Hi, Nina lovers!
Today's song is the classic: Feeling Good, by Nina Simone!
Altough this is not the original version of the song, Nina's cover was the one that created the amount of popularity of the tune. And nowadays, when the song is performed it is usually performed in the manner she covered it (e.g. Muse or Michael Bublé).
The original song was written by song writers Lesley Bricusse and Anthony Newley for the 1965 premiere of the musical titled The Roar of the Grease Paint - The Smell of the Crowd.
As for the build of this song, it is done incredibly well. It gets you so high, emotionally, and then just drops off again. A very emotional song sang with a damn lot of feeling. This song leaves me speachless.
I've always thought that when Nina sings this song she doesn't realy sound like she's feeling good. Sounds like a contradiction, it could be coming from an 'ironic' angle. Maybe even be seen an sinister approach, 'cause of the way it is being sung.
Either way, concerning it's lyrics interpretation, I think that there are very different interpreatations depending on the way the song is sung. Like per example in Muse's version, I see it as being about a man who's just broken off a long lasting relationship, and is feeling liberated - "Freedom is mine, You know how I feel" - however, he is also feeling slightly cynical about the whole thing. But in Nina's particular case it's like the singer is singing it to an ex lover who's moved on - trying to convince the lover and herself that she's "feeling good" but really she's not. She's feeling tormented by the fact that he was able to move on, and that she is stuck with a whole lot of thoughts of him in her head. She still loves him.
And wasn't this originally a blues song? Do they ever sing happy songs a majority of the time? No. So, that hences my thoughts. You know when people ask if you're okay and you just reply "Yeah, sure, I'm fine.." but you're really not? I think that's the case.
Simple things like "Birds flying high" don't make her happy anymore.
It's a new dawn/It's a new day/Its a new life - Could be the first day after a relationship break up (or even a death of a loved one).
Sleep in peace when the day is done - Sounds like she's glad the day is over and she can try to sleep and forget all her problems.
It's an old world/It's a new world/It's a bold world, for me - Just a mess. Her world is just a complete disgrace. Her past. Her future. It's hard for her, having to face all this changes. It musn't be easy to deal with the loss of a past she aimed and also with a future she loathes, because she can't be with him anymore.
There's fish in the sea, river running free - kind of conjures up the idea of "plenty of fish in the sea" to date, she has the freedom to do anything she'd like to.
Oh, freedom is mine, and I know how I feel - All through the song the singer is saying "You know how I feel" and here, at the end, she says "I" know how I feel, I guess it's like: "Well, you think I'm fine, everyone thinks I'm handling this just great, but really I am not, and I'm the only one who really knows that fact, I know how I feel and you think you know how I feel".
To sum up, she has this sarcastic tone all over the song. But, of course it should be sarcastic, because just about everyone will get screwed over at some point in their life. And she has reached this point.
The original song was written by song writers Lesley Bricusse and Anthony Newley for the 1965 premiere of the musical titled The Roar of the Grease Paint - The Smell of the Crowd.
As for the build of this song, it is done incredibly well. It gets you so high, emotionally, and then just drops off again. A very emotional song sang with a damn lot of feeling. This song leaves me speachless.
I've always thought that when Nina sings this song she doesn't realy sound like she's feeling good. Sounds like a contradiction, it could be coming from an 'ironic' angle. Maybe even be seen an sinister approach, 'cause of the way it is being sung.
Either way, concerning it's lyrics interpretation, I think that there are very different interpreatations depending on the way the song is sung. Like per example in Muse's version, I see it as being about a man who's just broken off a long lasting relationship, and is feeling liberated - "Freedom is mine, You know how I feel" - however, he is also feeling slightly cynical about the whole thing. But in Nina's particular case it's like the singer is singing it to an ex lover who's moved on - trying to convince the lover and herself that she's "feeling good" but really she's not. She's feeling tormented by the fact that he was able to move on, and that she is stuck with a whole lot of thoughts of him in her head. She still loves him.
And wasn't this originally a blues song? Do they ever sing happy songs a majority of the time? No. So, that hences my thoughts. You know when people ask if you're okay and you just reply "Yeah, sure, I'm fine.." but you're really not? I think that's the case.
Simple things like "Birds flying high" don't make her happy anymore.
It's a new dawn/It's a new day/Its a new life - Could be the first day after a relationship break up (or even a death of a loved one).
Sleep in peace when the day is done - Sounds like she's glad the day is over and she can try to sleep and forget all her problems.
It's an old world/It's a new world/It's a bold world, for me - Just a mess. Her world is just a complete disgrace. Her past. Her future. It's hard for her, having to face all this changes. It musn't be easy to deal with the loss of a past she aimed and also with a future she loathes, because she can't be with him anymore.
There's fish in the sea, river running free - kind of conjures up the idea of "plenty of fish in the sea" to date, she has the freedom to do anything she'd like to.
Oh, freedom is mine, and I know how I feel - All through the song the singer is saying "You know how I feel" and here, at the end, she says "I" know how I feel, I guess it's like: "Well, you think I'm fine, everyone thinks I'm handling this just great, but really I am not, and I'm the only one who really knows that fact, I know how I feel and you think you know how I feel".
To sum up, she has this sarcastic tone all over the song. But, of course it should be sarcastic, because just about everyone will get screwed over at some point in their life. And she has reached this point.
Feeling Good - Nina Simone
Birds flying high, you know how I feel
Sun in the sky, you know how I feelReeds drifting on by, you know how I feel
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good
Fish in the sea, you know how I feel
River running free, you know how I feel
Blossom in the tree, you know how I feel
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good
Dragonfly out in the sun, you know what I mean, don't you know
Butterflies all having fun, you know what I mean
Sleep in peace when day is done
That's what I mean
And this old world is a new world
And a bold world
For me
Stars, when you shine, you know how I feel
Scent of the pine, you know how I feel
Oh, freedom is mine
And I know how I feel
And I'm feeling good
xoxo, Lucy and Lovely Rita