Before his international acclaim as a pop vocalist, Nathaniel Adams Coles b… Read Full Bio ↴Before his international acclaim as a pop vocalist, Nathaniel Adams Coles built an indelible reputation as a jazz pianist in the groundbreaking combo, The King Cole Trio. Born into a musical family, young Nat Coles (later changed to Cole) recorded with his older brother, Edward, in 1936 for the Decca label. The four sides cut by Eddie Cole's Solid Swingers gave the general public its first glimpse of Nat's gentle yet lively piano riffs. After touring with a revival show of Eubie Blake's revue Shuffle Along, Cole settled in Los Angeles, playing various nightclubs as a soloist. In 1937, club owner Bob Lewis suggested that Cole assemble a small band to work at his Swanee Inn on North La Brea. The group's unorthodox instrumentation and size - they had no drummer and, at the time, big bands were the rage - featured Wesley Prince on bass and the innovative phrasings of electric guitarist Oscar Moore. The Trio's blend of jump blues and jazzy instrumentals with bouncy vocal stylings was a collective effort, while Cole occasionally took the lead on standard ballads. After an uneventful 1939 session for the Davis & Schwegler recording company in Hollywood, The Trio accompanied Lionel Hampton on two recording dates the following summer. Their association with Hampton helped, and that winter The Trio signed with Decca. Their 1940-41 sessions for the label yielded sixteen songs and captured the attention of fellow musicians, fans and a handful of critics. Later that fall, The Trio sounded right at home with drummer Lee Young on a four-song session for the Ammor label. In 1942, Cole recorded with Red Callender and saxophonist Lester Young for the Philo/Aladdin label, Oscar Moore with Cole at the piano. Image courtesy of the Dave Dexter, Jr. Collection.producing a handful of recordings that became benchmarks in their individual careers. Signing with Capitol Records in 1943, The Trio consisted of Cole, Moore, and Johnny Miller, who had settled in as the permanent bassist. Moore left the fold in 1947 and Irving Ashby replaced him. Capitol Records featured The Trio less and less after that, while Cole was singled out as a vocalist often backed by lush string orchestras. By the 1950's, Cole's reputation as a singer had reached a wide pop audience and, upon his death in 1965, his place in music history was forever cemented. His fellow jazz peers, however, never forgot his equally unique touch on the piano and the influence his early trio work had on later performers such as Oscar Peterson, Red Garland, and Tommy Flanagan.

Barcarolle
The Nat King Cole Trio Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Les contes d'Hoffmann
Jacques Offenbach, Barcarolle

Le temps fuit et sans retour
Emporte nos tendresses
Loin de cet heureux séjour
Le temps fuit sans retour

Zéphyrs embrasés
Versez-nous vos caresses
Zéphyrs embrasés
Donnez-nous vos baisers
vos baisers! vos baisers! Ah

Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour
Souris à nos ivresses
Nuit plus douce que le jour
Ô belle nuit d'amour
Ah! Souris à nos ivresses

Nuit d'amour, ô nuit d'amour
Ah! ah! ah! ah! ah! ah! ah! ah! ah! ah!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Barcarolle by The Nat King Cole Trio are actually an adaptation of the famous aria "Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour" from Jacques Offenbach's opera "Les contes d'Hoffmann." The song speaks of a fleeting, ephemeral love that the performers seek to hold onto before it slips away. The first verse describes the passage of time and how it carries away all of their tender moments and happy memories. The second verse is an appeal to the hot winds, asking them to embrace the performers with their warmth and passion. The third verse is the most famous part of the song, and it speaks of a beautiful night of love that is sweeter than the day, and asks the night to smile on their drunken revelry.

Overall, the song speaks to the human desire to hold onto fleeting moments of joy and love, knowing that they cannot be captured forever. It is a bittersweet reminder of the transience of life and love, and a poignant tribute to the pleasures of the moment.

Line by Line Meaning

Le temps fuit et sans retour
Time passes by and can never be regained

Emporte nos tendresses
It takes away our affections and passions

Loin de cet heureux séjour
Far away from this happy abode

Le temps fuit sans retour
Time passes by and can never be regained

Zéphyrs embrasés
Fervid zephyrs

Versez-nous vos caresses
Shower us with your caresses

Zéphyrs embrasés
Fervid zephyrs

Donnez-nous vos baisers
Give us your kisses

vos baisers! vos baisers! Ah
Your kisses! Your kisses! Ah

Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour
Beautiful night, oh night of love

Souris à nos ivresses
Smile upon our intoxicated bliss

Nuit plus douce que le jour
Night sweeter than the day

Ô belle nuit d'amour
Oh beautiful night of love

Ah! Souris à nos ivresses
Ah! Smile upon our intoxicated bliss

Nuit d'amour, ô nuit d'amour
Night of love, oh night of love

Ah! ah! ah! ah! ah! ah! ah! ah! ah! ah!
Ah! ah! ah! ah! ah! ah! ah! ah! ah! ah!

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Lorin Maazel, Jacques Auguste Ignace Offenbach, Jules Paul Barbier, Michel Antoine Florentin Carre

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

BarcarolleThe Nat King Cole Trio Lyrics

Barcarolle
The Nat King Cole Trio Lyrics