance or separation. The song's romantic lyrics and emotional tone make it a classic love song that continues to resonate with audiences today.
Line by Line Meaning
Non dimenticar
Don't forget, my love
Means don't forget you are my darling
Remember that you are my sweet and beloved one
Don't forget to be
Remember to embody and exemplify
All you mean to me
All the value, importance, and significance you have in my life
Non dimenticar
Don't forget, my love
My love is like a star, my darling
My affection and devotion for you is luminescent and radiant
Shining bright and clear
Emanating brilliantly and clearly
Just because you're here
Simply by your presence and existence
Please do not forget
I implore you to not overlook or disregard
That our lips have met
That we have kissed and shared an intimate moment
And I've held you tight, dear
And I have embraced you closely, my dear one
Was it dreams ago
Was it long ago in our fantasies
My heart felt this glow?
That my heart felt this warmth and brightness
Or only just tonight, dear?
Or was it only tonight, my beloved?
Non dimenticar
Don't forget, my love
Although you travel far, my darling
Even if you journey far from me, my sweet
It's my heart you own
You possess my heart and its devotion
So I'll wait alone
Therefore, I will patiently wait for you by myself
Non dimenticar
Don't forget, my love
Se ci separò, se ci allontanò
If we were separated, if we were taken apart
L'ala del destino
By the wing of destiny
Non ne ho colpa, no
I am not to blame, no
E mi sentiro sempre a te vicino
And I will always feel close to you
Non dimenticar
Don't forget, my love
Although you travel far, my darling
Even if you journey far from me, my sweet
It's my heart you own
You possess my heart and its devotion
So I'll wait alone
Therefore, I will patiently wait for you by myself
Non dimenticar (non dimenticar)
Don't forget, my love (don't forget)
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Shelley Dobbins, M. Galdieri, P.G. Redi
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
lucia Morresi..
Non dimenticar che t'ho voluto tanto bene
T'ho saputo amar non dimenticar
Or di questo amor un sol ricordo t'appartiene
Non gettarlo ancor fuori dal mio cuore
Se ci separó se ci allontanó
L'ala del destino
Non ne ho colpa no e mi sentiró
Sempre a te vicino
Non dimenticar che t'ho voluto tanto bene
Forse nel mio cuor
Puoi trovare ancor tanto bene
daniel C.
This type of music is gone now, but will always be in my my heart as long as I have a breath in my lungs. There has got to be people out there who still love this old but beautiful music.
c abba
Ma certo che si. Non sei solo.
dr robert Ling
Yes.there are.
jerry n
Only Dean Martin and this man have the voice to sing this ballad so beautiful, such a great way to sit away the nightime hours and let the music take you back in time.
Nicholas Newman 对
You should listen to Connie Francis's version of this song you will enjoy it
Giancarlo
Hey its someone from the future jaja. Come visit this 11 year old comment
birdsfan57
Truly the voice of an angel. I've always believed he was heaven-sent. There will never be another "voice" like his.
Leslie Best
I grew up listening to Nat, Billie, Frank, Dinah and a host of many other greats. THANK GOD FOR MY PARENTS!!!!!
Helena Seiler
Same here ! And that was remarkable considered I was born far away in the east coast of Africa ....
Sooz
Nat King Cole was a staple in my home and on the radio when I was a kid. His voice is so smooth and clean and pitch perfect. How I cried when he left this World for the next one.
We were so blessed.
Soundtrack of my youth 🎼 🖤