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.

I Miss You So
The Nat King Cole Trio Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Those happy hours I spent with you,
That lovely afterglow,
Most of all, I miss you so.

Your sweet caresses each rendezvous,
Your voice so soft and low,
Most of all, I miss you so.

You once filled my heart,
No regrets, no fears,
Now you'll find my heart filled to the top with tears,
I'll always love you,
And want you too,
How much, you'll never know,
Most of all, I miss you so.

I'll always love you,
And want you too,
How much, you'll never know,
Most of all, I miss you so.

I'll always love you.
I miss you so.

Overall Meaning

The Nat King Cole Trio's song "I Miss You So" is a timeless classic that speaks about the joys and sorrows of love. The lyrics paint a picture of a person longing for the return of a lover who has left their life. The first stanza speaks of happy hours spent together and a lovely afterglow that has been absent since the lover left. The second stanza highlights the importance of the lover's sweet caresses and soft voice that is dearly missed. The chorus repeats the phrase "Most of all, I miss you so" to emphasize how much the lover is missed.

The third stanza shows that the lover once filled the singer's heart with no regrets or fears, but now they are left with a heart full of tears after their departure. Despite this, the singer declares that they will always love the lover and want them back. The final repetition of the chorus reiterates the depth of the singer's longing for their lover's return.

Overall, the song is a melancholic expression of heartache and loss, but it also speaks to the timeless nature of love and the enduring hope that it brings.

Line by Line Meaning

Those happy hours I spent with you,
I miss the joyful time I spent with you.

That lovely afterglow,
I miss the wonderful feeling that lingered after we were together.

Most of all, I miss you so.
Above all else, I miss you deeply.

Your sweet caresses each rendezvous,
I miss the gentle touches we shared on each meeting.

Your voice so soft and low,
I miss the soothing sound of your voice.

You once filled my heart,
You used to bring immense joy to my life.

No regrets, no fears,
There's nothing I regret or fear about the time we spent together.

Now you'll find my heart filled to the top with tears,
Now, tears fill my heart instead of joy.

I'll always love you,
My love for you will never die.

And want you too,
I long to be with you again.

How much, you'll never know,
You can't comprehend the depth of my love for you.

Most of all, I miss you so.
Above all else, I miss you deeply.

I'll always love you,
My love for you will never die.

I miss you so.
I miss you deeply.

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHRISTOPHER VON DEYLEN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

I Miss You SoThe Nat King Cole Trio Lyrics

I Miss You So
The Nat King Cole Trio Lyrics