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Smile By Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles
best known as
Nat King Cole
Smile
(born March 17, 1917, Montgomery, Alabama,
died February 15, 1965, Santa Monica, California)
"Smile" is a song based on an instrumental theme
used in the soundtrack for the 1936 Charlie Chaplin
movie Modern Times. Chaplin composed the music,
while John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons added the
lyrics and title in 1954 reference. In the lyrics,
the singer is telling the listener to cheer up
and that there is always a bright tomorrow, just
as long as they smile. "Smile" has become a popular
standard since its original use in Chaplin's film.
The song was originally sung by Nat King Cole, charted
in 1954. It was also covered by Cole's daughter, Natalie,
on her 1991 album, Unforgettable ... with Love.
American musician hailed as one of the best and most
influential pianists and small-group leaders of the
swing era. Cole attained his greatest commercial
success, however, as a vocalist specializing in warm
ballads and light swing.
Cole grew up in Chicago where, by age 12, he sang and
played organ in the church where his father was pastor.
He formed his first jazz group, the Royal Dukes, five
years later. In 1937, after touring with a black musical
revue, he began playing in jazz clubs in Los Angeles.
There he formed the King Cole Trio (originally King Cole
and His Swingsters), with guitarist Oscar Moore and
Bassist Wesley Prince (later replaced by Johnny Miller)
The trio specialized in swing music with a delicate
touch in that they did not employ a drummer; also unique
were the voicing of piano and guitar, often juxtaposed
to sound like a single instrument. An influence on jazz
pianists such as Oscar Peterson, Cole was known for a
compact, syncopated piano style with clean, spare,
melodic phrases.
During the late 1930s and early 40s the trio made
several instrumental recordings, as well as others
hat featured their harmonizing vocals. They found
their greatest success, however, when Cole began
doubling as a solo singer. Their first chart success,
“Straighten Up and Fly Right” (1943), was followed
by hits such as “Sweet Lorraine, 'It's Only a Paper
Moon,” ( I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons,” and
“Route 66.” Eventually, Cole's piano playing took a
back-seat to his singing career. Noted for his warm
tone and flawless phrasing, Cole was regarded among
the top male vocalists, although jazz critics tended
to regret his near-abandonment of the piano. He first
recorded with a full orchestra (the trio serving as
rhythm section) in 1946 for “The Christmas Song,”
a holiday standard and one of Cole's biggest-selling
recordings. By the 1950s, he worked almost exclusively
as a singer, with such notable arrangers as Nelson
Riddle and Billy May providing lush orchestral
accompaniment. “Nature Boy,” “Mona Lisa,” “Too Young,”
“A Blossom Fell,” and “Unforgettable” were among his
major hits of the period. He occasionally revisited his
jazz roots, as on the outstanding album After Midnight
(1956), which proved that Cole's piano skills had not
diminished.
Cole's popularity allowed him to become the first
African American to host a network variety program,
The Nat King Cole Show, which debuted on NBC television
in 1956. The show fell victim to the bigotry of the
times, however, and was canceled after one season;
few sponsors were willing to be associated with a
black entertainer. Cole had greater success with
concert performances during the late 1950s and early
60s and twice toured with his own vaudeville-style
reviews, The Merry World of Nat King Cole (1961) and
Sights and Sounds (1963). His hits of the early 60s
“Rambling' Rose,” “Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of
Summer, and “L-O-V-E”—indicate that he was moving even
farther away from his jazz roots and concentrating
almost
exclusively on mainstream pop. Adapting
his style,
however, was one factor that kept Cole popular up to
his early death from lung cancer in 1965.
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Music:
Smile
by Nat King Cole
