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.
Send for Me
Nat King Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A true lover
Send for me, send for me
You'll never want
Any other
Send for me, send for me
I promise you
I'll be true
Anytime just tell me
Your problems
And you'll find out, baby
I'll solve 'em
If you're late one mornin'
Don't hurry
If you've got big trouble
Don't worry
Just depend
On your friend
Send for me, send for me
A mornin', noon and night
In the early bright
Don't you fret, my pretty pet
I'm gonna treat you right
Don't you dare
Raise a hair
I'm gonna share
Your every care
Anywhere
Oh, yeah
Send for me, I'll be there
Anything
That upsets you
Send for me, send for me
I'll be there
To protect you
Wait and see, wait and see
Don't delay
Right away
Send for me, send for me
It's gonna be
Twiddle dee
Yes, sirree
You and me
Faithfully
Send for me
The song "Send for Me" by Nat King Cole is a classic love song that talks about a true lover who is always there to help and support. The lyrics are simple but powerful as they convey a deep sense of loyalty, devotion, and affection. The song is about a lover who is willing to go to great lengths to make sure that their partner is happy and fulfilled.
The opening lines of the song state that when you want a true lover, you should send for the singer, as you will never want any other. The plea to send for the singer is repeated several times throughout the song, reinforcing the idea that he will always be there when needed. The singer promises to be true and loyal, assuring his partner that they can depend on him no matter what.
The chorus states that anything that upsets the partner should be immediately sent to the singer, and he will be there to protect and take care of them. The singer assures his partner that he will share their every care, and they should not worry or fret about anything. The overall message of the song is one of comfort and protection, as the singer pledges his loyalty to his loved one and promises to stand by them through thick and thin.
Line by Line Meaning
When you want
Whenever you need someone who truly loves you
A true lover
Someone who deeply cares for you
Send for me, send for me
Just let me know and I'll be there for you
You'll never want
You won't desire
Any other
Anyone else
Send for me, send for me
I'll always be the one you can rely on
I promise you
I assure you
I'll be true
I'll be honest and sincere
Send for me, send for me
Please don't hesitate to ask for my help
Anytime just tell me
Any time you need me to listen to you
Your problems
Whatever difficulties you're facing
And you'll find out, baby
You'll soon discover
I'll solve 'em
I'll help you resolve them
If you're late one mornin'
If you oversleep in the morning
Don't hurry
Don't rush
If you've got big trouble
If you're facing a difficult situation
Don't worry
Don't stress
Just depend
Just rely
On your friend
On me
Send for me, send for me
Just ask for my help and I'll be there
A mornin', noon and night
At any time of the day
In the early bright
In the early morning
Don't you fret, my pretty pet
Don't worry, my dear
I'm gonna treat you right
I'll take good care of you
Don't you dare
Don't even think of
Raise a hair
Getting upset
I'm gonna share
I'll be there for you
Your every care
Whatever trouble you face
Anywhere
No matter where you are
Oh, yeah
Certainly
Send for me, I'll be there
Just let me know and I'll come help you
Anything
Whatever it is
That upsets you
That makes you sad or anxious
Send for me, send for me
Tell me and I'll come to comfort you
I'll be there
I'll come support you
To protect you
To keep you safe
Wait and see, wait and see
Just trust me, you'll see
Don't delay
Don't hesitate
Right away
Immediately
Send for me, send for me
Just let me know and I'll be there
It's gonna be
It will turn out
Twiddle dee
Fine and good
Yes, sirree
Definitely
You and me
Together
Faithfully
Loyally
Send for me
Just call me if you need me
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Henry Ollie Jones
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@spark_6710
This is one of my most favorite songs by The King ! MR.NAT KING COLE ! He was my 1st love for voice / singer !!! I was only 4,or 5 ! I IMMEDIATELY FELL IN LOVE W/ HIS VOICE/ VOCALS ! The song was ' UNFORGETTABLE '!!! Then ,heard ' Mona Lisa' made me SPEECHLESS !!! His voice was just TOO SURREAL ! ANGELIC ! DIVINE ! He was the 1st vocalist made me go " WOW !" I do remember that sensation to this day ! I am now 53 ! Then I heard ' LOVE ' That became my number 1 song for a while ! So many people have sang ' Route 66 ' but nobody can / could sing it so COOL LIKE HIM ! That is my all time favorite ! That song is definitely one of the coolest songs I've ever heard / listened to in my life ! And Nat King Cole was / is still the BEST ! If you carefully listen to this lovely ' Sent For Me ' you can hear that he was having a lung problem that always makes me choke up ! I don't know it's true but I grew up hearing people telling me that his manager told him to smoke to keep up his sexy voice !? And he died from lung disease ? I'll google it now to make sure ! But that was what I was told ! Anyone knows ?
@Csp499
It doesn't matter how bad people think music has gotten- the classics never, ever die.
@ritasad8601
One of the best western singer. Extraordinary for his husky voice and style
@ChristianJesen
Such a beautiful song I listen to this a lot it calms my head,is this your favorite song?
@kitmanning6967
Great man, great singer and great song
@sauquoit13456
On this day in 1957 {June 17th} "Send For Me" entered Billboard's Best Selling chart; eventually it peaked at #6 and spent over a half-year on the chart {27 weeks}... The B-side also charted, "My Personal Possession", it reached #21... Mr. Cole passed away on February 15th, 1965 at the young age of 45... May he R.I.P.
@spark_6710
I thought somehow he passed away in 1964 !? Thanks for all the records of his hits !
@corneliapopescu52
R.I.P. MR.NAT KING COLE !!!
WE LOVE YOU FOREVER AND EVER, YOU ARE FOREVER DANS NOUS CŒURS 💕 !
RESPECT, TANDRECE, NELLY, BELGIQUE.
@robjones2408
Nat was a class act.
This finger-popping gem is utterly irresistible. Great stuff.
@CanisLupus123
Nathaniel Adams Coles
Nat King Cole
March / 17 / 1919 - February / 15 / 1965
Rest In Peace