Nina Simone

During class on Thursday we listened to Nina Simone’s song “Mississippi Goddamn.” I found her very interesting, so I did a little research on her. 

Nina Simone, her real name Eunice Kathleen Waymon, was born in North Carolina in 1933. She began her musical career with classical piano. She performed in the local church, but gave her first recital when she was twelve years old. During this recital, her parents were told to stand in the back. Simone refused to play until they we able to sit in the front. This was when she was introduced to the idea of the civil rights movement.

After she graduated high school, she spent the summer at Juilliard and later applied to the Curtis Institute of Music. She was denied due to what she believes to be racial prejudice. Even though she was not a student of Curtis, she took private piano lessons with one of the professors.

At this time Simone was working at a bar playing piano and singing. This was when she adopted her stage name. She did this because she knew that her deeply religious mother would not approve of her playing “Devil’s music.”

Simone continued to gain popularity eventually signing a record deal with Colpix Records, who gave her practically all creative control of the music she would go on to produce.

Later she changed record labels, which in turn changed the style of music she was creating. It was under this label that she released her single, “Mississippi Goddam.”

I mentioned during class that I was confused about the song “Mississippi Goddam.” My confusion arose from the seemingly contradictory nature of the song. The music itself is buoyant and light, but the lyrics are very heavy and important. It wasn’t until I watched her perform the song live that I understood how the song worked. This goes to show the meaning of facial expression and stage presence in performance. 

After the release of her songs, Simone continued to fight for the civil rights. She spoke at Selma. Simone didn’t agree with Martin Luther King Jr.’s idea of peaceful protest, but rather followed the radical efforts of Malcom X. She did go on to later say that she viewed all races as equal. 

Although I disagree with Simone’s belief that a violent response was the best way to handle the fight against segregation, I can applaud her influence on the civil rights movement as a whole.