Greatest love songs ever: #49 “Unforgettable”

By Tom Quiner

Seldom has a love song gotten more bang for the buck out of its spare lyric. Irving Gordon wrote”Unforgettable” in 1951 with two brief verses and a terse refrain. But when you put the lyrics and music together, you can’t help but be awestruck by how much emotion can be conveyed in such few words.

Nat King Cole’s version is the one that made the biggest mark, despite the best efforts of dozens of competing artists who have covered it over the decades. Let’s face it, Cole’s silky voice is one-of-a-kind. Even more, the song benefits from a tasteful arrangement by the ‘unforgettable’ Nelson Riddle. [Riddle’s handiwork will be heard in more of our explorations of the ‘Greatest Love Songs Ever.]

It reached #14 on Billboard’s Best Selling Pop Singles chart in the U.S. And the Grammy’s inducted Cole’s recording of “Unforgettable” into its Hall of Fame in 2000.

What is it that makes this song so moving? Is it just Nat’s singing style? No, it’s more than that. I think the second verse touches upon something deep in our soul:

“That’s why, darling, it’s incredible,

That someone so unforgettable

Thinks that I am unforgettable, too.

Michael Bublé recorded the song a few year’s ago, and it’s a beauty!

Michael Bublé sings “Unforgettable”

Each one us wants to love someone and be loved in return. This is a song for couples in the courtship stage of their relationship. What a great time of life that can be! What a great time to listen to a song like Irving Gordon’s masterpiece.

Forty years after Cole recorded “Unforgettable,” his daughter, Natalie, recorded a ‘virtual duet’ allowing her to sing with her dad, who died when she was a child, using his recording from 1951 with a new, updated arrangement (below).

The public loved it, boosting it to number three on the U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

Natalie Cole sings “Unforgettable” with her dad

Thanks for checking in for this week’s installment of the 52 Greatest Love Songs ever. We’re counting down these songs a week at a time to spread a little love. Love is the greatest antidote to abortion, so be sure to encourage your friends to subscribe to our blog.

Next week, we’ll look at lovely song written by some British lads.

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