It is said that when Nina Simone was raising her daughter Lisa in the early 60s, one of the books they both loved to read, and sing aloud, was the Dr Seuss collection of poems One fish two fish red fish blue fish. And when Simone started creating her songs demanding equality for all US citizens, the poetic style of that book became a major inspiration for her later epic Four Women ( • Nina Simone - Four Wom... ), a powerful description of the oppression of black women throughout American history. Themes borrowed from the original include the recurring "Who am I?/What do they call me? My name is...", and the numerical title itself. The words are complex and stark, but the rhythms are those of the innocence of childhood. Here is my attempt to recreate that innocence.
7 сен 2024