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.
You Gotta Be
Natalie Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Challenge what the future holds
Try and keep your head up to the sky
Lovers, they may cause you tears
Go ahead release your fears
Stand up and be counted
Don't be ashamed to cry
You gotta be
You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold
You gotta be wiser, you gotta be hard
You gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm
You gotta stay together
All I know, all I know, Is love will save the day
Herald what your mother said
Readin' the books your father read
Try to solve the puzzles in your own sweet time
Some may have more cash than you
Others take a different view
My oh my hey, hey, hey
You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold
You gotta be wiser,
You gotta be hard, you gotta be tough,
You gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm
You gotta stay together
All I know, all I know, Is love will save the day
Time ask no questions, it goes on without you
Leaving you behind if you can't stand the pace
The world keeps on spinning
You can't stop it, if you try to
The best part is danger staring you in the face
Ohh, well then Listen as your day unfolds
(You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold)
Challenge what the future holds
(You gotta be wiser)
Try and keep your head up to the sky
(you gotta be hard,You gotta be tough)
(you gotta be stronger)
Lovers, they may cause you tears
(You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm)
Go ahead release your fears
(You gotta stay together)
My oh my hey, hey, hey
(All I know, all I know)
(Is love will save the day)
(Well then listen as your day unfolds)
You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold
(Challenge what the future holds)
You gotta be wiser
(Try and keep your head up to the sky)
You gotta be hard, You gotta be tough
You gotta be stronger
(Lovers, they may cause you tears)
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm
(Go ahead release your fears)
You gotta stay together
(My, oh, my, hey, hey, hey)
All I know, all I know, Is love will save the day
Love will save the day
Well, all I know, all I know
You gotta get yourself together
Love will save the day
You gotta keep your head to the sky
Love will save the day
Because the world will keep on spinning
Love will save the day
Love, love, love will save the day
Love, love, love will save the day
Love will save the day
Love, love, love will save the day
Love will save the day
Natalie Cole's song "You Gotta Be" is an empowering song that guides people to challenge what the future holds and keep their head up high. Listeners are advised to be bad, bold, wise, hard, tough, and stronger. All of this will help people face life's challenges and obstacles with grace and resilience. Natalie suggests that love will save the day and encourages people to stay together through difficult times.
The song is uplifting and inspires people to tap into their inner strength to face life's challenges. The lyrics address various aspects of life such as relationships, family, and the unpredictable nature of life. The song reminds people that time waits for nobody, and the best way to face adversity is by being bold, wise, and strong. Listeners are encouraged to find solace in love because nothing else can save the day.
The song encourages listeners to be their own person and stand for what they believe in. It also invites listeners to embrace their unique circumstances and make the most out of them. The lyrics inspire listeners to welcome change and be willing to learn from life's experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen as your day unfolds
Pay attention to what happens in your day.
Challenge what the future holds
Do not just accept what the future holds, question it and push for a different outcome.
Try and keep your head up to the sky
Keep your head up and maintain hope.
Lovers, they may cause you tears
Lovers may bring you pain and sadness.
Go ahead release your fears
Let go of your fears and move forward.
Stand up and be counted
Be brave and let your voice be heard.
Don't be ashamed to cry
Do not feel ashamed to show your emotions, including crying.
You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold
Be bold, daring, and unafraid to take risks even if some may consider it wrong.
You gotta be wiser
You need to become more knowledgeable than before
You gotta be hard, you gotta be tough
Be strong and don't let your emotions dictate your decisions.
You gotta be stronger
Grow stronger, both physically and mentally.
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm
Remain calm, don't panic and be level-headed in difficult situations.
You gotta stay together
Stick together as a team.
All I know, all I know, Is love will save the day
Love will conquer all problems, and everything will work out eventually.
Herald what your mother said
Listen to what your mother told you.
Readin' the books your father read
Follow your father's guidance and wisdom.
Try to solve the puzzles in your own sweet time
Do not rush yourself when trying to find solutions, take your time.
Some may have more cash than you
Many people may be richer than you are.
Others take a different view
Many people have different opinions than you do.
My oh my hey, hey, hey
An expression of surprise, excitement or frustration.
Time ask no questions, it goes on without you
Time continues moving, regardless of whether or not you are ready or involved.
Leaving you behind if you can't stand the pace
If you cannot keep up, time will continue to advance without you
The world keeps on spinning
The world will continue moving forward, regardless of anything.
You can't stop it, if you try to
Attempting to stop the world from moving is impossible.
The best part is danger staring you in the face
The greatest thrills come when faced with danger and potential harm.
Love will save the day
Love will always prevail.
Well, all I know, all I know
All that is really known.
You gotta get yourself together
You need to become better organized and prepared
You gotta keep your head to the sky
You need to remain positive and look ahead.
Because the world will keep on spinning
The world will continue to move forward, no matter what.
Love, love, love will save the day
Love is the key to conquering any obstacle or problem
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Des'ree Weekes, Ashley Ingram
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind