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.
Leavin'
Natalie Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They say that love is a 2 way street
But you can't prove that by me
Lately, it just seems like I'm headed down
Lonely, one lane highway
Well, it's the same ol' same ol'
A thousand times before
But this time, it's different
'Coz this time I'm not takin' it anymore
(Hey)
I'm leavin'
(Hey)
This time it's for good
You should've treated me
The way you said you would
(Hey)
I'm leavin'
(Hey)
And you can't make me stay
I'm tired of bein' hurt
And it ain't no good anyway
Now, I know it's gonna be hard on you
Once it hits you that I'm gone
And all those pretty things
That you bought for me, you can keep it
'Coz they don't make up
For the damage that you've done
Oh, you'll be alright, you'll be fine
It just won't be today
And as for me, I'm doin' better already
But what a hell of a price to pay
(Hey, hey)
I'm leavin'
(Hey)
And this time it's for good
You never treated me
The way you said you would
(Hey, hey)
I'm leavin', baby
(Hey)
And you can't make me stay
I'm tired of being hurt
And it ain't no good
It ain't no good anyway
(Hurts me so)
When it's 4 o'clock in the mornin'
(Sad to go)
And my bags are packed and ready to go
Don't know what I was thinkin'
But I should have left you a long time ago
(Hurts me so)
And thought it hurts me, baby
(Sad to go)
Nothin's gonna make me stay
And I'm tired, tired of hurtin' anyway
Love ain't supposed to hurt
That's right
You got to know your worth
(And I finally believe I'm worth a lot)
You're not the first and you probably
Won't be the last
(It hurts so much inside)
You're not the one to blame
(Hurts me so)
(And I try not to blame myself)
But you gotta get over the shame
(Sad to go)
(But oh, you don't know)
Take a good look
You know you're never comin' back
(No, never, no, never)
(Hey)
This time it's for good
(Hey)
You never treated me
The way you said you would
And I'm leavin', baby, bye bye
In 'Leavin', Natalie Cole sings about ending a relationship and the strength it takes to leave. She begins by admitting her own experience has led her to question if love is truly a two-way street. The lyrics go on to describe how she's been down this road before but this time, something is different. Despite knowing it's going to be tough, she's made the decision to leave for good. In the bridge, she admits that it hurts to say goodbye but she's done being hurt in a relationship that isn't good for her. She reminds herself that love is not supposed to hurt, that she needs to know her worth and that although it's hard to leave, she's "worth a lot".
The song encapsulates the difficult journey of leaving a relationship where the other person hasn't lived up to their promises. Natalie's gentle and soothing vocals contrast the straight forward and resolute lyrics, resulting in a very powerful and relatable song. It serves as a reminder that respecting oneself is important, and the choice to leave can be a brave one.
Line by Line Meaning
They say that love is a 2 way street
People say that love requires mutual effort from both partners.
But you can't prove that by me
In the singer's personal experience, her partner was not putting in equal effort in their relationship.
Lately, it just seems like I'm headed down
Recently, the singer feels like her life and relationship have been going badly.
Lonely, one lane highway
The path she is headed down feels isolating and without possibility of change.
Well, it's the same ol' same ol'
This situation is familiar to the singer, having happened many times before.
It's not like I haven't been here
She knows this situation all too well.
A thousand times before
The repeated nature of this unfortunate circumstance is emphasized for emphasis.
But this time, it's different
Despite all the previous times she has gone through this, the singer feels like this time is particularly notable for some reason.
'Coz this time I'm not takin' it anymore
The singer has had enough and will not tolerate it further.
(Hey)
I'm leavin'
(Hey)
This time it's for good
You should've treated me
The way you said you would
The singer is decisively leaving the relationship that has been mistreating her, noting that her partner didn't uphold their promises to her regarding how she would be treated.
(Hey)
I'm leavin'
(Hey)
And you can't make me stay
I'm tired of bein' hurt
And it ain't no good anyway
The singer is taking control of her own life and leaving, being unwilling to keep accepting hurtful treatment.
Now, I know it's gonna be hard on you
The singer is empathetic to how her partner will feel in response to the breakup.
Once it hits you that I'm gone
The singer expects her partner to be caught off guard at first when she departs.
And all those pretty things
That you bought for me, you can keep it
The gifts her partner has given her will no longer bring her joy and she relinquishes any attachment to them, allowing him to keep them.
'Coz they don't make up
For the damage that you've done
Material things can't compensate for the harm that has been inflicted on the singer during this relationship.
Oh, you'll be alright, you'll be fine
It just won't be today
The singer believes that her partner will eventually heal and get over the breakup, but acknowledges that it will be a difficult and slow process.
And as for me, I'm doin' better already
But what a hell of a price to pay
The singer is already feeling some relief and recovery, but laments that the price of this progress has been very high.
(Hey, hey)
I'm leavin'
(Hey)
And this time it's for good
You never treated me
The way you said you would
The chorus is repeated, emphasizing that the singer is definitely departing the relationship that promised better treatment than she received.
(Hey, hey)
I'm leavin', baby
(Hey)
And you can't make me stay
I'm tired of being hurt
And it ain't no good
It ain't no good anyway
The repeated chorus underscores that the singer is firm in her decision to end this relationship in order to escape the harm that has been done to her.
(Hurts me so)
When it's 4 o'clock in the mornin'
(Sad to go)
And my bags are packed and ready to go
Don't know what I was thinkin'
But I should have left you a long time ago
Breaking up is a painful process for the singer, but she recognizes that it was probably long overdue and that staying would have only made her unhappier.
(Hurts me so)
And thought it hurts me, baby
(Sad to go)
Nothin's gonna make me stay
And I'm tired, tired of hurtin' anyway
The singer is clear that leaving is a difficult choice, but it is also the right choice because nothing will make her willingly stay in a relationship that hurts her.
Love ain't supposed to hurt
That's right
You got to know your worth
(And I finally believe I'm worth a lot)
The singer is learning that love should not be painful and that she deserves better than what she has been receiving. She is finally starting to hold herself in higher regard.
You're not the first and you probably
Won't be the last
(It hurts so much inside)
The singer recognizes that her painful experience is not unique and that other people likely have similar stories to tell. Despite this shared pain, it still deeply affects her internally.
You're not the one to blame
(Hurts me so)
(And I try not to blame myself)
But you gotta get over the shame
(Sad to go)
(But oh, you don't know)
Although the singer does not want to blame her partner, he still needs to take responsibility for how he has treated her. There is a sense of shame involved in leaving a relationship, but the singer knows that it was ultimately the right choice for her.
Take a good look
You know you're never comin' back
(No, never, no, never)
The singer is making it clear that this is the end of the relationship and there is no chance of reconciliation. This is final.
(Hey)
This time it's for good
(Hey)
You never treated me
The way you said you would
And I'm leavin', baby, bye bye
The song's closing emphasizes the singer's departure from a relationship that never fulfilled its promises and left her feeling deeply hurt. Her decision is final and she is moving on.
Contributed by Luke O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.