“You had to hear Nina”: the Nina Simone song that defined an era of activism
It is nearly impossible to encapsulate the entire music scene of the 1960s neatly. The period was stored by a deluge of incredible, revolutionary artists completely changing the face of popular music and culture forever. It was an era of change both politically and culturally, so it is no surprise that many artists attempted to capture the essence of that political and social change. Some valiant efforts were produced, discussing everything from the conflict in Vietnam to the fight for civil rights in America, but few could capture the zeitgeist of the period quite like Nina Simone.
A student of classical music from a young age, Simone was drawn into the vibrant world of jazz during the 1950s, playing piano in a variety of different venues and gaining a reputation for her unique and awe-inspiring playing. Simone explored a wide range of themes and genres across her music career. After the release of the jazz-centric Little Girl Blue in 1959, Simone’s management and record label pushed the songwriter away from profound jazz towards the commercialism of pop.
The pianist was openly frustrated with the apparent need for her to create pop music, but not even the colossal authority of the music industry could subdue the incredible voice of Nina Simone. Like many Black creatives during the 1960s, Simone became deeply entrenched within the civil rights movement, rubbing shoulders with activists like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King.
During this period, Simone effectively used her art and music as a means of protesting and raising social awareness for civil rights. This change in songwriting direction might not have pleased the record execs, but Simone managed to pen some of the greatest social protest anthems of all time.
Simone established this bold new era of her discography with the stunning single ‘Mississippi Goddam’, in response to a number of racially motivated murders in Mississippi as well as the broader American south. The songwriter herself referred to the track as her “first civil rights song”, and over the next few years, the song would become a definitive anthem of the 1960s civil rights movement. However, Simone had much more to say on the matter, writing many more now-iconic songs based on her anger at the harsh treatment of Black Americans.
Among these tracks, ‘To Be Young, Gifted, and Black’ is perhaps the most notable. In opposition to the subjugation and prejudice faced by Black people on a day-to-day basis in the United States at the time, Simone wanted to celebrate herself and Black excellence. After being released in 1970, the song took on a life of its own, covered by everybody from Aretha Franklin to Trojan Records icons Bob and Marcia, lending itself to Black liberation worldwide.
With these defiant civil rights anthems, along with songs like ‘Ain’t Got No, I Got Life’, Simone brought attention to the plight of Black Americans living in a prejudicial society, as well as offering a source of joy and pride for those people fighting for civil rights. ‘To Be Young, Gifted, and Black’ remains a vitally important song to this day. Fellow jazz vocalist Abbey Lincoln once said, “To really understand the ’60s, you had to hear Nina,” and when it comes to the political landscape of the United States, it is certainly hard to dispute that claim.
