GutterPutter

From her beginnings in the mid 1950s all the way to her passing in 2003, Nina Simone have always stood out from many singers for numerous reasons. While her discography is mostly made up of cover songs, the subtext behind each rendition is always filled with a certain sense of righteousness. Take for example ‘Sinnerman’, one of her most acclaimed songs from 1965’s Pastel Blues, which initially revolves around the notion of religious redemption and denial in the face of moral punishment. Instead of only three minutes, it’s been extended to being more than triple its length with the verse altered each time to illustrate the extreme degree of escapism that the sinner is willing to go through from their punishment. Or ‘Go Limp’ which sees its lyricism altered to focus more on the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People rather than the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Maybe ‘Backlash Blues’ could ring a bell as its lyricism is by her friend Langston Hughes. You could as well add in ‘I Wish I Know How It Would Feel to Be Free’ for its fervent desire of liberty.

It’s no rumour that the blues and jazz are both genres that are nurtured exclusively by black musicians in the US back in the 1920s to the 1970s. According to Musiqology, the blues is made as a counter-reaction to the hegemony of a white-run music industry with the 1960s marking the peak of public interest in the genre. As Simone is raised up in an impoverished background with classical aspirations, the rough cuts of the singer is further enhanced by her short temperance. A friend and singer-songwriter Janis Ian wrote in her autobiography that Simone had once held a store clerk at gunpoint to return a pair of sandals that she initially liked. Ruth Feldstein describes her lack of respect to her fans as being:

“not incidental to [her] racial politics but were integral to her participation in black activism. In part because of the way in which this biography of defiance took shape in the early years of her career and the role that gender played in that narrative, Simone was poised, by the early 1960s, to expand the parameters of her activism.”

Feldstein, 2005, 1360

The use of anger, however problematic it proves to be in her personal life, proves to be invaluable through her singing. Taking a step back into the songs I’ve mentioned before, rage helps to portray a picture of exacting justice. ‘Sinnerman’, as one example, shows the inability to escape from justice through the anaphora of “So I ran to the…” and the repetition of “Power” in the end, finalising the perceived justice that will eventually be delivered. ‘Blacklash Blues’ draw parallels between the black people and being “second-class citizens” through the allegorical “Mr Blacklash” to represent white hegemony. The treatment of the blues genre as a tool of defiance against the racially charged social structure helps to build on the impact of the song and, with its accompanying electric guitar, a sense of drive for change can be felt.

Her signature deep voice already helps to give a certain authority over her songs such asNina Simone Sings the Blues’ (1968) ‘Do I Move You’ or ‘Be My Husband’ in Pastel Blues. The piano that she’s proficient at playing also helps to permeates a balance between the black-dominated jazz/blues scene and the classical tunes that was populated with white performers. However, when you have her cover of ‘Stars’ by Ian herself in 1976, the bittersweet sensation begins to peek through. As the original song is written to tell a tale about regrets and ambitions, Simone instead adjusts the song slightly to speak more about the struggles of black women after their breakthrough as renowned musicians or singers:

The mentioning of the three artists and tying them up into a microcosm of how black women struggled with both pursuing glory and keeping their sensibilities forms a strong allegory. With some focus on objectification with phrases like “Some women had a body men want to see”, it pours in the idea of fetishization. Back then and even now, women with a paler skin tone are preferred regardless of the postcolonial or historical context such as 2016’s biopic Nina with Zoe Saldana. (Phoenix, 2014, 101) The commodification of black women for their achievements and their legacies rather than the obstacles or the controversies that they had to endure reveals a dissonance in empathy surrounding the black community. It ends up ageing like fine wine when, given how much of mainstream attention appears to gravitate toward the personal lives of the Kardashians or jokes around OJ Simpson’s trial for murder, the double standard prevails in favour of entertainment. Even now, there’s a sense of commodification to be found in interacting with the more affluent black Americans.

As Simone had passed away on the 1^st of April 2003, it’s interesting to see how ingrained she is in the mainstream. ‘Feeling Good’, one of her most iconic songs, is a mainstay in popular culture with many singers like Michael Buble attempting to mimic her style. Impersonations of her are frequent when it comes to creating black characters with a knack of singing in many fictions and she’s frequently cited by many to be their main inspiration. To this day, samples of her tracks like ‘Four Women’ are used to highlight the prejudice found in much of America’s ethnic minorities. However, much of what she’s trying to raise up has been ignored in favour of her riotous publicity. With movements like Black Lives Matter back a few years ago to domestic concerns at home on the division within the black community, could Simone’s subtle lyrical changes shed light on the situation once again?