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.
Stay as Sweet as You Are
Nat King Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't let a thing
Ever change you
Stay as sweet as you are
Don't let a soul
Rearrange you
Don't ever lose
Your loveliness, darling
The way you say "yes"
Stay as sweet as you are
Discreet as you are
You're divine, dear
Stay as grand as you are
And as you are
Tell me that you're mine, dear
Young and gay or old and gray
Near to me or afar
Night and day I pray
That you'll always stay
As sweet as you are
Young and gay or old and gray
Near to me or afar
Night and day I pray
That you'll always stay
As sweet as you are
The song Stay as Sweet as You Are by Nat King Cole is a heartfelt declaration of love that emphasizes the importance of staying true to oneself. The lyrics serve as a reminder to the person he loves to hold on to the qualities that make them special and unique, even if the world around them tries to change them. The first two lines "Stay as sweet as you are, Don't let a thing ever change you" are affectionate and reassuring. Nat is telling his loved one not to let anyone or anything change the essence of who they are. In the third line, he stresses the importance of staying pure, "Discreet as you are, You're divine, dear". This is a nod to the importance of maintaining innocence and holding onto values that are essential to being a good person.
The line "Tell me that you're mine, dear" highlights that, despite his belief in independence, Nat wants his love interest to remain attached to him and their relationship. Throughout the song, he is encouraging his love to stay true to themselves while also emphasizing how much he values and loves them. The song is also a celebration of the beauty and grace that his lover possesses, "Don't ever lose all the charm you possess, Your loveliness, darling, The way you say 'yes'". These lyrics are an affirmation of his love's beauty and a promise of his commitment to them.
Line by Line Meaning
Stay as sweet as you are
Continue to possess the same genuine and endearing qualities that make you who you are
Don't let a thing
Ever change you
Don't allow any circumstance or event to alter your character or disposition
Stay as sweet as you are
Reiterate the importance of maintaining one's natural sweetness despite any outside influences
Don't let a soul
Rearrange you
Don't allow anyone to manipulate or change you into someone you are not
Don't ever lose
All the charm you possess
Never let go of the unique qualities and traits that make you charming and attractive
Your loveliness, darling
The way you say "yes"
Your beauty and agreeable nature are part of what makes you so special and desirable
Stay as sweet as you are
Discreet as you are
You're divine, dear
It's important to not only maintain your sweetness, but also your modesty and dignity, as you are truly divine
Stay as grand as you are
And as you are
Tell me that you're mine, dear
Stay as magnificent and wonderful as you always have, and continue to be my partner in life
Young and gay or old and gray
Near to me or afar
Whether we are young or old, together or apart, your sweetness should never fade
Night and day I pray
That you'll always stay
As sweet as you are
Day and night, I hope and pray that you remain the same kind and loving person that you are now
Lyrics ยฉ BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Mack Gordon, Harry Revel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kathyyansick5382
"don't let a soul rearrange you" "night and day I pray" that phrase is so sweet the way it's sung here by Mr Nate King Cole just gorgeous thanks for having these songs available to hear๐๐ผ๐๏ธ
@robertchesnosky3508
THAT MAN HAD THE MOST FANTASTIC STAGE CHARISMA.
@time4awakenning534
To my Momma , RIP Oct13 2017. I miss you. Stay sweet as you are.
@kenwoodsmusic
Another one of my all time favorites!!! Beautiful melody... Nat sings as if he's floating!
@musicvids4589
One of his wisest songs, so full of wisedom Nat. I love it.
@maryhester8972
I absolutely love the sound of this man voice!!
@charlesbarry6730
The man with the silky voice. He belongs in the same category as singers like Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett.
@kathyyansick5382
....visa vera ...my Father would sing these songs, I'm so glad he shared them with all of us, I know what your saying, sometimes we start listening to a artist we never really appreciated before, however Nate King Cole well if you haven't heard the album "Love Is The Thing" it's worth hearing the entire album is great we had that album growing up, ....it's a sweet gift to play it, even now I do, take care COVID and all it was a rough year 2020 ๐๐ผ๐๏ธ๐พ๐น
@silvinaalejandraibarra3372
QUร HERMOSA CANCIรN!! Y QUร DULCE VOZ!! DESDE SALTA/ ARGENTINA.
@athanasiamustatia
Beautiful song..ย Stay As Sweetย As You Are'!!!!!!!!!