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.
Walkin' My Baby Back Home
Nat King Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Walkin' my baby back home
Arm in arm over meadow and farm
Walkin' my baby back home
We go 'long harmonizing a song
Or I'm recitin' a poem
Owls go by and they give me the eye
We stop for a while, she gives me a smile
And snuggles her head on my chest
We start in to pet and that's when I get
Her talcum all over my vest
After I kinda straighten my tie
She has to borrow my comb
Once kiss then I continue again
Walkin' my baby back home
She's afraid of the dark so I have to park
Outside of her door till it's light
She says if I try to kiss her she'll cry
I dry her tears all through the night
Hand in hand to a barbecue stand
Right from her doorway we roam
Eats and then it's a pleasure again
Walkin' my baby
Talkin' my baby
Lovin' my baby
I don't mean maybe
Walkin' my baby back home
The song "Walkin' My Baby Back Home" is a gentle and romantic tune that portrays a couple's walk back home after a late night of enjoyment. Nat King Cole's smooth vocals and the playful melody of the tune capture the essence of young love are perfectly portrayed in the lyrics of the song. The song begins by stating how great it feels to be home after a late night of fun, and the joy of walking his beloved partner back home. The phrase "arm in arm over meadow and farm" depicts a peaceful, serene image of the couple walking down a country road, hand in hand.
As they walk, they hum a tune together or sometimes, the singer recites a poem. The phrase "owls go by and give me the eye" indicates that the nocturnal animals are watching them or probably teasing them, lending a whimsical, humorous touch. They take a small break to cuddle, and the singer talks about how he gets talcum powder all over his vest, which is an indication of how close they are.
The song also talks about a magical moment of holding hands while enjoying a barbecue, and the singer affectionately talks about holding, walking, talking, and loving her baby, which means there is a genuine and big tendency to spend their lives together.
Line by Line Meaning
Gee, it's great after bein' out late
I feel wonderful after being out late and now I am walking my baby back home.
Arm in arm over meadow and farm
We are walking while holding each other's arms and enjoying nature's beauty.
We go 'long harmonizing a song
We sing a song together and it sounds great.
Or I'm recitin' a poem
Or I am reciting a poem for her and she is enjoying it.
Owls go by and they give me the eye
As we are walking, we see owls flying by and looking at us.
We stop for a while, she gives me a smile
We take a break, and she smiles at me, making me feel happy.
And snuggles her head on my chest
She rests her head on my chest, showing affection.
We start in to pet and that's when I get
We start cuddling, and that's when she leaves her talcum powder all over my vest.
Her talcum all over my vest
Her talcum powder is all over my vest now.
After I kinda straighten my tie
I tidy up my appearance by straightening my tie.
She has to borrow my comb
She needs to use my comb to comb her hair.
Once kiss then I continue again
We share a quick kiss and then resume walking.
She's afraid of the dark so I have to park
She's scared of the dark, so I can't leave her until it's light outside.
Outside of her door till it's light
I stay outside her door until it's light outside.
She says if I try to kiss her she'll cry
She tells me not to kiss her, or she'll start crying.
I dry her tears all through the night
I comfort her, wiping her tears all night long.
Hand in hand to a barbecue stand
We hold hands and go to a barbecue stand.
Right from her doorway we roam
We go to the stand directly from her house.
Eats and then it's a pleasure again
We eat together and then start walking again, feeling happy.
Walkin' my baby
I am walking with my girl.
Talkin' my baby
We are talking and sharing our thoughts.
Lovin' my baby
I love and care for her.
I don't mean maybe
I am certain of my love for her.
Walkin' my baby back home
I am taking her back to her home.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Bluewater Music Corp., Songtrust Ave, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Fred E. Ahlert, Roy Turk
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@landyachtfan79
Gee, it's great after bein' out late
Walkin' my baby back home
Arm in arm over meadow and farm
Walkin' my baby back home
We go 'long harmonizing a song
Or I'm recitin' a poem
Owls go by and they give me the eye
Walkin' my baby back home
We stop for a while, she gives me a smile
And snuggles her head on my chest
We start in to pet and that's when I get
Her talcum all over my vest
After I kinda straighten my tie
She has to borrow my comb
Once kiss then I continue again
Walkin' my baby back home
She's 'fraid of the dark so I have to park
Outside of her door till it's light
She says if I try to kiss her she'll cry
I dry her tears all through the night
Hand in hand to a barbecue stand
Right from her doorway we roam
Eats and then it's a pleasure again
Walkin' my baby
Talkin' my baby
Lovin' my baby
I don't mean maybe
Walkin' my baby back home
@diannewillis3897
No words to explain how much I love this song....I grew up listening to Nat King Cole. When I was little, sometimes my dad would say "Come listen to this with me." And it was always Nat King Cole. XXOO
@hannah_keyno976
I’m 22 & I love Nat & Bing, Dean & Frank, Rat Pack Gang. Love all music, actually. Wish it was more popular still today :)
@tylerbarrani9898
Bring big band back!
@markdettra1794
Try Tony Bennet's 1965 album 'The Movie Album'.
@pauloconnor5931
You have great taste in music!
@Jefferson2able
Good taste
@KJ_Wynn
@@tylerbarrani9898 as a 20 year old that plays in one, we’re trying! Most beautiful music in the world imo
@kenhatchett7645
It’s a while ago now but still remember it well,walking along holding hands doing stupid things to try and impress her,must have worked we were together for 50 years she’s been gone 10 years now but never out of my thoughts.
@Jefferson2able
I hope that when Jesus come back, you may see her again.
God bless you brother.
@KJ_Wynn
This made me cry, hope you’re doing alright :’)