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.

This Will Make You Laugh
The Nat King Cole Trio Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I've found a way a way to make you smile
I've found a way
A way to make you smile
I read bad poetry
Into your machine.
I save your messages
Just to hear your voice.
You always listen carefully

To awkward rhymes.
You always say your name,
Like I wouldn't know it's you,
At your most beautiful.
I've found a way a way to make you smile
I've found a way
A way to make you smile
At my most beautiful
I count your eyelashes, secretly.
With everyone whisper I love you.
I let you sleep.
I know your closed eye watching me,
Listening.
I though I saw a smile.
I've found a way a way to make you smile

I've found a way
A way to make you smile

Overall Meaning

The Nat King Cole Trio's song "This Will Make You Laugh" is a beautiful and heartfelt expression of love. The singer has found a way to make his beloved smile, and he shares that with us through the music. The song begins with the declaration that he has found a way to make her smile, and then he proceeds to tell us how he does it. He reads bad poetry into her answering machine and saves her messages just to hear her voice. She always listens carefully to his awkward rhymes and says her name, as if he wouldn't know it's her, at her most beautiful. He counts her eyelashes secretly and whispers "I love you" to her, letting her sleep. He knows her closed eyes are watching him and listening, he feels her smile and knows he has succeeded in making her happy.

The song is a beautiful expression of love that is both tender and powerful. It shows the singer's deep understanding of his beloved and his willingness to do whatever it takes to make her happy. It also shows his vulnerability and his willingness to be vulnerable in front of her. The song is a beautiful reminder that love is not just about grand gestures and big displays of affection. It is also about the small things we do every day to show someone we care.

Line by Line Meaning

I've found a way a way to make you smile
I've discovered a method to bring a smile to your face

I read bad poetry Into your machine.
I recite poorly written poems and leave them in your answering machine

I save your messages Just to hear your voice.
I keep your messages as a memento to cherish the sound of your voice

You always listen carefully To awkward rhymes.
You attentively listen to my ungraceful poetry

You always say your name, Like I wouldn't know it's you, At your most beautiful.
You introduce yourself, even though I recognize your voice, at your loveliest self

At my most beautiful I count your eyelashes, secretly.
During my happiest moments, I secretly admire the beauty of your eyelashes

With everyone whisper I love you. I let you sleep.
While everyone else speaks and declares their love, I let you sleep peacefully

I know your closed eye watching me, Listening.
I am aware that your eyes are closed but you're still aware and listening to me

I though I saw a smile.
I believe I saw a smile on your face

I've found a way a way to make you smile
I have discovered a means to make you grin

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PETER BUCK, MIKE MILLS, MICHAEL STIPE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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