Cole was exposed to the greats of jazz, soul and blues at an early age and began performing at the age of 11. Her debut album in 1975, Inseparable, won her immediate praise, with the smash single This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) (#1 R&B, #6 Pop) winning her a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female, a category that had been monopolized by Aretha Franklin, since its inception in 1967. She also was named the Grammys' Best New Artist of 1975. She attended the Northfield Mount Hermon School in Northfield, MA.
More hits followed through 1980, including her biggest Pop hit, 1977's I've Got Love On My Mind, as well as Sophisticated Lady (She's A Different Lady) (1976), Our Love (1978), and Someone That I Used To Love (1980). "I've Got Love On My Mind" and "Our Love" both earned certifications as Gold singles. But then her career hit a snag in the early 1980s due to a severe drug problem. By 1985, Natalie was clean, sober, and in fine voice, and ready to begin her comeback in earnest with the album Dangerous, released on the Modern label.
In 1987, she released Everlasting (on EMI Manhattan) which sold over 2 million copies in the U.S., and won Cole a Soul Train Award for Female Single of the Year for the #1 R&B ballad I Live for Your Love. This album was the one that put Natalie Cole firmly back in the spotlight, yielding three major hit singles: Jump Start, "I Live For Your Love" (#2 AC and #13 Pop as well as #1 R&B), and a successful remake of Bruce Springsteen's Pink Cadillac (#5 Pop, #16 AC, and #1 Dance). The album also included a taste of things to come in her career with a remake of one of her father's signature hits, "When I Fall In Love," which did moderately well on the AC chart. In 1989, the aptly-titled Good To Be Back gave her another across-the-board smash with "Miss You Like Crazy" (#1 both R&B and AC, and #7 Pop).
However, it was her 1991 album, Unforgettable... with Love, featuring her own arrangements of her father's greatest hits, that gave her the most success. Ironically, when Natalie began her career, she was determined not to capitalize on her father's name and wanted to forge her own identity by going after the soul market in earnest. For many years, she also found the prospect of recording her late father's songs too painful on a personal level. But Unforgettable... With Love certainly paid off. The set sold over 5 million copies in the United States alone, and won Cole several Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance. The album featured a duet, the title track, with her father, created by splicing a recording of his vocals into the track. As a single, it reached #14 on Billboard Magazine's Hot 100 chart, and went gold. The one sour spot in the album's success was that it strained Natalie's already-tumultuous relationship with her mother, Maria, who said in interviews at the time that she couldn't listen to the album or attend any of her daughter's concerts because she felt that the music really belonged to her late husband.
Natalie has released several more albums of pop standards in the years since; as a result of appealing to the "adult standards" audience, she has made only occasional forays onto the pop singles charts in that time (for example, "A Smile Like Yours," #8 AC and #84 Pop in 1997), although her albums still sell well. Her 1999 album Snowfall On The Sahara marked a return to the easy adult-contemporary soul that categorized her late-1980s hits, but for 2002's critically-praised Ask A Woman Who Knows, she turned more to the jazz side of the spectrum, covering songs made famous by Dinah Washington, Nina Simone, and Sarah Vaughan.
Battle With Drugs
In 2000, Cole released an autobiography, Angel on my Shoulder, which described her battle with drugs during much of her life. In the book, Cole admitted to using LSD, heroin and crack cocaine. Cole said she began experimenting with drugs while attending the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and was arrested in Toronto, Canada for possession of heroin in 1975. Cole continued to spiral out of control - including an incident in which her young son Robert nearly drowned in the family swimming pool while she and her first husband, the late Reverend Marvin Yancy were on a drug binge - until she entered rehab in 1983.
In concert with the release of the book, her autobiography was turned into a made-for-TV movie, The Natalie Cole Story, which aired December 10, 2000 on NBC.
Natalie has been married three times and has a son Robert Yancy (by Marvin Yancy), born in 1977. She later married former Rufus drummer Andre Fischer, who co-produced the Grammy Award-winning Unforgettable... With Love, Natalie's love offering featuring songs made famous by her father, including a faux-duet between her and her father.
The marriage to Fischer ended in divorce a few years later, amidst rumors of domestic verbal and physical abuse.
It has also been reported that Natalie has recovered from a life-threatening hepatitis illness (most likely the cause of her years of drug abuse) by having a liver transplant.
Miss Cole went on to release more albums after Unforgettable...With Love, with most of them featuring jazz-oriented standard songs or pop-song remakes. None of the albums were nearly as successful as Unforgettable...With Love.
As of 2013, Natalie Cole spent most of her professional time covering the concert circuit entertaining audiences around the world with her hits.
On December 31, 2015, Natalie Cole died from congestive heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. She was aged 65.
As Time Goes By
Natalie Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gives cause for apprehension
With speed and new invention
And things like fourth dimension.
Yet we get a trifle weary
With Mr. Einstein's theory.
So we must get down to earth at times
Relax relieve the tension
And no matter what the progress
Or what may yet be proved
The simple facts of life are such
They cannot be removed
You must remember this
A kiss is still a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh.
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by.
And when two lovers woo
They still say, "I love you."
On that you can rely
No matter what the future brings
As time goes by.
Moonlight and love songs
Never out of date.
Hearts full of passion
Jealousy and hate.
Woman needs man
And man must have his mate
That no one can deny.
It's still the same old story
A fight for love and glory
A case of do or die.
The world will always welcome lovers
As time goes by.
Oh yes, the world will always welcome lovers
As time goes by.
Natalie Cole's song As Time Goes By reflects on the advancements of technology and science during the time it was recorded, and the need for a return to simplicity and relaxation to balance out the stress of an ever-changing world. The lyrics prompt listeners to remember that while there may be new and exciting discoveries, the simple pleasures of life, such as love and human connection, remain constant and cannot be replaced.
The song references the theories of Albert Einstein, who was known for developing scientific breakthroughs in the early 20th century, and the “fourth dimension,” which was a concept being explored at the time surrounding the ideas of time travel and multiple realities. The lyrics indicate that despite the fascination with these scientific advancements, there’s still a need to unwind and take a break from such complexities.
When the lyrics move onto discussing love, they highlight that even though the world can change and advance, the fundamentals of human nature remain the same. People will still fall in love and express affection toward one another, and these remain essential aspects of life that will never fade away. Natalie Cole ultimately concludes that despite the world’s changing nature, it will always welcome and appreciate love as time goes by.
Line by Line Meaning
This day and age we're living in
The modern era is causing us to feel uneasy or uncertain.
Gives cause for apprehension
This time period is causing us to feel uneasy or uncertain.
With speed and new invention
Technology and innovation are advancing at a rapid pace.
And things like fourth dimension.
Theoretical concepts such as the fourth dimension are becoming more popular.
Yet we get a trifle weary
However, we are becoming tired or uninterested in these ideas.
With Mr. Einstein's theory.
Specifically, we are becoming weary of Albert Einstein's theories.
So we must get down to earth at times
Therefore, we must ground ourselves in reality at times.
Relax relieve the tension
By doing so, we can ease our anxiety or stress.
And no matter what the progress
Despite all the technological advancements and scientific discoveries,
Or what may yet be proved
Or what may come to light in the future,
The simple facts of life are such
The basic truths about existence remain the same,
They cannot be removed
And cannot be altered or erased.
You must remember this
It's important to keep in mind
A kiss is still a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh.
That romantic gestures like kissing and sighing still hold the same meaning they always have.
The fundamental things apply
These basic truths continue to be relevant.
As time goes by.
No matter the passage of time.
And when two lovers woo
When two people are courting or romantically pursuing each other,
They still say, "I love you."
They still express their love to one another.
On that you can rely
You can be sure of this fact.
No matter what the future brings
Regardless of what happens in the future,
As time goes by.
These truths will remain constant.
Moonlight and love songs
Romantic settings and music,
Never out of date.
Will always be timeless and appreciated.
Hearts full of passion
People will always feel strong emotions,
Jealousy and hate.
Like jealousy and hate.
Woman needs man
Women desire companionship and support from a partner,
And man must have his mate
And men desire a mate to fulfill their needs.
That no one can deny.
This fact is universally true and accepted.
It's still the same old story
The narrative of love and conflict has not changed,
A fight for love and glory
It's still a struggle for love and recognition.
A case of do or die.
It's a situation where you either succeed or fail completely.
The world will always welcome lovers
The world will always have a place for those in love,
As time goes by.
Regardless of how much time passes.
Oh yes, the world will always welcome lovers
People will always find comfort and acceptance in love,
As time goes by.
No matter how much time elapses.
Contributed by Michael N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Rose speaks truth!! like it is!!!
As Time goes By Her music will never get old 🤗
North Harper
Listening 30 years later?
Mark Bliss
Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer