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.
That Sunday That Summer
Nat King Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I had to choose just one day
To last my whole life through
It would surely be that Sunday
The day that I met you (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Newborn whippoorwills were calling from the hills
Lots of daffodils were showing off their skills
Nodding all together, I could almost hear them whisper
"Go on, kiss her, go on and kiss her"
If I had to choose one moment
To live within my heart
It would be that tender moment
Recalling how we started
Darling, it would be when you smiled at me
That way, that Sunday, that summer
Newborn whippoorwills were calling from the hills
Summer was a-comin' in but fast
Lots of daffodils were showin' off their skills
Nodding all together, I could almost hear them whisper
"Go on, kiss her, go on and kiss her now"
If I had to choose one moment
To live within my heart
It would be that tender moment
Recalling how we started
Darling, it would be when you smiled at me
That way (ooh-ooh), that Sunday (do-do-do), that summer
(If I had to choose just one day)
Nat King Cole's "That Sunday That Summer" is a romantic ballad about cherishing a special moment in time with a loved one. The song starts with the singer contemplating which day they would choose to relive forever, and decides it would be the day they met their significant other on a summer Sunday. The lyrics evoke a sense of nostalgia and sweetness, painting a picture of a perfect day filled with natural beauty and passion.
The second verse describes the setting in more detail, with newborn whippoorwills calling from the hills and daffodils nodding in approval. The singer remembers feeling the urge to kiss their partner, as if the natural world was urging them on. The chorus repeats the sentiment of wanting to relive that special day, and the bridge focuses on the moment they fell in love - the moment the loved one smiled at them. The song concludes with a repeat of the chorus and a repetition of the title phrase, emphasizing the importance of that single day in the singer's life.
Overall, "That Sunday That Summer" is a beautiful ode to the power of love - how it can transform a simple day into a cherished memory that lasts a lifetime. The use of rustic imagery and natural beauty adds to the sense of wonder and joy in the song, as the singer remembers the day they fell in love with their partner.
Line by Line Meaning
(If I had to choose just one day)
If I had to choose only one day from my life
(To last my whole life through)
It would be a day that I would remember forever.
(It would surely be that Sunday)
That particular Sunday stands out above all other days.
(The day that I met you)
The day I met the person I fell in love with.
(Newborn whippoorwills were calling from the hills)
The newly born whippoorwills were making their first cries while perched atop the hills.
(Summer was a-coming in but fast)
Summer was approaching swiftly.
(Lots of daffodils were showing off their skills)
Many daffodils were blooming and I could see how beautiful and capable they were.
(Nodding all together, I could almost hear them whisper)
The flowers were gently swaying in unison, making it feel as if they were communicating with each other.
("Go on, kiss her, go on and kiss her")
The flowers seemed to be urging me to make a move and kiss the person I was with.
(If I had to choose one moment)
If I had to pick only one memory.
(To live within my heart)
It would be something that I would always remember and cherish in my heart.
(It would be that tender moment)
It would be a moment filled with love and affection.
(Recalling how we started)
Bringing back memories of when our love first began.
(Darling, it would be when you smiled at me)
It would be the moment when the person I love smiled at me.
(That way, that Sunday, that summer)
That specific way that they looked at me on that particular Sunday in the summer.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: George David Weiss, Joe Sherman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@florairvan8305
whatsupwiththatyo......
For some reason, your
comment really touched
my heart. I pictured your
young self, listening to
the Christmas song,
crying, and being with
your dad. Hope you are
experiencing a fulfilling
life, filled with peace and
hope.
l
@davejeanes3136
Johnny Mathis once said, "The thing about Nat is, he waits, and then he sings. Then he waits, and then he sings." Couldn't put it better.
@yohannasufran9415
P p
@pritchettdan
Love this.
@abbiekokee3576
Love Nat and Johnny
@strawgynxking5944
That is too adorable
@jimchick
Exactly. So well put!
@Ceelle2
Natalie's rendition is equally as tender.
@morrisspielberg6664
Perfect. 63 people who I guess feel rap is better than this
@joe_gitara8214
I am really born in the wrong era. This song makes my heart melt and gave me some tears which I cannot explain.
@pritchettdan
Me, too....