To Love Somebody (album)

To Love Somebody
To Love Somebody
Studio album by Nina Simone
Released	1969
Recorded	1967–69
Studio	RCA (New York City)
Genre	Jazz; blues; pop; folk;
Length	32:48
Label	RCA Victor
Producer	Danny Davis; Andrew Stroud;
Nina Simone chronology

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]

To Love Somebody is an album by jazz singer-songwriter/pianist Nina Simone. Primarily a covers album, 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".

Tracks

"Revolution" is the only original song written for the album. It 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 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," which had been recorded by the Beatles the same year. John Lennon commented on the similarities in a 1971 interview with Rolling Stone:

I thought it was interesting that Nina Simone did a sort of answer to "Revolution." 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.^[2]

The song is split into two parts as a result of the single release. "Revolution" didn't do well in the UK charts, and only had a mild success in the United States R&B charts. Simone was surprised by this 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.^[3]

Simone also recorded an alternate version of "Turn! Turn! Turn!" that was (previously) unreleased.

Track listing

"Suzanne" (Leonard Cohen) – 4:21
"Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)" (Traditional, Pete Seeger) – 3:41
"Revolution (Part 1)" (Weldon Irvine, Simone) – 2:53
"Revolution (Part 2)" (Weldon Irvine, Simone) – 1:54
"To Love Somebody" (Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb) – 2:42
"I Shall Be Released" (Bob Dylan) – 3:55
"I Can't See Nobody" (Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb) – 3:10
"Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" (Bob Dylan) – 4:52
"The Times They Are a-Changin'" (Bob Dylan) – 6:00

Personnel

Nina Simone – vocals, piano, arrangements
Don Alias – drums
Weldon J. Irvine – organ
Al Schackman – guitar
Gene A. Perla – Fender bass
Doris Willingham – 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

^ Bush, John. "To Love Somebody Review". AllMusic. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
^ Wenner, Jann S. (February 4, 1971). "The Rolling Stone Interview: John Lennon, Part II". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
^ Hampton, Sylvia (2004). Break Down And Let It All Out. London, England: Sanctuary Publishers, Ltd. p. 62. ISBN 978-1860745522.

[1] Bush, John. "To Love Somebody Review". AllMusic. Retrieved December 29, 2021.

[2] Wenner, Jann S. (February 4, 1971). "The Rolling Stone Interview: John Lennon, Part II". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 5, 2013.

[3] Hampton, Sylvia (2004). Break Down And Let It All Out. London, England: Sanctuary Publishers, Ltd. p. 62. ISBN 978-1860745522.

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