Nina Simone, nacida como Eunice Kathleen Waymon el 21 de febrero de 1933 en Tryon, Carolina del Norte, creció en una familia afroamericana profundamente religiosa. De niña, mostró un talento excepcional para la música, destacándose en el piano ya desde los tres años. Nina fue la sexta de ocho hijos de Mary Kate Irvin y John Divine Waymon. La familia luchaba económicamente, pero su talento no pasó desapercibido. A la edad de doce años, recibió una beca para estudiar música clásica con Muriel Mazzanovich, una profesora que ayudó a moldear su amor por Bach y otros compositores clásicos.
Al mudar a Filadelfia, Nina aspiraba a una carrera como pianista clásica, pero el rechazo de la prestigiosa Curtis Institute of Music –que más tarde ella atribuyó al racismo– la llevó a ganarse la vida tocando en clubes. Adoptó el nombre artístico de Nina Simone para ocultar su identidad a su familia, que desaprobaba su carrera en el ámbito del entretenimiento. "Nina" derivó de "niña", un apodo que su novio solía usar, mientras que "Simone" fue inspirado por la actriz francesa Simone Signoret.
En 1958, Simone alcanzó su primer éxito con una interpretación del estándar de jazz "I Loves You, Porgy" de George Gershwin. La canción llegó al Top 20 en las listas de Billboard, lo que la llevó a firmar con la discográfica Bethlehem Records y lanzar su primer álbum, Little Girl Blue. A partir de aquí,
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"You Can Have Him" lyrics Nina Simone Lyrics "You Can Have Him"
I don't want him you can have him
He's not worth fighting for
Besides there's plenty more where he came from
I don't want him you can have him
I'm giving him the sack
And he can go right back where he came from
I'm afraid I never loved him
Sweetie he'd be better off with you
I could never make him happy
All I ever wanted to do was
Run my fingers through his curly locks
Mend his underwear and darn his socks
Fetch his slippers and remove his shoes
Wipe his glasses when he's read the news
Rub his forehead with a gentle touch
Mornings after when he's had a little too much
Kiss him gently when he cuddles near
And give him babies one for every year
So you see that I don't want him you can have him
You can have him cos I don't want him
Because he's not the man for me
Then I'd close the window while he soundly slept
Then I'd raid the icebox where the food is kept
I'd fix the breakfast that would please him most
Eggs and coffee some apricot juice and some buttered toast
Oh oh then I'd go out and buy the papers
And when they've been read spend the balance of the day in bed
So you see that I don't want him you can have him
You can have him cos I don't want him because he's not my man
I don't want him you can have him
You can have him I don't want him
You can have him I don't want him
Cos he's not the man for me