''To Love Somebody'' is an album by jazz singer-songwriter/pianist

Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blu ...

. It was released as quickly as possible to prolong the unexpected success of '' 'Nuff Said!'' The title is taken from the Bee Gees song ''" To Love Somebody"''; her cover of the song became her second British hit single after "Ain't Got No-I Got Life".

Information about songs on this album

*The title track, ''"To Love Somebody''", as well as ''"

I Can't See Nobody "I Can't See Nobody" is a song by the Bee Gees, released first as the B-side of "New York Mining Disaster 1941". With "New York Mining Disaster 1941", this song was issued as a double A in Germany and Japan., and included on the group's third LP, ...

"'' are songs by the Bee Gees. *''" Suzanne"'', originally by

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

; covered by many artists by the time of this album. *''"

Turn! Turn! Turn! "Turn! Turn! Turn!", or "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)", is a song written by Pete Seeger in the late 1950s and first recorded in 1959. The lyrics – except for the title, which is repeated throughout the song, and the fin ...

"'', originally by

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notably ...

. Simone recorded an alternative version of the song that was (previously) unreleased. *"Revolution" (parts 1 & 2) was Simone's third subsequent single released in the UK after ''"Ain't Got No–I Got Life"'' and ''"To Love Somebody"'' both became hits. The song was released around the time of the same titled song by

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

and, although it has a similar hook ("Don't you know it's gonna be – all right") and structure, most of the lyrics differ. The song also uses a guitar lick similar to ''"

Old Brown Shoe "Old Brown Shoe" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. Written by George Harrison, the group's lead guitarist, it was released on a non-album single in May 1969, as the B-side to "The Ballad of John and Yoko". The song was subseque ...

,"'' which had been recorded by The Beatles the same year.

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

commented on the similarities in a 1971 interview with ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'':

I thought it was interesting that Nina Simone did a sort of answer to ''"
Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
."'' That was very good–it was sort of like ''"Revolution,"'' but not quite. That I sort of enjoyed, somebody who reacted immediately to what I had said.

The song is split into two parts because Part 2 was featured on the B-side of the single. ''"Revolution"'' didn't do well in the UK charts, and only had a mild success in the United States R&B charts. Simone didn't expect this lack of success and said to Sylvia Hampton, author of the biography ''Break Down and Let It All Out'' about this:

(…) I don't get it. It's about a revolution, man: not just colour, but everything! It's about barriers being broken down, and they sure as hell need getting rid of. (…) We need a revolution to sort it all out and get back to God. You know how lost we are, man – it's sad.

Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan. It was originally recorded on August 2, 1965, and released on the album ''Highway 61 Revisited''. The song was later released on the compilation album ''Bob Dylan's Great ...

", " I Shall Be Released", and " The Times They Are a-Changin'" are songs by

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

Track listing

#" Suzanne" (

) – 4:21 #" Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)" (Traditional,

) – 3:41 #" Revolution (Part 1)" (

Weldon Irvine Weldon Jonathan Irvine Jr. (October 27, 1943 – April 9, 2002), also known as Master Wel, was an American composer, playwright, poet, pianist, organist, and keyboardist. Biography Irvine, an African American, was born in Hampton, Virginia, on ...

, Simone) – 2:53 #" Revolution (Part 2)" (Weldon Irvine, Simone) – 1:54 #" To Love Somebody" (

Barry Gibb Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb (born 1 September 1946) is a British musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He rose to worldwide fame as a member of the Bee Gees, one of the most commercially successful groups in the history of popula ...

, Robin Gibb) – 2:42 #" I Shall Be Released" (

) – 3:55 #"

" (Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb) – 3:10 #"

" (Bob Dylan) – 4:52 #" The Times They Are a-Changin'" (Bob Dylan) – 6:00

Personnel

* Nina Simone – vocals, piano, arrangements * Charles D. Alias – drums * Weldon J. Irvine – organ * Al Schackman – guitar * Gene A. Perla – Fender bass *

Doris Willingham Doris Willingham ( Curry, May 18, 1941 – March 21, 2019), known for much of her singing career as Doris Duke, was an American gospel and soul singer, best known for her 1969 album ''I'm a Loser''. Biography Duke was born in Sandersville, G ...

– vocals * Virdia Crawford – vocals * Jimmy Wisner – arrangements, conductor on "To Love Somebody" and "I Can't See Nobody" ;Technical *Mike Moran, Ray Hall – recording engineers

References

{{Authority control 1969 albums Nina Simone albums Albums arranged by Nina Simone Albums produced by Danny Davis (country musician) RCA Victor albums