Nat King Cole discography explained

Artist:Nat King Cole
Studio:28 (12")
Live:1

This article contains a list of albums by Nat King Cole and compilations of his recordings, together with a list of his chart singles.

Capitol 78-rpm albums

Volumes 1-4 released as separate booklets in 10" format. Booklet Volumes 1 and 2 contain 4 shellac records. Booklet Volumes 3 and 4 contain 3 shellac records. Volume 4 is also issued in a box set of three 45-rpm records.

Capitol 10" albums

Capitol 12" albums

Original compilation albums

Other compilation albums

Chart singles

YearSingleChart positionsCertifications
US Pop[4] [5] US
R&B[6]
UK[7]
1942"That Ain't Right"1
1943"All for You"181
1944"Straighten Up and Fly Right" /
"I Can't See for Lookin'"
9
28
1
2
"Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good to You?" /
"I Realize Now"
15
1
9
"I'm Lost"4
"It's Only a Paper Moon" 5
1945"If You Can't Smile and Say Yes"3
"I'm a Shy Guy"2
1946"Come to Baby, Do" /
"The Frim Fram Sauce"

19
3
"(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66"113
"You Call It Madness (But I Call it Love)"10
"(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" /
"The Best Man"
1
14
3
"The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)"33
1947"You Don't Learn That in School" /
"Meet Me at No Special Place (and I'll Be There at No Particular Time)"
22

3
"Save the Bones for Henry Jones" /
"Harmony"
12
12

"Those Things Money Can't Buy"229
"The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)" (re-entry)23
1948"What'll I Do"228
"Nature Boy" /
"Lost April"
1
20
2
"A Boy from Texas"24
"Put 'em in a Box, Tie 'em with a Ribbon (and Throw 'em in the Deep Blue Sea)"30
"Don't Blame Me"21
"Little Girl"25
"Lillette"12
1949"The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)" (re-entry)24
"Kee-Mo Ky-Mo (The Magic Song)"10
"Flo and Joe"7
"My Mother Told Me" /
"Exactly Like You"

6
9
1950"For You My Love" (with Nellie Lutcher)8
"I Almost Lost My Mind"267
"Mona Lisa"11
"Home"22
"Orange Colored Sky"5
1951"Frosty the Snowman"9
"Jet"208
"Always You"28
"Too Young"13
"Red Sails in the Sunset"24
"Because of Rain"17
"Unforgettable"12
  • BPI: Silver
1952"Walkin'"5
"Somewhere Along the Way"83
"Walkin' My Baby Back Home" /
"Funny (Not Much)"
8
26


"Because You're Mine" /
"I'm Never Satisfied""
16
22

6
"The Ruby and the Pearl" /
"Faith Can Move Mountains"
23
24


10
1953"The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)" (re-entry)30
"Strange"20
"Pretend" /
"Don't Let Your Eyes Go Shopping (For Your Heart)"
2
23
10
2
"Can't I?"1676
"Mother Nature and Father Time"7
"I Am in Love"19
"Return to Paradise"15
"A Fool Was I" /
"If Love Is Good to Me"
17
28


"Lover, Come Back to Me!"16
1954"Answer Me, My Love" /
"Why"
6
27


"Tenderly"10
"It Happens to Be Me" /
"Alone Too Long"
16
25


"Make Her Mine"1911
"Smile"102
"Unbelievable" /
"Hajji Baba (Persian Lament)"
26
14


"The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)" (new version)29
1955"Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup" (Moods in Song, EP) /
"The Sand and the Sea" (Moods in Song, EP)
7
23


"A Blossom Fell" (Moods in Song, EP) /
"If I May" (Moods in Song, EP)
2
8

3
"My One Sin"2417
"Someone You Love" /
"Forgive My Heart"
13
13


1956"Take Me Back to Toyland" /
"I'm Gonna Laugh You Right Out of My Life"
47
57


"Dreams Can Tell a Lie"10
"Ask Me" /
"Nothing Ever Changes My Love for You"
18
72


"Too Young to Go Steady" /
"Never Let Me Go"
21
79

8
"That's All There Is to That" /
"My Dream Sonata"
16
59
15

"Love Me as If There Were No Tomorrow"11
"Night Lights" /
"To the Ends of the Earth"
11
25


1957"Ballerina" /
"You Are My First Love"
18
65


"When I Fall in Love"2
"When Rock and Roll Come to Trinidad"4828
"Stardust" 7924
"Send for Me" /
"My Personal Possession"
6
21
1
flip

21
"With You on My Mind" 30
1958"Angel Smile"33
"Looking Back" /
"Do I Like It"
5
67
2

"Come Closer to Me (Acercate Mas)" /
"Nothing in the World"
38
99


"Non Dimenticar (Don't Forget)" 45
1959"Give Me Your Love" /
"Madrid"
82
85
"You Made Me Love You" /
"I Must Be Dreaming"
45
69

22
"Midnight Flyer" /
"Sweet Bird of Youth"
51
96
12
23
1960"Time and the River" /
"Whatcha' Gonna Do"
30
92
27
15
23
"My Love"4712
"That's You"10110
"Just as Much as Ever"18
"The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)" (reissue of 1954 version)80
"If I Knew" 86
1961"Illusion"108
"Take a Fool's Advice"71
"The World in My Arms"36
"Let True Love Begin" /
"Cappuccina"
73
115
29
1962"Brazilian Love Song"34
"Step Right up (And Say You Love Me)"106
"The Right Thing to Say"11042
"Let There Be Love"11
"Ramblin' Rose"275
"Dear Lonely Hearts"131537
"The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)" (third version)65
1963"All Over the World" /
"Nothing Goes Up (Without Coming Down)"
42
87


"Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer"611
"That Sunday, That Summer" /
"Mr. Wishing Well"
12
92
19
1964"My True Carrie, Love"49n/a
"I Don't Want to Be Hurt Anymore" /
"People"
22
100
n/a
"I Don't Want to See Tomorrow" /
"L-O-V-E"
34
81
n/a
  • BPI: Gold
"More and More of Your Amor"102
1966"Looking Back"123
"Let Me Tell You, Babe"90
1987"When I Fall in Love" (reissue)4
1991"Unforgettable" (with Natalie Cole)141019
"The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)" (reissue)69
1994"Let's Face the Music and Dance"30
2007"The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)" (re-entry)51
201345
201538
20164777
20173766
20181156
  • BPI: Silver
20191651
20201156
"Deck the Halls"43
2021"The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)" (re-entry)1154
  • BPI: Gold
"Deck the Halls" (re-entry)46
2022"The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)" (re-entry)9[8] 35
  • BPI: Platinum
"Deck the Halls" (re-entry)16[9] 84
  • BPI: Silver
2023"The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)" (re-entry)11[10] 34
"Deck the Halls" (re-entry)17[11] 67

Holiday 100 chart entries

Since many radio stations in the US adopt a format change to Christmas music each December, many holiday hits have an annual spike in popularity during the last few weeks of the year and are retired once the season is over.[12] In December 2011, Billboard began a Holiday Songs chart with 50 positions that monitors the last five weeks of each year to "rank the top holiday hits of all eras using the same methodology as the Hot 100, blending streaming, airplay, and sales data",[13] and in 2013 the number of positions on the chart was doubled, resulting in the Holiday 100.[14] A handful of Cole recordings have made appearances on the Holiday 100 and are noted below according to the holiday season in which they charted there.

TitleHoliday season peak chart positions
align=centre2011align=centre2012align=centre2013align=centre2014align=centre2015align=centre2016align=centre2017align=centre2018align=centre2019align=centre2020align=centre2021align=centre2022align=centre2023
"The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)"3[15] 3[16] 2[17] 4[18] 3[19] 5[20] 3[21] 5[22] 7[23] 6[24] 9[25] 7[26] 10[27]
"Caroling, Caroling"79[28] 92[29] 98[30] 95[31]
"Little Christmas Tree"57[32]
"O Come All Ye Faithful"4344[33] 38[34] 45[35] 48[36] 47
"Deck the Halls"5225[37] 22[38] 29[39] 13[40] 15
"Joy to the World"917471[41] 77[42] 80[43] 73[44]
"I Saw Three Ships"98
"O Holy Night"99

References

Notes and References

  1. United States. Nat King Cole. July 24, 2022.
  2. United Kingdom. Ozzy Osbourne. 24 July 2022.
  3. Web site: Kent Music Report No 341 – 5 January 1981 > Platinum and Gold Albums 1980. Kent Music Report. Imgur.com. 26 December 2022.
  4. Book: Whitburn, Joel. 1994. Joel Whitburn's Pop Hits, 1940-1954. Record Research Inc.. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. 0-89820-106-3. 31.
  5. Book: Whitburn, Joel. 2003. Top Pop Singles 1955-2002. 1st. Record Research Inc.. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. 0-89820-155-1. 68.
  6. Book: Whitburn, Joel . Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-1995 . Joel Whitburn . 1996 . Record Research . 0-89820-115-2 . 88 .
  7. Book: Betts, Graham. 2004. Complete UK Hit Singles 1952-2004. 1st. Collins. London. 0-00-717931-6. 161–162.
  8. Billboard Hot 100 (Week of January 7, 2023). Billboard. January 7, 2023. January 4, 2023.
  9. Nat King Cole Chart History: Hot 100. Billboard. December 28, 2022.
  10. Billboard Hot 100 (Week of December 30, 2023). Billboard. December 30, 2023. December 27, 2023.
  11. Billboard Hot 100 (Week of January 6, 2024). Billboard. January 6, 2024. January 3, 2024.
  12. News: Jingle bell rock: Why lots of radio stations go all-Christmas in December. Judkis. Maura. 2015-12-22. Chicago Tribune. 8 February 2019.
  13. Web site: Andy Williams Hits New High, The Ronettes 'Ride' Back After 52 Years & More Hot 100 Chart Moves. Billboard . 8 February 2019.
  14. Carey Brings Back 'Christmas'. 2013-12-14 . Billboard. 115.
  15. Web site: Holiday 100: The week of December 24, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180407094803/https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-holiday-songs/2011-12-24. dead. 7 April 2018. Billboard . 7 March 2019.
  16. Web site: Holiday 100: The week of December 8, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180407094729/https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-holiday-songs/2012-12-08. dead. 7 April 2018. Billboard . 7 March 2019.
  17. Web site: Holiday 100: The week of January 4, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180407094557/https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-holiday-songs/2014-01-04. dead. 7 April 2018. Billboard . 7 March 2019.
  18. Web site: Holiday 100: The week of December 20, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180407094522/https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-holiday-songs/2014-12-20. dead. 7 April 2018. Billboard . 7 March 2019.
  19. Web site: Holiday 100: The week of December 12, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180407094423/https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-holiday-songs/2015-12-12. dead. 7 April 2018. Billboard . 7 March 2019.
  20. Web site: Holiday 100: The week of December 10, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180407094320/https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-holiday-songs/2016-12-10. dead. 7 April 2018. Billboard . 7 March 2019.
  21. Web site: Holiday 100: The week of December 16, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180407094210/https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-holiday-songs/2017-12-16. dead. 7 April 2018. Billboard . 7 March 2019.
  22. Web site: Holiday 100: The week of January 5, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190223023907/https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-holiday-songs/2019-01-05. dead. 23 February 2019. Billboard . 7 March 2019.
  23. Web site: Holiday 100: The week of December 7, 2019 . Billboard . 1 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210818011431/https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-holiday-songs/2019-12-07. August 18, 2021.
  24. Web site: Holiday 100: The week of December 12, 2020 . Billboard . 1 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210103235241/https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-holiday-songs/2020-12-12. January 3, 2021.
  25. Web site: Holiday 100 (Week of December 11, 2021). Billboard. December 11, 2021. 13 December 2021.
  26. Holiday 100 (Week of December 3, 2022). Billboard. December 3, 2022. November 30, 2022.
  27. Holiday 100 (Week of December 2, 2023). Billboard. December 2, 2023. November 28, 2023.
  28. Web site: Holiday 100: The week of December 13, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180407094533/https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-holiday-songs/2014-12-13. dead. 7 April 2018. Billboard . 7 March 2019.
  29. Web site: Holiday 100 (Week of January 8, 2022). Billboard. January 8, 2022. 12 January 2022.
  30. Holiday 100 (Week of December 10, 2022). Billboard. December 10, 2022. December 6, 2022.
  31. Holiday 100 (Week of December 16, 2023). Billboard. December 16, 2023. December 12, 2023.
  32. Web site: Holiday 100: The week of December 19, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180407094412/https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-holiday-songs/2015-12-19. dead. 7 April 2018. Billboard . 7 March 2019.
  33. Web site: Holiday 100: The week of December 21, 2019 . Billboard . 1 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210103151133/https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-holiday-songs/2019-12-21. January 3, 2021.
  34. Web site: Holiday 100: The week of December 19, 2020 . Billboard . 1 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210103235337/https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-holiday-songs/2020-12-19. January 3, 2021.
  35. Web site: Holiday 100 (Week of January 1, 2022). Billboard. January 1, 2022. 30 December 2021.
  36. Holiday 100 (Week of December 31, 2022). Billboard. December 31, 2022. December 28, 2022.
  37. Web site: Holiday 100: The week of January 4, 2020 . Billboard . 1 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210103152333/https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-holiday-songs/2020-01-04. January 3, 2021.
  38. Web site: Holiday 100: The week of December 26, 2020 . Billboard . 1 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210104000238/https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-holiday-songs/2020-12-26. January 4, 2021.
  39. Web site: Holiday 100 (Week of December 4, 2021). Billboard. December 4, 2021. 13 December 2021.
  40. Nat King Cole Chart History (Holiday 100). Billboard. December 28, 2022.
  41. Web site: Holiday 100: The week of January 2, 2021 . Billboard . 1 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210104000856/https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-holiday-songs/2021-01-02. January 4, 2021.
  42. Web site: Holiday 100 (Week of December 18, 2021). Billboard. December 18, 2021. 14 December 2021.
  43. Holiday 100 (Week of January 7, 2023). Billboard. January 7, 2023. January 5, 2023.
  44. Holiday 100 (Week of January 6, 2024). Billboard. January 6, 2024. January 3, 2024.