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.
Takin' a Chance On Love
Nat King Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All aglow again, takin' a chance on love.
Here I slide again, about to take that ride again.
Starry-eyed again, takin' a chance on love.
I thought that cards were a frame-up, I never would try.
Now I'm taking that game up and the ace of hearts is high.
Things are mending now, I see a rainbow blending now.
Here I slip again, about to take that trip again.
I got that grip again, takin' a chance on love.
Now I prove again that I can make life move again.
Um - I'm in the groove again, takin' a chance on love.
I walk around with a horse shoe, in clover I lie.
And brother rabbit of course you better kiss your, foot good-bye.
On that ball again I'm ridin' for a fall again.
I'm gonna give my all again takin' a chance on love.
Nat King Cole's song "Takin' a Chance On Love" is a romantic tune that reminds listeners that sometimes the gamble of love can pay off. The lyrics detail the excitement and fear that can accompany the pursuit of a new love interest. The song opens with the singer hearing the sound of trumpets, which signals the beginning of a new romantic adventure. He is "all aglow" and "starry-eyed" as he prepares to take that ride once again. The singer has been reluctant to play the game of love in the past, but now he sees that the "ace of hearts is high" and decides to take a chance on love.
As the song progresses, the singer explains that he is feeling hopeful about the relationship. He sees a "rainbow blending" and is optimistic about the future. He is ready to take that trip again and prove to himself and to others that he can make life move. The singer is so confident that he even carries a horse shoe for luck, and advises others to do the same. He is ready to give his all and ride that ball once again, and is willing to take any risks necessary to have a happy ending with his love.
Overall, "Takin' a Chance On Love" is a song about the excitement and fear that can come with embarking on a new romantic relationship. The singer is willing to take risks and leave his comfort zone in order to have a shot at happiness with his love interest.
Line by Line Meaning
Here I go again, I hear those trumpets blow again.
I'm back on the hunt for love, and I'm hearing the familiar sounds of opportunity as it knocks.
All aglow again, takin' a chance on love.
My spirits are high, and I'm excited to take another shot at finding love.
Here I slide again, about to take that ride again.
I'm about to put myself out there and embark on the journey that is a relationship, once again.
Starry-eyed again, takin' a chance on love.
I'm still just as optimistic and full of hope as I was the first time I set out to find love.
I thought that cards were a frame-up, I never would try.
Previously, I believed that love was just a game with unfair rules, and I never wanted to play along.
Now I'm taking that game up and the ace of hearts is high.
But now, I'm willing to give love a chance and I'm feeling lucky that I'll find someone special.
Things are mending now, I see a rainbow blending now.
My previous heartbreak is fading, and I see the potential for a beautiful future ahead of me.
We'll have a happy ending now, takin' a chance on love.
I believe that this time, my search for love will be rewarded with a happy ending.
Here I slip again, about to take that trip again.
Once more, I'm about to set out on the journey that is a relationship with someone new.
I got that grip again, takin' a chance on love.
I feel confident and ready to take on all that comes with pursuing love.
Now I prove again that I can make life move again.
I'm ready to show myself and others that I have what it takes to find the love that I desire.
Um - I'm in the groove again, takin' a chance on love.
I'm feeling confident and ready to take on the challenge of finding love once again.
I walk around with a horse shoe, in clover I lie.
I feel lucky and blessed as I search for love and believe that I'm destined for good things in love.
And brother rabbit of course you better kiss your, foot good-bye.
Even rabbits who are known for their speed and agility will be no match for my luck as I pursue love.
On that ball again I'm ridin' for a fall again.
I understand that finding love comes with risks, but I'm willing to take the chance.
I'm gonna give my all again takin' a chance on love.
I'm committed to giving my all and putting in the work necessary to find love, even if it comes with heartbreak along the way.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN LATOUCHE, TED FETTER, VERNON DUKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MustafaJackson
This really swings.
NAT KING COLE'S piano skills were nothing less than phenomenal.