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
Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out
Nina Simone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Spending my money, with never a care
Takin' all my friends out for a good time
Drinkin' high-priced liquor, champagne and wine;
Then I began to fall so low;
Didn't have a friend, and no place to go
If I ever get my hands on a dollar again
I'm gonna squeeze it, until the eagle grins, cause
Nobody knows you when you're down and out.
In your pocket, not one penny
And your friends you find you haven't any.
But as soon as you get back on your feet again
Everybody wants to be your long-lost friend
It's might strange, without a doubt
Nobody knows you when you're down and out.
Nina Simone's "Nobody knows you when you're down and out" is a moving and poignant song that explores the theme of friendship and companionship in times of prosperity versus those of struggle. The song begins by describing the life of a wealthy individual who spends money extravagantly on his friends, treating them to expensive drinks and dining. However, as time progresses, his circumstances change, and he finds himself falling on hard times. He loses his wealth and his friends, and no one is willing to offer him any assistance.
The song speaks to the universal truth that people tend to stick around when times are good but disappear when times are tough. It highlights the fickle nature of human relations and our tendency to prioritize wealth and status over genuine relationships. Despite the difficult themes, the song is infused with a sense of hope and resilience, suggesting that the singer is determined to bounce back from his difficult circumstances and triumph over his adversity.
Overall, "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" is an intricate commentary on human relationships and the role of money and status in social interactions. It paints a genuine image of the way society operates, and it encourages listeners to reflect on the essence of true companionship and unconditional support.
Line by Line Meaning
Once I lived the life of a millionaire
I used to live a wealthy, lavish life with no financial worries.
Spending my money, with never a care
I was constantly splurging and not saving for the future.
Takin' all my friends out for a good time
I used to treat my friends and loved ones with expensive outings.
Drinkin' high-priced liquor, champagne and wine;
I indulged in the most expensive alcoholic drinks.
Then I began to fall so low;
Eventually, I started experiencing a decline in my financial status.
Didn't have a friend, and no place to go
As a result, I lost my friends and social status.
If I ever get my hands on a dollar again
If I manage to get some money again in the future.
I'm gonna squeeze it, until the eagle grins, cause
I will hold on to it tightly and never let it go, as I learned my lesson.
Nobody knows you when you're down and out.
When you're broke and struggling, people tend to abandon you and don't want to associate with you.
In your pocket, not one penny
You have no money left.
And your friends you find you haven't any.
Your friends disappear as soon as your wealth runs out.
But as soon as you get back on your feet again
If you somehow regain your financial status.
Everybody wants to be your long-lost friend
People will come back into your life, pretending like they never abandoned you.
It's might strange, without a doubt
The whole situation is strange and unsettling.
Nobody knows you when you're down and out.
People only care about you when you have something to offer or show off.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Jimmy Cox
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@dabi5144
Once I lived the life of a millionaire,
Spent all my money, I just did not care.
Took all my friends out for a good time,
Bought bootleg liquor, champagne and wine.
Then I began to fall so low,
Lost all my good friends, I did not have nowhere to go.
I get my hands on a dollar again,
I'm gonna hang on to it till that eagle grins.
'Cause no, no, nobody knows you
When you're down and out.
In your pocket, not one penny,
And as for friends, you don't have any.
When you finally get back up on your feet again,
Everybody wants to be your old long-lost friend.
Said it's mighty strange, without a doubt,
Nobody knows you when you're down and out.
When you finally get back upon your feet again,
Everybody wants to be your good old long-lost friend.
Said it's mighty strange,
Nobody knows you,
Nobody knows you,
Nobody knows you when you're down and out.
@nintendho3775
One of the best versions of this song I’ve ever heard In my life. Nina’s rendition of any song are always sung intricately and so elegantly. Words can’t describe how incredible this woman was.
@mmcd3182
I just listened to 19 different takes of this song by different great blues performers -- this one is way at the top of the list.
@jollylollypop1
derek and the dominoes was not too bad.
@manbarral
bring us a top10!!! i love this music and maybe listen for 3 or 4.
@RenanzinhoSopadeAbobora
Scrapper Blackwell version for me it is the best version
@Hocould1
I'm doing the same thing. Like Steve Winwood and Spencer Davis Group a lot.
@deadappletree
Yeah
@philpryor7524
Sensationally good, a beautiful women, dramatic and forceful performer, Nina remains a quite unique one, who cannot be replicated , imitated , followed, barely comprehended.
@alanor76
This has got to be one of the best recordings ever
@darknlow
This is the best version of this song by far. The opening theme is the perfect mix of classical with blues, both of which Nina was a master of. Could listen to this all day.