History Music / NinaSimone

->''"My baby don't care for shows,\\

My baby just cares for me."''
-->-- '''"My Baby Just Cares For Me"'''

Her musical style arose from a fusion of gospel and pop songs with classical music, in particular with influences from her first inspiration, Johann Sebastian Bach, and accompanied with her expressive jazz-like singing in her characteristic contralto voice. She injected her classical background into her music as much as possible to give it more depth and quality, as she felt that pop music was inferior to classical.

%%* BipolarDisorder

%%* SassyBlackWoman

%%* [[SoulBrotha Soul Sista]]

* ButNotTooBlack: "Four Women" is about this trope as it applies to beauty standards applied to black women in America.

[[caption-width-right:300:"Whatever happens, just keep your eyes on me."]]
->''My baby don't care for shows,\\

My baby just cares for me.''

-->"My Baby Just Cares For Me"

* NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly: As mentioned above, her music has elements of R&B, soul, classical, jazz, blues, gospel, folk, and pop. She doesn't clearly belong to any one genre.

* ThereIsAnother: It seems that [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/André_Watts André Watts]], a concert pianist during Simone's time is commonly regarded as the world's first Black concert pianist.

* GenreBusting: She calls it "Black Classical"

* HairTriggerTemper: She was noted for having quite a temper, at times violent.

!!NinaSimone provides examples of:

* EpicRocking: Her songs could be very long at times. Her cover of Music/GeorgeHarrison's "[[Music/AllThingsMustPass Isn't It a Pity]]" is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLn3FT9BsRs more than eleven minutes long]], for instance. Even longer, and from the same album, is her medley of Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" and David Nelson's poem "Today Is a Killer", which is eighteen and a half minutes long. That album, ''Emergency Ward!'', unsurprisingly only contained three tracks on the vinyl release (the CD reissue adds a fourth).

* EpicRocking: Her songs could be very long at times. Her cover of Music/GeorgeHarrison's "[[Music/AllThingsMustPass Isn't It a Pity]]" is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLn3FT9BsRs more than eleven minutes long]], for instance.

* ProtestSong: She wrote and covered a few. "Mississippi Goddam", composed in response to the murder of Medgar Evers and the 16 Street Baptist Church Burning, is probably the best known of her original material; "Strange Fruit", while possibly more strongly associated with Music/BillieHoliday, is a well known example from Simone's cover repertoire.

%%* ChildProdigy

* TheFirstCutIsTheDeepest: A non-romantic example. Her rejection from the Curtis Institute may have began her decent into depression and numbness. To be fair, she has studied for years with a long-term goal only for it to be shot down when the opportunity came. Though it also may have sparked her spiritual awakening in the Civil Rights Movement, and more defiant and outspoken behavior.

* ObsessionSong: "I Put a Spell on You", her sultry cover

* ProtestSong: She wrote and covered a few. "Mississippi Goddam", composed in response to the murder of Medgar Evers and the 16 Street Baptist Church Burning, is probably the best known.
* RecognizableBySound: Her voice is very distinctive; gravelly, yet sultry

* ThereIsAnother: It seems that [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_Watts André Watts]], a concert pianist during Simone's time is commonly regarded as the world's first Black concert pianist.

%%* ProtestSong: "Mississippi Goddam"

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* ThereIsAnother: It seems that [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_Watts André Watts]], a concert pianist during Simone's time is commonly regarded as [[YouAreACreditToYourRace the world's first Black concert pianist]], despite him [[ButNotTooBlack being biracial]].

* BipolarDisorder
* ChildProdigy
* CivilRightsMovement

* [[SassyBlackWoman Outspoken Black Woman]]
* ProtestSong: "Mississippi Goddam"

* [[ShownTheirWork Shown Her Work]]: She has a very clear understanding of Classical music, and it shows in her performances.

* [[SoulBrotha Soul Sista]]
* SpiritualSuccessor: AliciaKeys
* [[IAmSong "We Are" Song]]: "Young, Gifted & Black"

Eunice Kathleen Waymon, known as Nina Simone, February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist. She worked in a broad range of musical styles including classical, jazz, blues, folk, R&B, gospel, and pop.