Nat

With a voice that speaks across generations, Nat King Cole's songs are still revered more than 50 years after his death in 1965.

“Pretend” feels like “Smile” part two. The king of romance delivers yet again with “L-O-V-E.” Typically one to lean into piano ballads, Cole adds a little pep with a big band on this standard. It’s likely that “The Christmas Song” is many listeners’ entryway into the rest of Cole’s catalog. He proves he can do heartache just as successfully as love songs, as “A Blossom Fell” reached No. Like “The Christmas Song,” “Unforgettable” is quintessential Cole. Cole takes his time with “The Very Thought of You,” letting each word simmer alongside the enchanting sea of violins. Chaplin later added lyrics to the song in 1954, which Cole took to the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 that same year. [Described by Cole](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFyuOEovTOE) as a “wonderful oldie,” the song was written by Irving Gordon and recorded in 1951 for Cole’s album of the same name. With visions of the purple dusk of twilight time and meadows of my heart, Cole paints a vivid picture of love gone by as swiftly as a shooting star across the night sky he sings of. Between the gentle orchestra and Cole’s soaring voice, he tells a magical tale of the kind of love we all dream of finding. Built on a foundation of romance and love, Cole has the power to capture one’s heart with any one of his standards, which have earned him placement in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000. In a catalog of powerful songs, “When I Fall in Love” strikes a chord.