“Nat King Cole” by Alicia Keys
“Nat King Cole” seems to be the first clearly non-romantic song on the playlist of “Keys” since “Plentiful“, the very first track on the album. However, it is possible that the addressee of this song can also be a romantic interest.
But more to the point is this being a straight-up motivational piece, which is why the nature of the relationship between vocalist and addressee is never specified. What it revolves around is Alicia encouraging listeners to be “like Nat King Cole”. Nat K. Cole, as you likely already know, was an iconic, mid-20th century African-American singer.
And yes, it is a bit unusual to have someone encourage you to emulate an old-timey entertainer. But Alicia is very much in tune with the historical soul of African-American music. From her perspective, the primary attribute Nat possessed would be an indomitable creativity/confidence/swagger.
And again, she feels that such characteristics are worthy to be possessed by all. To her, being confident enough to expresses yourself – or “sing your song” as she puts it – as presented will make your life more edifying internally and more “unforgettable” externally.
In Conclusion
So it can be said that in Alicia’s eyes, Nat King Cole possessed a world-class level of self-confidence. Furthermore, considering that his signature song is entitled “Unforgettable”, she utilizes that term/concept quite liberally in the lyrics.
All things considered (such as the title), in addition to this piece serving as a slice of inspiration, it is also intended to memorialize Nat King Cole himself. But whereas he may be one of the most famous musicians from his era, his is not a name that tends to pop up regularly these days. So it can be theorized that Keys knows more about him than most folks, i.e. having researched the life and works of Cole. In her eyes, Nat is akin to a hero due to his apparent fearless pursuit of greatness.
Release Date of “Nat King Cole”
“Nat King Cole” is a song from Alicia Key’s 2021 “Keys” album. The album was put out on 10th of December, 2021 through RCA Records. Keys, a multiple award winning producer herself was responsible for the production of the album. It happens to be the eight album of her music career.
Before the album’s release in December, a number of singles, including “Best of Me” were released to market it.
Credits
“Nat King Cole” was composed through a collaborative effort between Keys and the following songwriters:
- Bill Withers
- Marz
- Natalie Hemby
- Mike WiLL Made-It
Keys and Mike WiLL Made-It teamed up to produce the song.
