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.
With a Little Bit of Luck
Nat King Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So he could do his job and never shirk
The lord above gave man an arm of iron
But, with a little bit of luck, with a little bit of luck
Someone else will do the blinkin' work
(with a little bit, with a little bit)
(with a little bit of luck you'll never work)
To see if man could turn away from sin
The lord above made liquor for temptation
But, with a little bit of luck, with a little bit of luck
When temptation comes you'll give right in
(with a little bit, with a little bit)
(with a little bit of luck you'll give right in)
Oh you can walk the straight and narrow
But with a little bit of luck you'll run amok
The gentle sex was made for man t'marry
To share his nest and see his food is cooked
The gentle sex was made for man t'marry
But, with a little bit of luck, with a little bit of luck
You can have it all and not get hooked
(with a little bit, with a little bit)
(with a little bit of luck you won't get hooked)
(with a little bit, with a little bit)
(with a little bit of bloomin' luck)
The lord above made man to help his neighbor
No matter where on land or sea or foam
The lord above made man to help his neighbor
But, with a little bit of luck, with a little bit of luck
When he comes around you won't be home!!
(with a little bit, with a little bit)
(with a little bit of luck you won't be home)
They're always throwing goodness at you
But, with a little bit of luck a man can duck
Oh it's a crime for man to go philanderin'
And fill his wife's poor heart with grief and doubt
Oh it's a crime for man to go philanderin'
But, with a little bit of luck, with a little bit of luck
You can see the bloodhound don't find out
(with a little bit, with a little bit)
(with a little bit of luck she won't find out)
(with a little bit, with a little bit)
(with a little bit of bloomin' luck)
A man was made to help support his children
Which is the right and proper thing to do
A man was made to help support his children
But, with a little bit of luck, with a little bit of luck
They'll go out and start supporting you
(with a little bit, with a little bit)
(with a little bit of luck they'll work for you)
(he doesn't have a tuppence in his pocket)
(the poorest bloke you'll ever hope to meet)
(he doesn't have a tuppence in his pocket)
(but, with a little bit of luck, with a little bit of luck)
(he'll be movin' up to easy street)
(with a little bit, with a little bit)
(with a little bit of luck I'm movin' up)
(with a little bit, with a little bit)
(with a little bit of bloomin' luck)
Nat King Cole's song, With a Little Bit of Luck, portrays the idea that success, happiness, and fulfillment in life can be achieved with just a little bit of luck. The song starts with the concept that the Lord above gave man an arm of iron so that he could do his job without any reluctance. However, with just a little bit of luck, someone else will do the work. It highlights the idea that with a stroke of fortune, a person does not need to work hard to be successful, but success can come to them easily.
The song also talks about the temptation of liquor that the Lord above provided as a test for man to see if he can turn away from sin. However, with just a little bit of luck, the temptation would be too much for him to resist, and he would give right in. The song suggests that with a little bit of luck, a person can indulge in immoral activities without consequences.
In the subsequent verses, the song describes how the gentle sex was made for man to marry and share his nest, but with a little bit of luck, a man can have it all without getting hooked. Similarly, the Lord above made man to help his neighbor, but with a little bit of luck, he can avoid his responsibilities and run away. Overall, the song implies that with a little bit of luck in life, a person can easily get whatever they desire without hard work or effort, which can be frightening to consider.
Line by Line Meaning
The lord above gave man an arm of iron
God gave man a strong arm so he can work tirelessly.
So he could do his job and never shirk
His arm is supposed to help him fulfill his responsibilities without slacking off.
Someone else will do the blinkin' work
But with a bit of luck, someone else will willingly do the work for him.
The lord above made liquor for temptation
Alcohol is a temptation, a test to see if man can resist sinful behaviors.
When temptation comes you'll give right in
With a little bit of luck, one will succumb to temptation and indulge in alcohol.
Oh you can walk the straight and narrow
One can choose to stay on the right path, a life of virtue and righteousness.
But with a little bit of luck you'll run amok
However, with a bit of luck, one can deviate from the straight path and indulge in pleasurable vices.
The gentle sex was made for man t'marry
Women were created so that men can have lifelong companionship, get married, and start a family.
You can have it all and not get hooked
With a bit of luck, one can have a fulfilling marriage and relationship without getting emotionally attached.
The lord above made man to help his neighbor
God created man to be compassionate towards their fellow human beings and offer help whenever possible.
When he comes around you won't be home!!
But with a bit of luck, one can avoid being bothered and won't have to provide assistance to others.
But, with a little bit of luck a man can duck
With a bit of luck, one can avoid being subjected to a barrage of requests for help.
Oh it's a crime for man to go philanderin'
Cheating on one's wife is immoral and can devastate her emotionally.
You can see the bloodhound don't find out
But with a bit of luck, the man can avoid getting caught cheating by his spouse.
A man was made to help support his children
It is a man's responsibility to provide for his offspring and ensure their well-being.
They'll go out and start supporting you
But with a bit of luck, the children can grow up to be self-sufficient and start supporting their parents.
He doesn't have a tuppence in his pocket
He is extremely poor and broke with no money to his name.
But, with a little bit of luck, he'll be movin' up to easy street
But with a bit of luck, he can improve his financial standing, and his life will become more comfortable.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALAN JAY LERNER, FREDERICK LOEWE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
john
on A Blossom Fell
i want the song" I'll never settle for less" lyrics,would somebody be so kind to give it to me?