Nat King Cole Trio: "I've Got a Way With Women" (1947)

We may never have heard of this song if it were not for Ray Gelato. His cover of this brilliantly lyricized song led us to look back and find that the song was originally recorded as the final track on 1947's Nat King Cole Trio Volume 3. The album was released as a package of three 10' records made out of shellac. There is very little else in way of history on this song other than it was written by Abner Silver, Fred Wise and Roy Alfred. Silver was a productive vaudeville songwriter. Fred Wise wrote Perry Como's "A-You're Adorable". He also wrote many of the songs Elvis sang in his movies.

As for Nat King Cole, he was a legend. Nathaniel Adams Coles was born in Montgomery Alabama. The family would move to Chicago where he would  learn organ from his mother who played in the same church where Nat's father was minister. He would move to California and was provided a recording contract. 

From the late 40's right trough the first few years of the 1960's, Cole had a string of hits and made a large body of recordings. He had his own television show and appeared in over thirty movies including his first appearance as a piano player in the film classic "Citizen Kane".

He had two failed marriages, the second producing the famous artist Natalie Cole. He would spend time living with Gunilla Hutton who played Billie Jo Bradley in television's Petticoat Junction.  

A major smoker, he believed cigarettes gave him his rich voice and even after being diagnosed with a stomach ulcer, refused to stop. He would die of cancer in 1965.

Cole fought discrimination all his life and helped plan the famous march on Washington as well as being active in the Kennedy campaign.

Back to the song. I've Got a Way With Women" is about a self proclaimed casanova who can't miss with women. The lyrics are genius in their play on words:

Some men wanna be brilliant
Some want a lot of cash
Some have a whim for the social swim
Just so they can make a splash

I have none of these talents
Still I'm doin' ok
Please don't think I'm conceited
When I say...

I've got a way with women
They like my dreamy eyes
I've got a way with women
A casanova in disguise
I've got a way of talkin'
and moonlight walkin'
Girls just can't resist
And when i started flirtin'
I'm always certain
They just can't wait to be kissed

I've got a way with women
But one girl made me fall
And out of all the women
I really loved her best of all
See I was doin' swell
Until she fell for somebodyelse's line
I've got a way with women
But someone got a way with mine

So here it is as performed by Nat King Cole as posted by our staff on YouTube and following that the brilliant cover done in 1998 by Ray Gelato's Giants, off of The Men From UNCLE. An album very worth owning.