Difference between revisions of "Four Women (1966)"
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== Misinterpretation == | == Misinterpretation == | ||
Revision as of 05:07, 20 January 2021
Four Women is a song written by jazz singer, composer, pianist and arranger Nina Simone, released on the 1966 album Wild Is the Wind. It tells the story of four different African American women. Each of the four characters represents an African-American stereotype in society. Thulani Davis of The Village Voice called the song “an instantly accessible analysis of the damning legacy of slavery, that made iconographic the real women we knew and would become”.[1]
Contents
Key Lyrics
My skin is brown
My manner is tough
I'll kill the first mother I see
My life has been too rough
I'm awfully bitter these days
Because my parents were slaves
African-American Women Archetypes
Misinterpretation
Much to Simone's dismay, and despite her intention to highlight the injustice in society and the suffering of African-American people, some listeners interpreted the song as racist. They believed it drew on black stereotypes, and it was subsequently banned on several major radio stations.[2]
Covers and Popular Culture
Reference
- ↑ https://www.villagevoice.com/2003/04/29/nina-simone-1933-2003/. Thulani Davis. 29 April 2003. The Village Voice. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
- ↑ https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=grdNAAAAIBAJ&pg=3795,2693076&dq=four-women+nina-simone+ban+radio&hl=en. George F. Brown. 14 December 1966. The Virgin Island Daily News, p. 14. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
