Nat King Cole - Lush Life

[@BigDaddy-ti7fh]

What singer... he takes an incredibly difficult song to sing and makes it sound so effortless. Truly one the greatest male vocalists of all time.

[@reh331]

I love how Nat just seems to so confidently move through the melody and form. This is no easy standard.

[@tyrannosaurusburke]

The way Nat King Cole sang that last "I Was Wrong" pulls at the heartstrings. This song is so cathartic to hear after a revelation of unrequited love.

[@charliesims2380]

Nat king cole the king of class.

[@howardcohen7784]

The best version of the song that I have heard.

[@DarrenGauthier]

This is the stereo rerecording from 1960 for this massive three-record set. Nat is ten times a better singer than he was in 1951 on the original. The orchestra sounds more assured, relaxed. This is the definitive version. No wonder Sinatra just walked away!

[@jamesvs7331]

Yeah, I agree. I think the arrangement did not suit Frank in particular though. He never got to feel it. I would have liked to hear him sing this arrangement. Not saying it would have been better than Nat's though :)

[@RanBlakePiano]

Darren Gauthier thanks for your comment

[@grecomic]

Yeah, the accompaniment in the 1949 recording was way too loud and abrupt, comparatively speaking. It made their punctuations way too intrusive for such a contemplative song. The bongos almost sounded like a jackhammer outside the studio!

[@brucescott4261]

Darren Gautier ...The original version (Capitol 57-606) was recorded on March 29th, 1949 at Capitol Studios (the old KHJ Building), which was located at 5515 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California. Ironically, LUSH LIFE was recorded twelve years later to the exact date at Capitol Records Tower, Studio A in Hollywood, California.

[@tonstudiopolyester7482]

Re Sinatra: I wish Nelson Riddle had tried harder to talk Sinatra into trying again. The first two lines of his recording sounded amazing. Here, at 1:02:00 kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3aroH-LZpKGjLc

[@gapechinursesmith5803]

Happy 100th Birthday, Mr Cole! Rip

[@douglaskeller4269]

I just love this song from Nat. One of his finest recordings! D. K. Keller.

[@bigbnelson7991]

Johnny Hartman took this to a different level. PERIOD!! NOTHING can compare to his version!!!🎙🎶💯

[@melissal8800]

Thank you for this comment, I just checked it out and it is SUBLIME! I love the track with him and Coltrane...holy fuck. Beautiful!

[@bigbnelson7991]

@@melissal8800 thank goodness you have a great listening ear 👂.

[@JefferyHagen]

I had to check it. That’s a smooth version. I like Natalie Cole’s version the best,but that’s mainly because I heard version first. As far as I can tell this is not an easy song to sing.

[@RalphDratman]

What a genius of song! Of course I mean Nat Cole, not Billy Strayhorn , though he had genius too, but in a different way.

[@willoneil1456]

Husky Voice Pure Greatness.

[@juangenesyjazz]

Genial!!! Nat king king king Cole!!

[@violao206]

Eff Sinatra, Nat King Cole is the true gold standard.

[@ARTMANPRO13]

pure magic

[@basilshahid2905]

Vocal majesty unmatched!!! The original version before Johnny Hartman. The King putting it down!!!

[@brucescott4261]

Basil Shahid ...This is the newly recorded stereo version, 1961.

[@dom_pazzo87]

Wonderful!!! Nat is the best in this song and in Stardust, That's All, Walkin' My Baby Back Home and Let's Face the Music and Dance!! I love him!

[@jsbrules]

Billy Strayhorn reportedly hated this recording , especially the liberties Pete Rugolo took in his arrangement: "Why the fuck couldn't they leave it alone?" he (uncharacteristically) screamed. Strayhorn's long-time lover Aaron Bridgers said that this was "the only time I ever, ever heard him really upset"; Strayhorn was "snorting, he was so angry". (source is David Hajdu's biography of Strayhorn)

[@jay1beaux]

The overblown arrangement interferes with both the elegant beauty of the song and with Mr. Cole's beautiful voice, especially in the introductory verse.

[@brucekuehn4031]

Nat alone at the piano with his trio and dump the overdone arrangement - that would have been much better.

[@iprofox3758]

@@brucekuehn4031 I like the strings and think this cover is still a classic.

[@jamesgaches7449]

The best singer ever

[@randallsundeen3383]

Masterful a very difficult song to sing Sinatra struggled with it thanks for the song

[@mcragwe]

I actually can sing this…and do a decent job, if I may say!

[@GeorgeKaplan_007]

Wonderful!!!

[@RastaSaiyaman]

I can't help but to go "I always thought that our relationship was cool You played the rule of having sense, I always played the fool." After that intro.

[@crossbronx63]

Great song and great production

[@blastomaticdisel6189]

Intro sampled by Living Colour on Love Rears It's Ugly Head.

[@johnjames1320]

yup. they know great samples when they hear one

[@almightydontlikenobody6796]

King

[@martidee3305]

Best version I’ve heard.

[@nadezhda7433]

"Lady Gaga" belted out the lyrics. This wonderful song calls for a softer, more intimate, poignant interpretation. Johnny Hartman has no peer.

[@maha77]

I absolutely love Gaga's version, never heard of Hartman or his version, just listened to it now, absolutely fantastic, what a voice he has!

[@jesusonazareth4752]

+Nadezhda A-yep. Hartman sings it with such understatement and control, almost like he's tackling a Schubert lieder. There's a performance of him in 1983 singing it live on a NYC television show, and even Johnny Hartman (circa 1983) pales in comparison with Johnny Hartman. Too bad Frank Sinatra gave up on it during his "Only the Lonely" sessions...he and Nelson Riddle might have made a definitive version of it.

[@sanmarinojr]

This is one of the hardest standards , melody-harmony-character-wise - Sinatra couldn't quite hit the fourths so important in this song so he chose not to record it. It would have been great of course, also Nat King Cole's version is a little bit too sweet for the songs' message, but still the orchestation - incredible.. It's a song that is so perfect in itself there is no definitive version really, except maybe Hartman's.. Anyway, my fave is Blossom Dearie.This is not Duke's composition, nor lyrics.. the mastermind behind many of the most popular tunes like Chelsea Bridge, Take the A train and & Duke's orchestrations come from a humble black gay man called Billy Strayhorn.. The lyrics he wrote at 17, astonishingly , actually say all about his life..

[@tomkristensen3919]

Strays was something else! Sadly unknown to many outside of musician circles. I've heard some of his songs called Ellington compositions so many times, especially The A Train, but I guess that's just the way the cookie crumples.

[@brucescott4261]

Nadezhda ...Neither did Nat "King" Cole.

[@netvirfun]

Give a Disney Prince vibe ✨ Love this song

[@QUABLEDISTOCFICKLEPO]

Trecia Kat What song? Is there a song here?

[@RanBlakePiano]

Great

[@tilfordjackson5941]

Twelve O'Clocktails

[@pevigom]

delve a block scale

[@sanmarinojr]

double meaning

[@danrose]

You might like to check Latifa's rendition. A notoriously difficult song, took Strayhorn decades to complete.

[@iononcantomascrivo]

Definitely. I first heard her version in 1997 on the “Living Out Loud” soundtrack. More attention was brought to it when Queen Latifah did her Dana Owens Album which was a series of jazz covers of classic songs. While I'm usually not a fan of cover songs, hers is near perfection.

[@andreashoppe1969]

*Arranger: Pete Rugolo!!!* … please add this to your description, thank you!

[@maxthedoglover]

Nice

[@MrKTVM]

Wonderful arrangement-

[@emiliosollamusic]

Terrible arrangement, totally out of the spirit of the song. A clear showcase of when an arranger thinks his orchestral chops are more important than the piece itself...Strayhorn was furious with it! :) sorry for the blunt disagreement, KTVM!

[@Aramanth]

Nat just handles the vocal so effortlessly on what is usually a rather challenging song to sing. Nat really grabs me when he pauses... It makes hold my breath.... Thanks for posting!

[@shanjayaweera3036]

the opening string intro is sampled and used as the opening for Love Rears Its Ugly Head by living colour

[@chard404]

Sound like nat king Cole's lush life also

[@danieldanquigny1559]

un chef d'œuvre ! Gershwin aurait pu l'écrire.. The tune is right !

[@prodmarcogoat]

this goes hard asf

[@stephenburley7517]

Nat is just the tops, but incredibly Lady Gaga does a terrific version of this Billy Strayhorn classic

[@GracielaLeira]

Nat’s is great, of course. Like you, I was very impressed by Lady Gaga rendition of this unique song.

[@sanmarinojr]

end of lyrics - While I rot With the rest.. of those whose life are lonely, too................

[@nobody-vm2ee]

Gud

[@JimmieJamOfTheDay]

I only know Donna Summer's version. It caused me to listen to other singer's versions. So, here I is. LOL.

[@njpaddler]

Nancy Wilson's is superb....

[@sincitydko95]

why did they take this off spotify :/

[@Sleep_Attenuation]

I love this song, I like the franked Sinatra cover but it’s unfinished:(

[@malekrihani7544]

zbar

[@lars-tomasfaldenbower1480]

donna summers version is amazing

[@xmoiox_]

I don't remember this Zara Larsson song like this.

[@noreenjackson6536]

Fix the lyrics to reflect what he sang.

[@queenofthenight3518]

Gay places?

[@izop134]

Alexa Moonlight Back in the days when this was recorded “Gay” referred to happy, carefree. Not so much ones lifestyle or preference or identity. A different time and place for many.

[@paulerdosdaughter]

henry kissinger documentary

[@jamesgaches7449]

I really loved this man

[@BrewskLitovsk]

Here's the initial performance: kzbin.info/www/bejne/faK3daBpadusoJI

[@BrewskLitovsk]

-- Here's more information, especially on "Lush Life": Quotes: "Ellington stepped to the microphone and announced: "Have a seat, Mr. Strayhorn. Of course you know Billy Strayhorn wrote our radio theme, 'Take the A Train.' And now the purpose, of course, of him appearing on tonight's program which is a little extra added thought. I should say is that I'd like for him to play for Kay Davis to introduce a new tune of his called Lush Life." "As played at the 1948 concert the first documented recording Lush Life is a theatrical song to be sung dramatically. It seems as though Strayhorn's lyrics carry the melody. Duke must have also understood the nature of the piece as neither he nor Strayhorn ever arranged Lush Life for the Ellington orchestra. Occasionally, Duke invited Strayhorn to perform the song on stage, but it never became an official part of the working repertoire. To add further confusion as to the song's origins, Lush Life was not copyrighted until 1949 by Duke's publishing company Tempo Music. Live at Carnegie Hall, New York City. November 13, 1948." *LUSH LIFE* Words & music by Billy Strayhorn Kay Davis sings "The guys I knew"; the words in brackets are Nat King Cole's altered lyrics from 1949. Verse: I used to visit all the very gay places Those come-what-may places Where one relaxes on the axis Of the wheel of life To get the feel of life From jazz and cocktails The girls I knew had sad and sullen gray faces With distingué traces That used to be there You could see where They'd been washed away By too many through the day Twelve o'clock tales Then you came along With your siren (of) song To tempt me to madness I thought for awhile That your poignant smile Was tinged with the sadness Of a great love for me Ah, yes, I was wrong Again, I was wrong Refrain: Life is lonely again And only last year everything seemed so sure Now life is awful again A troughful of hearts could only be a bore A week in Paris will ease the bite of it All I care is to smile in spite of it I'll forget you I will While yet you are still Burning inside my brain Romance is mush St(r)ifling those who strive I'll live a lush life In some small dive And there I'll be While (where) I rot with the rest Of those whose (who) lives are lonely, too. www.jazzstandards.com/compositions-0/lushlife.htm en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lush_Life_(jazz_song) “I made two records of only versions of Lush Life! Eventually there will be seven records, yeah.” - Tony Scott "In 1933 a teenage Billy Strayhorn started work on “Lush Life.” He would fine-tune his composition over the next few years and in 1938, at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh, Strayhorn played the piano and sang for Duke Ellington. Ellington’s son, Mercer, would later recall that “Lush Life” and “Something to Live For” were responsible for Ellington hiring Strayhorn in early 1939. It would mark the beginning of their legendary collaboration." "In 1939 “Lush Life” could boast lyrics but no title. Strayhorn frequently played the song at parties but it was a pet project and was not intended for publication. On November 13, 1948, however, Billy Strayhorn (piano) with vocalist Kay Davis performed “Lush Life” in the last of seven Ellington Carnegie Hall concerts. The difficult-to-find Duke Ellington-Carnegie Hall, November 13, 1948, released in 1991 on Vintage Jazz Classics, contains the first documented performance of “Lush Life” with Billy Strayhorn on piano and Kay Davis singing." "Recording by other artists began soon after that. An initial Nat “King” Cole B-side, rearranged in a Latin impressionistic style, infuriated Strayhorn. To make matters worse, Cole’s misreading of the lyrics irked the usually unflappable Strayhorn and resulted in an angry phone call. (...)"

[@abccba-wg5wu]

Christopher hitchens brought me here

[@abccba-wg5wu]

***** It's on his Henry Kissinger documentary.

[@LegionIvory]

Lady Gaga took this song and turned it into one tearful ballad. She truly made it her own.

[@Ieatbabyseals]

To be fair, Billy Strayhorn wrote this when he was 15 and it is widely considered to be one of the most complex melodies ever written for a jazz ballad. I'd say it all goes back to Billy's genius for arrangement/melody. Probably one of America's greatest composers/songwriters.

[@LegionIvory]

BananaSquid I'm in no way shortchanging Strayhorn's highly deserved adulation for having created this song. I simply feel Ms. Germanotta's rendition is somewhat exalted in performance. Her voice just wreaks of emotion, and it's incredibly beautiful.

[@Chris-rj5kn]

+BananaSquid Well said, my friend.

[@hi7hi7hi7hi7hi7]

is it a joke?

[@renoirmedical6412]

Has to be!

[@mcragwe]

The way it’s supposed to be sung… Or unless your name is Johnny Hartman….

[@ferrantepallas]

great voice but the arrangement is disastrous

[@Billtron220]

I do what I want. Sorry;)

[@badbear3942]

Cannot dig this arrangement. Love the singing, but feels it happens in spite of the arrangement

[@GreenBoy9000]

From what I gathered, the original composer of Lush Life, Billy Strayhorn, was very displeased with this arrangement.

[@joetursi9573]

You know , Sinatra could'n't sing this. There's a tape of him attempting it, then say let's put that one on the shelf

[@rpghorrorfan879]

distant gay traces

[@bosdavy1]

distingué traces (french word for distinguished)

[@noreenjackson6536]

Gag me with that lady gaga crap.

[@sint0xicateme]

Her album with Tony Bennett is pretty damn good. I'm not a fan but she is a very talented musician.

[@bluecrueful]

Strayhorn did not like this version

[@gregmilka7452]

Shit arrangement.

[@GreenBoy9000]

From what I gathered, Billy Strayhorn, the original composer of Lush Life, was very irate with this arrangement.