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.
Pretend
Nat King Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It isn't very hard to do
And you'll find happiness without an end
Whenever you pretend
Remember anyone can dream
And nothing's bad as it may seem
The little things you haven't got
You'll find a love you can share
One you can call all your own
Just close your eyes, she'll be there
You'll never be alone
And if you sing this melody
You'll be pretending just like me
The world is mine, it can be yours, my friend
So why don't you pretend?
And if you sing this melody
You'll be pretending just like me
The world is mine, it can be yours, my friend
So why don't you pretend?
Nat King Cole's song Pretend is about the power of positive thinking and the idea that happiness can be achieved by pretending to be happy even when one is feeling blue. The lyrics suggest that by simply changing one's attitude and approach to life, one can find happiness and contentment. The first two lines of the song, "Pretend you're happy when you're blue, it isn't very hard to do" suggest that putting on a happy face and acting as if everything is alright can actually lead to feeling happier in reality.
The lyrics go on to suggest that by pretending to be happy, one can "find happiness without an end". The idea here is that by focusing on the positive and pretending to be happy, one can attract more happiness and positivity into their life. The song also emphasizes the importance of gratitude and contentment with what one has. The line "the little things you haven't got could be a lot if you pretend" suggests that by focusing on what one does have rather than what they lack, they can find greater happiness and fulfillment.
The song also speaks to the power of love and the idea that by pretending to have love in one's life, one can attract more love and companionship. The lyrics suggest that by closing one's eyes and pretending, they can imagine a love that is all their own and that they will never be alone. The message of the song is ultimately one of hope and positivity, suggesting that anyone can find happiness and contentment if they are willing to adopt the right attitude and approach to life.
Line by Line Meaning
Pretend you're happy when you're blue
Act as if you're happy even when you're feeling sad
It isn't very hard to do
Faking happiness is quite easy
And you'll find happiness without an end
Pretending to be happy can lead to infinite happiness
Whenever you pretend
The act of pretending will bring you happiness
Remember anyone can dream
Dreams are accessible to everyone
And nothing's bad as it may seem
Things are not as bad as they appear to be
The little things you haven't got
The small things you lack
Could be a lot if you pretend
Can be worth a lot if you act like you have them
You'll find a love you can share
You will come across a love that you can share with someone
One you can call all your own
The love that you can keep and cherish as your own
Just close your eyes, she'll be there
Imagine her, and she will appear before you
You'll never be alone
You will never be by yourself
And if you sing this melody
If you sing this song
You'll be pretending just like me
You will be feigning joy like I do
The world is mine, it can be yours, my friend
The world belongs to me and it can belong to you too
So why don't you pretend?
So why not pretend to be happy?
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cliff Parman, Dan Belloc, Frank La Vere, Lew Douglas
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@GizmoFromPizmo
My mom had an album of Nat King Cole's greatest hits and I played that thing more than she did. I made a cassette tape of it and played it over and over in my car. The guy is smooth.
Autumn Leaves,
Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup,
Nature Boy,
Pretend,
and so many more.
It was one of those TV album offers that she sent for and I wish I could find it anywhere but have not been able to.
@lauromelo8204
Faça de conta que você está feliz, quando você estiver triste.
Isto não é muito difícil de fazer.
E você encontrará felicidade sem fim.
Sempre que você fizer de conta.
Lembre-se qualquer um pode sonhar.
E nada é tão ruim quanto pode parecer ser.
As poucas coisas que você não tem, podiam ser muitas se você fizer de conta.
Você encontrará um amor que você poderá compartilhar.
Um que você pode dizer que é todo seu.
Apenas feche seus olhos que ele estará aí.
Você nunca estará sozinho.
E se você cantar esta melodia.
Você estará fazendo de conta como eu.
O mundo é meu e pode ser seu meu amigo.
Então por que você não faz de conta.
@sauquoit13456
On this day in 1953 {April 26th} "Pretend" by Nat King Cole peaked at #2 {for 1 week} on Billboard's 'Most Played In Juke Boxes' chart, the week it was at #2, the #1 record for that week was "Doggie In The Window" by Patti Page...
The following month in May of 1953, "Pretend" also peaked at #2 {for 4 weeks} on United Kingdom's Singles chart, and the #1 record for those four weeks was "I Believe" by Frankie Laine...
Between 1948 and 1966 the Montgomery, Alabama native had eighty-six records on the Billboard's charts, fourteen made the Top 10 with three reaching #1, "Nature Boy" in 1948, "Mona Lisa" in 1950, and "Too Young" in 1952...
Sadly, Mr. Cole passed away at the young age of 45 on February 15th, 1965...
May he R.I.P.
* "Pretend" was the first of three of his records to peak at #2, his other two #2 records were "A Blossom Fell" in 1955 and "Ramblin' Rose" in1962...
And from the 'For What It's Worth' department, the remainder of Billboard's 'Most Played On Juke Boxes' Top 10 for April 26th, 1953:
At #3. "Your Cheatin' Heart" by Joni James
#4. "Till I Waltz With You Again" by Teresa Brewer
#4. "I Believe" by Frankie Laine {a tie}
#4. "Song From Moulin Rouge" by Percy Faith and His Orch. {a tie}
#7. "Say You're Mine Again" by Perry Como
#8. "Tell Me A Story" by Frankie Laine and Jimmy Boyd
#8. "Seven Lonely Days" by Georgia Gibbs {a tie}
#10. "April In Portugal" by Les Baxter
@ooonurse33
This has been stuck in my head since Bob proctors memorial yesterday. I think I get it now. Thanks Bob 🥰
@questionresearch8721
I'm here because eof Bob Proctor. Lol. These lyrics are good.
@hivaldodasilva3785
@Question & Research WOW, I'm also listening to the song because I saw a video that Bob Proctor suggested, amazing...
@AtmosphereOfSound
I am also here because of Bob's "Change Your Paradigm, Change Your Life!" So Grateful for His Life-changing wisdom!
@samspace81
I loved that mans work. He helped and still helps me prosper in my life. RIP
@missyxo6521
I am also here because of the Bob Proctor😍❤️
@nothingbutice3833
My son of 15 sent this to me. I'd never heard before. Divorce 10 years. What a blessing to have such a Son. Small tear. And a Man beyond his years.
@yrsong6696
You are very happy man! 🤠
Good luck for you and your son.
@veltersons
Bob Proctor shared this song 💙
@valentinvaldezjr3714
Yes agree