Maps of Music

Here Comes the Sun (1971)

Where the lyrics of Here Comes the Sun take you, and where it was really made.

Simone's version of 'My Way' runs at a fast tempo that departs far from the usual interpretations, and it closes the album.

Key places

RCA Victor Studio B, New York (1971)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — Nina Simone recorded the album at RCA's Studio B in New York City. The map point uses the city-centre position, so it does not mark the exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Thirteenth studio album by American singer Nina Simone
• Consists of cover versions of songs by pop and rock musicians
• Released by RCA Records in April 1971
• Includes songs by Bob Dylan and the Beatles, among others
• Most versions use arrangements substantially different from the originals
• Final track 'My Way' departs strongly from the usual interpretations

Background

• Title track is a cover of the Beatles' 1969 song, written by George Harrison
• 'My Way' is Paul Anka's adaptation of the French song 'Comme d'habitude', written by Claude François and Jacques Revaux
• Frank Sinatra's recording is the best-known version of 'My Way'
• 'O-O-H Child' was originally recorded by The Five Stairsteps

Recording

• Recorded at RCA studios with a full orchestra and backing vocals
• Recorded in RCA's Studio B, New York City
• Track listing gives recording dates between 2 and 17 February
• Orchestra conducted by Harold Wheeler; arrangements by Harold Wheeler and Nina Simone
• Corky Hale plays harp; Sam Waymon handled production coordination
• 'Tell It Like It Is' was recorded in the same sessions but released only in 1998

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · it.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born Eunice Kathleen Waymon on February 21, 1933, in Tryon, North Carolina; the sixth of eight children.
• Began playing piano at age three or four and gave a classical debut recital at age 12.
• Failed to gain admission to the Curtis Institute of Music, which she attributed to racism.
• Played piano at a nightclub in Atlantic City and adopted the stage name "Nina Simone" in 1954, after which she began singing as well.

Career

• Debut album Little Girl Blue (1958) included "I Loves You, Porgy", her only Billboard top 20 single in the US.
• Recorded more than 40 albums up to 1974; her 1960s protest songs such as "Mississippi Goddam" tied her to the civil rights movement.
• Left the US in 1970 and settled in Europe, later living in Liberia, Barbados, the Netherlands, and France.
• Autobiography I Put a Spell on You was published in 1991; she continued performing until her death on April 21, 2003.
• Known as the "High Priestess of Soul"; Rolling Stone ranked her No. 21 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.

Members

• Solo artist; she was accompanied by percussionist Leopoldo Fleming and guitarist Al Schackman throughout most of her career.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Rolling Stone (review by Timothy Crouse, 5 August 1971): said bongos and flowing strings worked, Nina asserted her claim, and her 'My Way' became entirely unrelated to Sinatra's version
• Album released by RCA Records in April 1971

Reappraisal

• The version of 'My Way' differs from other interpretations in its fast-pacing rhythm and African influence
• Most versions were noted for arrangements that differ substantially from the original recordings
• Simone's covers of Bob Dylan and the Beatles are reworked, not reproduced

Records

• Track listing: eight songs
• Released by RCA Records
• Track 'Tell It Like It Is' was recorded in the sessions but not released until 1998

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ja.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• On 'Just Like a Woman', Simone changes the original third-person perspective into first person in the last verse.
• 'My Way' is marked by its fast pacing rhythm and African influence.
• Remix versions of 'Here Comes the Sun' and 'O-O-H Child' appeared on the 2006 remix album Remixed & Reimagined.
• 'Tell It Like It Is' was recorded in the sessions but first released in 1998 on The Very Best of Nina Simone: Sugar in My Bowl 1967–1972.
• Discogs notes a special thank-you to Corky Hale for bringing her harp to the sessions.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ja.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

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