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.

You Call It Madness
The Nat King Cole Trio Lyrics

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I can't forget the night I met you
That's all I'm dreaming of
And now you call it madness
But I call it love

You made a promise to be faithful
By all the stars above
And now you call it madness

But I call it love

My heart is beating
It keeps repeating
For you constantly
You're all I am needing
So I am pleading
Please come back to me

You made a plaything out of romance
What were you thinking of?
For now you call it madness
But I call it love

You've made a plaything out of romance
And what were you thinking of?

For now you call it madness
But I call it love

Overall Meaning

The Nat King Cole Trio's song You call it madness tells the story of a person reflecting on a past romantic relationship. The singer cannot forget the night they met and only dreams of that night. The person whom they had fallen in love with, however, now refers to their relationship as madness while the singer still refers to it as love. The person had promised to be faithful, but they had made a plaything out of romance, and now the singer is left alone, pleading for them to come back.

The lyrics of the song evoke a sense of longing and heartbreak. The repetition of "you call it madness, but I call it love" emphasizes the disconnect between the two perspectives of the relationship. The singer understands that the relationship may have been tumultuous and difficult, but they still hold onto the love they feel. The language of stars and promises adds to the romantic imagery of the song, further emphasizing the weight of the relationship on the singer's heart.

You Call It MadnessThe Nat King Cole Trio Lyrics

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You Call It Madness
The Nat King Cole Trio Lyrics