reference books

for janelle:

nina simone - feelin good (1965)


this song has been remade more times than a hooker has been on his / her knees. and just like them ... we all have lost count. the song was originally a musical piece from the play "the roar of the greasepaint, the smell of the crowd" written by leslie bricusse and anthony newley in 1964. "the plot examines the maintenance of the between the upper and lower classes of British society in the 1960s." (wikipedia) i dont know how all of that the comes together to generate such a song, but alright, i'll take it!
nina simone's haunting voice, consist of something that causes my butt to twitch and sends chills up my spine. its such an uncomfortable feeling but so necessary, like religion sometimes. which brings me to the point that although this song has been used and abused and tortured to death, there's still nothing like the real thing baby. and before it slips further into the abyss of the forgotten history of american music, let me take the time to pull you back into the reality of the past. this is one of those songs that i feel people should familiarize themselves with the original recording artist. its pure in quality and rich in emotion. i know you feel that way when you hear buble's version and how it gives a big ol' boner...thats wonderful! any fulfillment that one gets from music, is a blessing and a source of faith (love, life, compassion, physical) that has been discovered...amen!! but here, you know the rules, we like to immortalize those who paved that road of musical artistic expression! so, thank you ms. simone, for there will never be another (thank god for that!). love-joy