<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
`` Nature Boy ''