To Be Young, Gifted and Black
| "To Be Young, Gifted and Black" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Nina Simone from the album Black Gold | ||||
| Released | 1969 | |||
| Recorded | album recorded live at Philharmonic Hall, single was a studio recording | |||
| Genre | Soul, blues, gospel | |||
| Label | RCA Records | |||
| Writer(s) | Weldon Irvine | |||
| Composer(s) | Nina Simone | |||
| Producer(s) | Stroud productions | |||
| Black Gold track listing | ||||
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"To Be Young, Gifted and Black" is a song by Nina Simone with lyrics by Weldon Irvine. It was written in memory of Simone's late friend Lorraine Hansberry, author of the play A Raisin in the Sun, who had died in 1965 aged 34. The song was originally recorded and released by Simone in 1969, also featuring on her 1970 album Black Gold, and was a Civil Rights Movement anthem. Released as a single, it peaked at number eight on the R&B chart and number 76 on the Hot 100.
Notable cover versions of the song were recorded by Donny Hathaway (on his 1970 album Everything Is Everything), Aretha Franklin (on her 1972 album Young, Gifted and Black) and Bob and Marcia (whose 1970 recording reached number 5 in the UK Singles Chart and number 15 in Ireland). Jamaican rocksteady/reggae trio The Heptones recorded a version for Coxsone Dodd's Studio One label in 1970.
Elton John recorded a version of "To Be Young, Gifted and Black" prior to his solo success. Intended to be released as a low-budget sound-alike version of the original, it was later reissued on the compilation album Covers as Sung by Elton John.
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