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.

Somebody Loves Me
The Nat King Cole Trio Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Somebody loves me, I wonder who
I wonder who he can be
Somebody loves me, I wish I knew
Who can he be worries me

For every boy who passes me, I shout "Hey, maybe"
You were meant to be my loving baby, baby, oh
Somebody loves me, I wonder who

Maybe it's you

For every boy who passes me, I shout "Hey, maybe"
You were meant to be my loving baby, baby

Somebody loves me, I wonder who
Maybe, it's

Baby, it's
Maybe, baby, that somebody is you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Nat King Cole Trio's song "Somebody Loves Me" reflect the feelings of someone who is wondering about the identity of a secret admirer. The song begins with the line "Somebody loves me, I wonder who," and the singer of the song expresses their desire to find out who this secret admirer might be. The lyrics reflect the inner thoughts and emotions of someone who is curious and maybe a little worried about what the revelation of their secret admirer's identity could mean for them. The song is a testament to the power of love and its ability to transform the ones we love and inspire us to be better versions of ourselves.

In the second verse of the song, the singer expresses their hope that the secret admirer is someone they know and trust. They shout "Hey, maybe!" to every boy who passes them, suggesting that they are open to the possibility that one of them might be their secret admirer. The singer imagines them as their "loving baby," a term of endearment that speaks to the idea that this love could be the one they have been searching for. The song is a romantic ballad that speaks to the universal desire to be loved and treasured by someone special.

Line by Line Meaning

Somebody loves me, I wonder who
I feel loved by someone but I am not sure who it could be

I wonder who he can be
I am curious about the identity of the person who loves me

Somebody loves me, I wish I knew
I wish I could figure out who the person who loves me is

Who can he be worries me
I am worried about who the person who loves me could be

For every boy who passes me, I shout "Hey, maybe"
I am open to the possibility of any boy being the one who loves me

You were meant to be my loving baby, baby, oh
I hope that the person who loves me is the one I am talking to right now

Somebody loves me, I wonder who
I still don't know who the person who loves me is

Maybe it's you
It could be that the person who loves me is the one I am talking to right now

Somebody loves me, I wonder who
I wonder again who the person who loves me is

Maybe, it's
It is possible that the person who loves me is

Baby, it's
The person who loves me could be addressed as "baby"

Maybe, baby, that somebody is you
It is possible that the person who loves me is the one I am talking to right now, and if so, I am calling them "baby"

Somebody Loves MeThe Nat King Cole Trio Lyrics

Somebody Loves Me
The Nat King Cole Trio Lyrics