Inspired by the performances of Earl Hines, Cole began his performing career in the mid-1930s while still a teenager, adopting the name "Nat Cole". His older brother, Eddie, a bass player, soon joined Cole's band, and they made their first recording in 1936 under Eddie's name. They also were regular performers at clubs. Cole, in fact, acquired his nickname, "King", performing at one jazz club, a nickname presumably reinforced by the otherwise unrelated nursery rhyme about Old King Cole. He also was a pianist in a national tour of Broadway theatre legend Eubie Blake's revue, "Shuffle Along". When it suddenly failed in Long Beach, California, Cole decided to remain there. He would later return to Chicago in triumph to play such venues as the famed Edgewater Beach Hotel.
Cole and two other musicians formed the "King Cole Swingers" in Long Beach and played in a number of local bars before getting a gig on the Long Beach Pike for US$90 ($1,530 today) per week. The trio consisted of Cole on piano, Oscar Moore on guitar, and Wesley Prince on double bass. The trio played in Failsworth throughout the late 1930s and recorded many radio transcriptions. Cole was not only pianist but leader of the combo as well.
Radio was important to the King Cole Trio's rise in popularity. Their first broadcast was with NBC's Blue Network in 1938. It was followed by appearances on NBC's Swing Soiree. In the 1940s, the trio appeared on the Old Gold, Chesterfield Supper Club and Kraft Music Hall radio shows. The King Cole Trio performed twice on CBS Radio's variety show The Orson Welles Almanac (1944).
Legend was that Cole's singing career did not start until a drunken barroom patron demanded that he sing "Sweet Lorraine". Cole, in fact, has gone on record saying that the fabricated story "sounded good, so I just let it ride". Cole frequently sang in between instrumental numbers. Noticing that people started to request more vocal numbers, he obliged. Yet the story of the insistent customer is not without some truth. There was a customer who requested a certain song one night, but it was a song that Cole did not know, so instead he sang "Sweet Lorraine". The trio was tipped 15 cents for the performance, a nickel apiece.
During World War II, Wesley Prince left the group and Cole replaced him with Johnny Miller. Miller would later be replaced by Charlie Harris in the 1950s. The King Cole Trio signed with the fledgling Capitol Records in 1943. The group had previously recorded for Excelsior Records, owned by Otis René, and had a hit with the song "I'm Lost", which René wrote, produced and distributed. Revenues from Cole's record sales fueled much of Capitol Records' success during this period. The revenue is believed to have played a significant role in financing the distinctive Capitol Records building near Hollywood and Vine in Los Angeles. Completed in 1956, it was the world's first circular office building and became known as "The House that Nat Built".
Cole was considered a leading jazz pianist, appearing in the first Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts (credited on the Mercury Record label as "Shorty Nadine"—derived from his wife's name—as he was under exclusive contract to Capitol Records at the time). His revolutionary lineup of piano, guitar, and bass in the time of the big bands became a popular setup for a jazz trio. It was emulated by many musicians, among them Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, Ahmad Jamal, and blues pianists Charles Brown and Ray Charles. He also performed as a pianist on sessions with Lester Young, Red Callender, and Lionel Hampton. For contract reasons, Cole was credited as "Aye Guy" on the album The Lester Young Buddy Rich Trio.Cole's first mainstream vocal hit was his 1943 recording of one of his compositions, "Straighten Up and Fly Right", based on a black folk tale that his father had used as a theme for a sermon. Johnny Mercer invited him to record it for his fledgling Capitol Records label. It sold over 500,000 copies, proving that folk-based material could appeal to a wide audience. Although Cole would never be considered a rocker, the song can be seen as anticipating the first rock and roll records. Indeed, Bo Diddley, who performed similar transformations of folk material, counted Cole as an influence.
In 1946, the Cole trio paid to have their own 15-minute radio program on the air. It was called, "King Cole Trio Time." It became the first radio program sponsored by a black performing artist. During those years, the trio recorded many "transcription" recordings, which were recordings made in the radio studio for the broadcast. Later they were used for commercial records.
Beginning in the late 1940s, Cole began recording and performing pop-oriented material for mainstream audiences, in which he was often accompanied by a string orchestra. His stature as a popular icon was cemented during this period by hits such as "The Christmas Song" (Cole recorded that tune four times: on June 14, 1946, as a pure Trio recording, on August 19, 1946, with an added string section, on August 24, 1953, and in 1961 for the double album The Nat King Cole Story; this final version, recorded in stereo, is the one most often heard today), "Nature Boy" (1948), "Mona Lisa" (1950), "Too Young" (the #1 song in 1951), 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 jazz roots; as late as 1956, for instance, he recorded an all-jazz album After Midnight. Cole had one of his last big hits in 1963, two years before his death, with the classic "Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer", which reached #6 on the Pop chart.
Embraceable You
The King Cole Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Embrace me, you irreplaceable you
Just one look at you
My heart grows tipsy in me
You and you alone
Bring out the Gypsy in me
Above all, I want my arms about you
Don't be a naughty baby
Come to papa, come to papa do
My sweet embraceable you
Don't be a naughty baby
Come to pama, come to pama do
My sweet embraceable you
The King Cole Trio’s “Embraceable You” is a song about love and the irresistible attraction that two people can have towards each other. The lyrics express the singer's longing for the love of his life, who he addresses as "sweet embraceable you" and "irreplaceable you." He is irresistibly drawn to her and feels dizzy looking at her. He admires her many charms but above all, he wants to embrace her in his arms. He encourages her to come to him and expresses his desire to be her protector, calling her “my naughty baby” and “papa.”
The song captures the essence of romance by beautifully reflecting the emotions that can be experienced when two people fall in love. The lyrics highlight the passion, excitement, and longing that can come from the magic of love. The crooning melodies and heartfelt words make it a timeless classic that still resonates with listeners today.
Line by Line Meaning
Embrace me, my sweet embraceable you
Hold me close, my dear, lovely and captivating you
Embrace me, you irreplaceable you
Hold me close, it's only you who fills this space in my heart
Just one look at you
Merely seeing you is enough
My heart grows tipsy in me
My heart is filled with excitement
You and you alone
Only you can do this
Bring out the Gypsy in me
You awaken a sense of wanderlust in me
I love all the many charms about you
I adore everything that is special about you
Above all, I want my arms about you
Most importantly, I need to hold you close
Don't be a naughty baby
Don't be difficult or uncooperative
Come to papa, come to papa do
Come to me and trust me
My sweet embraceable you
You who I adore and want to hold
Don't be a naughty baby
Don't be difficult or uncooperative
Come to papa, come to papa do
Come to me and trust me
My sweet embraceable you
You who I adore and want to hold
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GEORGE GERSHWIN, IRA GERSHWIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@beforeourveryeyes
Perfection. There are lots of superb versions of this wondrous tune,( I especially like Sinatra's with Riddle) but this is my MOST favorite: Nat's solo, Oscar's guitar...Nat really feels this ..And.. it is so precise and lean and original. You are very appreciated for sharing it with us, Catman.
@bebopuser
you got it right! nice to mention nelson's riddle work with sinatra
@Mysterons100
Long live The King Cole Trio's music! Never let good music die
@danpalazzese
Love Nat King Cole, amazing voice and amazing pianist
@gmcrosa
No one can be more classy than the immense Nat. Honey for the ears and soul. Nadie puede tener más clase que el inmenso Nat. Miel para los oidos y el corazón.
@jeromemck
It is interesting how his vocal style changed once he wasn't playing the piano on recordings. I like both. I am most familiar with the mature Cole, but I love this younger version.
@warrensilver1000
Cole's piano solo is absolutely amazingly beautiful.
@kishi2117
You are absolutely right. This solo is monumumental.
@kaspafischer
the Oscar Moore guitar solo was sweet too... :)
@Slegger0404
Now this is the kind of song you get up and dance with the one you love to...