Unforgettable (Nat King Cole song)

"Unforgettable"
Single by Nat King Cole
from the album Unforgettable
Released October 1951
Recorded 1951
Genre
Length 2:33
Label Capitol
Songwriter(s) Irving Gordon
Producer(s) Lee Gillette
Nat King Cole singles chronology
"Mona Lisa"
(1950) Mona Lisa1950		 "Unforgettable"
(1952) Unforgettable1952		 "Pretend"
(1953) Pretend1953
Dinah Washington singles chronology
"What a Diff'rence a Day Made"
(1959) What a Diff'rence a Day Made1959		 "Unforgettable'"
(1959) Unforgettable'1959		 "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)"
(1960) Baby (You've Got What It Takes)1960

"Unforgettable" is a popular song written by Irving Gordon and produced by Lee Gillette. The song's original working title was "Uncomparable", however the music publishing company asked Gordon to change it to "Unforgettable". The song was published in 1951.

Nat King Cole version

The most popular version of the song was recorded by Nat King Cole in 1951 from his album Unforgettable (1952), with an arrangement written by Nelson Riddle.[1] A non-orchestrated version of the song recorded in 1952 is featured as one of the seven bonus tracks on Cole's 1998 CD reissue of 1955's otherwise completely instrumental album, Penthouse Serenade. Cole recorded the tune anew in a stereo version of the Riddle arrangement, for the album The Nat King Cole Story (1961).

In 1991, after Elvis Presley's musical director Joe Guercio had the idea, Cole's original 1951 recording of the song was edited and remixed to create a duet with his daughter, Natalie. The remixed version reached number 14 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and also number three on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.[2] The song also won three awards at the 34th Annual Grammy Awards (1992): Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance.[3]

Nat Cole's original recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2000.[4]

Chart history

Notable cover versions

American singer Natalie Cole released a cover of the song on her album Unforgettable... with Love (1991). The song, remixed as a "virtual duet" with her father, Nat King Cole,[11] reached number 3 on the US Adult Contemporary chart.[12] The performance of the song at the 1992 Grammy Awards was released on the 1994 album Grammy's Greatest Moments Volume I.[13]

Semprini with Rhythm Acc. recorded it in London on March 26, 1952 as the third melody of the medley "Dancing to the piano (No. 14) - Part 1. Hit Medley of Foxtrots" along with "Slow Coach" and "Cry". It was released by EMI on the His Master's Voice label as catalog number B 10263.

Other cover versions were performed or recorded by:

Sampled by song

References

  1. ↑ Nelson Riddle & Nat King Cole interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969)
  2. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 54.
  3. ↑ Rock On The Net: 34th Annual Grammy Awards - 1992
  4. ↑ "GRAMMY Hall Of Fame". The GRAMMYs.
  5. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1990-06-27. Retrieved 2018-06-03.
  6. ↑ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  7. ↑ U.S. Cash Box Chart Entries - 1990 - 1996
  8. ↑ "End of Year Charts 1991". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  9. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
  10. ↑ Top Adult Contemporary Songs of 1991
  11. ↑ Maura, Johnston (January 1, 2016). "Natalie Cole: 10 Essential Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  12. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 54.
  13. ↑ "Grammy's Greatest Moments, Volume 1: Various Artists". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-11-21.
  14. ↑ Spencer McCormick. "When Pigs Fly".
  15. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-10-19. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
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