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.
When My Sugar Walks Down the Street
Nat King Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All the little birdies go tweet, tweet, tweet.
And in the evening when the sun goes down
It's never dark when she's around
She's so affectionate and I'll say this
That when she kisses me I sure stay kissed
When my sugar walks down the street
The lyrics of this song by Nat King Cole describe the joy and excitement the singer experiences when his love interest walks down the street. The mention of the little birdies going tweet tweet tweet symbolizes the happiness and cheerfulness he feels at the sight of his sugar. He feels a certain enlightenment in her presence, as described by the fact that it is never dark when she is around, highlighting that his life is brighter and more beautiful because of her.
The second verse is a reflection of the affection he has for her, stating that every time she kisses him, he sure stays kissed. He is ultimately smitten by her and relishes in their relationship, and it is evident in the enthusiastic tone of his singing.
The verses of this song are simple and straight to the point, which lends to the catchy and cheerful nature of the song, reflecting its popularity. The songwriters make use of metaphors such as the little birdies, suggesting the freedom and lightness that comes with a true love. The upbeat tune of the song is infectious, and it is no surprise that it has become a classic.
Line by Line Meaning
When my sugar walks down the street
Whenever my beloved partner walks on the sidewalk in public
All the little birdies go tweet, tweet, tweet.
The birds in the area chirp melodiously as if cheering and announcing her presence
And in the evening when the sun goes down
Also, during nighttime when the sun has set
It's never dark when she's around
Her presence alone illuminates everything; it is as if she brings her own light
She's so affectionate and I'll say this
She is very loving and caring, and I will be bold to make this claim
That when she kisses me I sure stay kissed
Whenever she kisses me, the feeling lingers on for a long time
When my sugar walks down the street
Once again, whenever my heartthrob strides on the road
The little birdies go tweet tweet tweet.
The birds continue to sing joyfully, signaling her presence even more
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Gene Austin, Jimmy McHugh, Irving Mills
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Timothy Hughes
I used to listen to and love this song by Nat when I was a teenager. Brings back happy memories.
Nigel Hughes
I used to listen to this in my dads car he had an old 8 track cartridge player in his morris marina i played this song god knows how many times. Still sounds brill
Mike Murphy
I've been looking for this a long time all I had was an old tape and the song in my head.Thank you,Merf.
Rainy Loschiavo
i had this on vinyl. someone stole it...
Carol Crowley
I heard this song in the Movie "Viva Las Vegas"...the lyrics were different.
*The Lady Loves Me, But She Doesn't Know It Yet"
Eric Criteser
The organ solo, yeah?
Shahar Lavon
Very similar the the family guy song