<P> The recording took place on August 22 , 1947 , and featured an orchestra conducted by Frank De Vol -- the in - house arranger of Capitol Records . He used strings and flute as instrumentation in the song , to capture the `` enchanting '' vibe of the track . The lyrics are a self - portrait of ahbez and his life . The final line -- `` The greatest thing you 'll ever learn , Is just to love and be loved in return '' -- is considered a poignant moment in the song , with multiple interpretations of it . `` Nature Boy '' was released amidst the American Federation of Musicians ( AFM ) ban of 1948 , but became commercially successful , reaching the top of the Billboard music charts and selling over a million copies . Receiving critical acclaim also , `` Nature Boy '' helped to introduce Cole to a wider audience , especially the white music market , and generated royalties for ahbez . In 1999 , the song was awarded the Grammy Hall of Fame Award . However , `` Nature Boy '' was also the subject of lawsuits , with Yiddish composer Herman Yablokoff claiming that it was plagiarized from his song `` Shvayg mayn harts '' ( `` Hush My Heart '' ) , which he wrote for his play Papirosn ( 1935 ) . In the end , ahbez and Yablokoff settled out of court . </P>
<P> The recording took place on August 22 , 1947 , and featured an orchestra conducted by Frank De Vol -- the in - house arranger of Capitol Records . He used strings and flute as instrumentation in the song , to capture the `` enchanting '' vibe of the track . The lyrics are a self - portrait of ahbez and his life . The final line -- `` The greatest thing you 'll ever learn , Is just to love and be loved in return '' -- is considered a poignant moment in the song , with multiple interpretations of it . `` Nature Boy '' was released amidst the American Federation of Musicians ( AFM ) ban of 1948 , but became commercially successful , reaching the top of the Billboard music charts and selling over a million copies . Receiving critical acclaim also , `` Nature Boy '' helped to introduce Cole to a wider audience , especially the white music market , and generated royalties for ahbez . In 1999 , the song was awarded the Grammy Hall of Fame Award . However , `` Nature Boy '' was also the subject of lawsuits , with Yiddish composer Herman Yablokoff claiming that it was plagiarized from his song `` Shvayg mayn harts '' ( `` Hush My Heart '' ) , which he wrote for his play Papirosn ( 1935 ) . In the end , ahbez and Yablokoff settled out of court . </P>
the greatest thing you 'll ever learn is to love and be loved in return origin
the greatest thing you 'll ever learn is to love and be loved in return origin
`` Nature Boy ''
`` Nature Boy ''