Simone was born Eunice Kathleen Waymon on 21st February 1933 in Tryon, North Carolina, USA, one of eight children. Like a number of other black singers in the U.S., she was inspired as a child by Marian Anderson, and began singing at her local church, also showing great talent as a pianist. Her public debut, a piano recital, was made at the age of ten. Her parents, who had taken seats in the front row, were forced to move to the back of the hall to make way for white audience members. This incident contributed to her later involvement in the civil rights movement.
Simone's mother, Mary Kate Waymon (who lived into her late nineties) was a strict Methodist minister; her father, John Divine Waymon, was a handyman and sometime barber who suffered bouts of ill-health. Mrs Waymon worked as a maid, and her employer, hearing of Nina's talent, provided funds for piano lessons for the little girl. Subsequently, a local fund was set up to assist in Eunice's continued education.
At seventeen, Simone moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she taught piano and accompanied singers. She was able to begin studying piano at New York City's prestigious Juilliard School of Music but lack of funds meant that she was unable to fulfill her dream of becoming America's first Black classical pianist. She later had an interview to study piano at the Curtis Institute, but was rejected. Simone believed this rejection, which fueled her hatred of racism, was because she was black.
Simone turned to blues and jazz after getting her start at the Midtown Bar & Grill on Pacific Avenue in Atlantic City, taking the name Nina Simone in 1954; "Nina" was her boyfriend's nickname for her, and "Simone" was after the French actress Simone Signoret. She first came to public notice in 1959 with her wrenching rendition of George Gershwin's "I Loves You Porgy" (from Porgy and Bess), her only Top-Forty hit in the United States. This was soon followed by the single "My Baby Just Cares for Me" (this was also a hit in the 1980s in the United Kingdom when used for television advertisements for Chanel No 5 perfume).
Throughout the 1960s, Simone was involved in the civil rights movement and recorded a number of political songs, including "To Be Young, Gifted and Black" (later covered by Aretha Franklin and Donny Hathaway), "Backlash Blues", "Mississippi Goddam" (a response to the murder of Medgar Evers and the bombing of a church in Birmingham, Alabama killing four black children), "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free", and Kurt Weill's "Pirate Jenny", from The Threepenny Opera, re-cast in a southern town.
In 1961, Simone recorded a version of the traditional song "House of the Rising Sun", which was then covered by folk-blues artist, Dave Van Ronk, and later recorded by Bob Dylan, where it was picked up by The Animals and became their signature hit. Other songs she is famous for include "I Put a Spell on You" (originally by Screamin' Jay Hawkins), The Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun", "Four Women", Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released", the Bee Gees' "To Love Somebody", and "Ain't Got No (I Got Life)". The latter, from the musical Hair, was her debut in the UK charts, reaching number two in 1968, and a remixed version of the recording by Groovefinder was a UK Top Thirty hit in 2006.
Broadway musicals also supplied several hits for Simone: "My Baby Just Cares for Me", "Love Me or Leave Me", "Feeling Good", and "Ne Me Quitte Pas". Also "You Can Have Him" on the LP Live at Town Hall recorded when she was twenty-six years old; at the end of this operatic performance, which displays her great skill as an actress as well as a musician, she whoops with joy. This single recording encapsulates her extraordinary power, wit, flexibility, sensuality and occasional menace.
In 1987 Nina experienced a resurgence in popularity when "My Baby Just Cares for Me", a track from her first Bethlehem Records album (1958) became a huge hit in the UK and elsewhere. Nina's versatility as an artist was evident in all her music, which often had a folk-music simplicity.
In a single concert, she moved easily from gospel-inspired tunes to blues and jazz and, in numbers like "For All We Know", to numbers infused with European classical stylings, and counterpoint fugues.
Throughout most of her career she was accompanied by percussionist Leopoldo Flemming and guitarist and musical director Al Shackman.
In 1971, Simone left the United States following disagreements with her agents, record labels, and the tax authorities, citing racism as the reason. She returned in 1978 and was arrested for tax evasion (she had withheld several years of income tax as a protest against the Vietnam War). She lived in various countries in the Caribbean, Africa, and Europe, continuing to perform into her 60s. In the 1980s, she performed regularly at Ronnie Scott's jazz club in London. In 1995, Simone reportedly shot and wounded her neighbour's son with an air pistol after his laughing disturbed her concentration.
She had a reputation in the music industry for being volatile and sometimes difficult to deal with, a characterization with which Simone strenuously took issue.
Though her onstage style could be somewhat haughty and aloof, in later years, Simone particularly seemed to enjoy engaging her adoring audiences by recounting sometimes humorous anecdotes related to her career and music and soliciting requests. Simone's regal bearing and commanding stage presence earned her the title the "High Priestess of Soul."
In 1993, she settled near Aix-en-Provence in the south of France. She had been ill with cancer for several years before she died on 21st April 2003 in her sleep at her home in Carry-le-Rouet.
Simone was the recipient of a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 2000 for her song "I Loves You Porgy." She has also received fifteen Grammy Award nominations. On Human Kindness Day 1974 in Washington, D.C., more than 10,000 people paid tribute to Simone. Simone received two honorary degrees in music and humanities, from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Malcolm X College. She preferred to be called "Dr. Nina Simone" after these honors were bestowed upon her. Only two days before her death, Simone was awarded an honorary degree by the Curtis Institute, the music school that had refused to admit her as a student at the beginning of her career.
In 2002, the city of Nijmegen (The Netherlands) named a street after her, the Nina Simonestraat. Simone lived in Nijmegen between 1988 and 1990.
Simone was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2009.
In 2010 a statue in her honor was erected in Trade Street, Tryon, North Carolina, her place of birth.
*Official site
I Love Your Lovin' Ways
Nina Simone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And with a little squeeze you make me understand
That I'm the only one underneath the sun for you, for you
Well I love your lovin' ways, yes I love your lovin' ways
Yes I do, yes I do, yes I do
I love your lovin' ways when you kiss a kiss
The way you pop it up makes me go for this
I'm the only one you need, yes you need
Well I love your lovin' ways, I love your lovin' ways
Yes indeed, yes indeed, yes indeed
Oh yeah, your kisses
That taste so good
Oh they tell me
Darling, you're not made of wood
Well I love your lovin' ways when you hold me tight
You're always good to me and you treat just me right
So baby take my love
'Cause it's meant for you, just you, just you
Well I love your lovin' ways, oh I love your lovin' ways
Yes I do, yes I do, yes I do
I love your lovin' ways when you hold me tight
You're always good to me and you treat me right
So baby take my love
'Cause it's meant for you, just you, just you
Well I love your lovin' ways, yes I love your lovin' ways
Yes I do, yes I do, yes I do
I love your lovin' ways, I love your lovin' ways
Yes I do, yes I do, yes I do
I love your lovin' ways, I love your lovin' ways
Yes I do, yes I do, yes I do
The lyrics of Nina Simone's "I Love Your Lovin' Ways" express the singer's deep affection for her lover's actions and behavior towards her. The opening lines "I love your lovin' ways when you hold my hand / And with a little squeeze you make me understand" accurately captures the power of touch and how a small gesture can communicate feelings of love and security. Furthermore, she reinforces her importance in her lover's life "That I'm the only one underneath the sun for you, for you" which highlights the exclusivity of their relationship.
The second verse further details the intimacy between the two, specifically when they kiss. The way the lover "pop[s] it up" indicates a type of playfulness or lightheartedness that is enjoyable between the two. The chorus repeats the sentiment of the first verse but the final verse seals their love in a more secure place. The statement "you're always good to me and you treat me right" reflects the importance of being treated with respect in a relationship, highlighting that both partners have a duty to care for each other.
Overall, the song is an ode to love and the joy of having a partner who gives you happiness in simple and grand ways alike. The lyrics celebrate the small moments and the big gestures of a relationship and how they can bring two people together in a deep bond.
Line by Line Meaning
I love your lovin' ways when you hold my hand
I adore the way you hold my hand with such tenderness
And with a little squeeze you make me understand
A slight squeeze from your hand conveys your love for me
That I'm the only one underneath the sun for you, for you
You make me feel special and unique to you, which I can't thank you enough
Well I love your lovin' ways, yes I love your lovin' ways
Your love seems to intoxicate me and I can't get enough of it
I love your lovin' ways when you kiss a kiss
Your way of kissing me makes me feel alive and loved
The way you pop it up makes me go for this
Your technique of the kiss drives me into your love and affection completely
Because you makes me feel I'm the only one you need, yes you need
The way you make me feel shows me that you need me in your life as much as I need you in mine
Well I love your lovin' ways, I love your lovin' ways
My love for your loving ways knows no bounds
Oh yeah, your kisses
Your kisses are more than just physical, they are embodiments of your love
That taste so good
Your kisses are not only sweet but they are comforting too
Oh they tell me
Your kisses communicate a deep sense of love and affection that words cannot express
Darling, you're not made of wood
This is a playful way of saying that my beloved reciprocates my feelings and is not indifferent to me
Well I love your lovin' ways when you hold me tight
When you embrace me tightly, I feel safe and secure in your arms
You're always good to me and you treat just me right
You treat me with kindness and respect, and that is all I could ever ask for
So baby take my love
I want to express my love to you in every way possible
'Cause it's meant for you, just you, just you
I want you to realize that my love is solely for you, and you alone
Well I love your lovin' ways, oh I love your lovin' ways
I can't resist your loving ways and I am in love with everything about you
Yes I do, yes I do, yes I do
My love for you will never fade and I will always cherish everything you do for me
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BENNIE BENJAMIN, SOL MARCUS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
n00se
I love your lovin' ways when you hold my hand
And with a little squeeze you make me understand
That I'm the only one underneath the sun for you, yes, for you
I love your lovin' ways, yes, I love your lovin' ways, yes I do.
I love your lovin' ways when you kiss a kiss
The way you pop it up makes me go for this
Because it makes me feel I'm the only one you need, yes, you need
I love your lovin' ways oh I love your lovin' ways, yes indeed.
Oh yeah, your kisses make taste so good
Oh daddy, tell me, darling, you're not made of wood.
I love your lovin' ways when you hold me tight
You're always good to me and you treat me right
So baby take my love 'cause it's made you, just you
I love your lovin' ways oh I love your lovin' ways yes I do...
1Zetzebra1
Love this song!!
SleepyKitten
Hey voice has such a passion to it!
n00se
I love your lovin' ways when you hold my hand
And with a little squeeze you make me understand
That I'm the only one underneath the sun for you, yes, for you
I love your lovin' ways, yes, I love your lovin' ways, yes I do.
I love your lovin' ways when you kiss a kiss
The way you pop it up makes me go for this
Because it makes me feel I'm the only one you need, yes, you need
I love your lovin' ways oh I love your lovin' ways, yes indeed.
Oh yeah, your kisses make taste so good
Oh daddy, tell me, darling, you're not made of wood.
I love your lovin' ways when you hold me tight
You're always good to me and you treat me right
So baby take my love 'cause it's made you, just you
I love your lovin' ways oh I love your lovin' ways yes I do...
Oblivion
Incroyablement belle !
maxwell smart
Love her singing wayys
Oh lord, cant we have her AND DAVE bowie back, please??? They were GREAT friends.
GREAT!
JamesTKirkCobain
Just a side note to this: When the Beatles were writing the song Michelle, Paul McCartney had written the first part but was stuck what should come next until John Lennon remembered this song where Nina sang I love you love you..That's what he said at least
Vicki Price Griffiths
class pure class :-) :-)
Kristin
love'in it
profiAcc
i'll ask john when we meet if this is true
Artur Ribeiro
No futile music at that time