As the holidays overtake the sights and sounds of our culture in a seemingly endless loop, there are those aspects of it that have been expected and, more or less, iconic.The Christmas songs as sung by Nat King Cole are one of those things.
Maybe you don’t play it in your home or your car, but it’s there.
It’s in the background of your favorite TV show’s holiday episode, it’s in the red, green and silver mazes that make up the malls of America. Like Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole’s voice lends itself to help evoking a charming, sentimental and harmonious feeling during the holidays.
Because of this, one might assume that Nat King Cole has always been part of the pop culture holiday iconography, like Rudolph and Yukon Cornelius or Charlie Brown and his pathetic tree. It’s beloved because it’s always been around and it’s always been around because it’s been so beloved.
Cole earned and fought to be in that soft spot of America’s heart.
Nat King Cole was more than just a great voice or piano player; he was more than just a handsome man who looked good in a suit; he was a ground-breaker and, ultimately, someone that got buried because of it.
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