Ain’t Got No, I Got Life (1968)
“Ain't Got No, I Got Life” is a 1968 single by American singer-songwriter Nina Simone, from her album 'Nuff Said. It is a medley of two songs, "Ain't Got No" and "I Got Life", from the musical Hair, with lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. The combination of the two songs was rewritten by Simone to suit her purpose. The song peaked at number 2 in the UK and at number 1 in the Netherlands.[1] It also charted on the Billboard Hot 100, where it reached number 94.[2]
The song helped Simone gain popularity under a new, younger audience, and became a standard in her repertoire.[3]
Key Lyrics
But what have I got?
Let me tell ya what I've got
That nobody's gonna take away
...
Got life, I got my life
Black Empowerment
Yale musicologist Daphne Brooks described the song as "a new black anthem" – a "wholly original" reimagining of the material to create a "trademark" racial protest song as powerful as Simone's earlier "Mississippi Goddam" and "Four Women".[4] A live performance of the song by Simone serves as an emotional peak in the 2015 documentary film What Happened, Miss Simone? by Liz Garbus. In the film, Simone performs at the piano, wearing a strapless black crocheted outfit, her long earrings swinging, and her hair styled in a short afro. She begins with the "desolation, alienation and disenfranchisement" of "Ain't Got No", then transitions to the "jubilant affirmation" of "I Got Life." Images of the Black Power movement recall the feeling of soul-searching African Americans asking the question "Who am I?"Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag
- ↑ http://www.top40.nl/nina-simone/nina-simone-ain-t-got-no-i-got-life_4006
- ↑ http://www.billboard.com/biz/search/charts?page=55&f%5b0%5d=ts_chart_artistname%3ANina%20Simone&f%5b1%5d=ss_bb_type%3Achart_item&type=2&artist=Nina%20Simone
- ↑ http://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/1001-songs-you-must-hear-before-you-die-robert-dimery/1023249765/2675299079471?st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_Marketplace+Shopping+Books_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP3095&k_clickid=3x3095
- ↑ https://dev.lareviewofbooks.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/LARB-2016-46-Film.pdf
