Nina Simone, Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the 134^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2024), we recollect and reflect on “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” by Nina Simone.   

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶! Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace this column are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome. In the 134^th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2024), we recollect and reflect on “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” performed by Nina Simone.

“But I’m just a soul / Whose intentions are good / Oh, Lord / Please don’t let me be misunderstood.” The late, great Nina Simone is among the most iconic and revered musicians. More than a musician, Simone was a civil rights activist who embraced blackness to the fullest. While “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” didn’t impact the pop charts, it ranks among the top of Simone’s illustrious catalog.  “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” is the opening track from her 1964 album, Broadway-Blues-Ballads. It was written by Bennie Benjamin, Gloria Caldwell (Horace Ott used his wife’s name instead of his), and Sol Marcus. Hal Mooney produced it. Simone was the first to record it.  There have been many covers courtesy of The Animals and Lana Del Rey.  Also, many musicians have sampled it.

The songwriting is a major selling point of “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.” “Don’t you know, no one alive can always be an angel,” Simone sings in the first verse, concluding, “When everything goes wrong, you see some bad.” In the second verse, she asserts, “And then sometimes again it seems, that all I have is worry / And then you’re bound to see my other side.” Word. Of course, the lyrics to beat are the chorus, excerpted earlier. The musical accompaniment and production are top-notch as well.  Set in a minor key, the backdrop is dark, enigmatic, and lush. The dramatic strings and melancholic piano fuel the musical fire. Simone has the perfect backdrop to sing upon.  She sings authentically, dynamically, and expressively.  Her commanding, robust tone is otherworldly – truly, anointed. “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” was tailor-made for the one-and-only Nina Simone.  It never grows old, 60 years after its release.

Nina Simone // Broadway–Blues–Ballads // UMG Recordings, Inc. // 1964

Nina Simone, Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 134 (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; UMG Recordings, Inc.; OpenClipart-Vectors, Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Speedy McVroom from Pixabay]