Get the latest tech news

Eden Abhez: The strangest hit songwriter

He wrote one of my favorite songs, but was so much more than a composer

In Ahbez’s case, his hit was “Nature Boy.” This odd song, released as a single by Nat King Cole on March 29, 1948, sold a million copies and climbed to the top of the Billboard chart. Its huge crossover success helped him decide to leave his King Cole Trio jazz combo behind and focus on a solo career as vocalist. For straightlaced Americans of the Eisenhower era, Eden Island was just a joke—much like the beatnik character Maynard G. Krebs (possibly inspired by Ahbez) on the then popular sitcom Dobie Gillis.

Get the Android app