Vox Hunt: A Favorite Song from '06
Audio: Share one of your favorite songs from 2006.
I was on vacation for this Vox Hunt so I'm a little late for it but I'm getting there.
This is going to be a multi-part hunt as I don't have some of my favorites uploaded yet and it isn't possible to limit myself to just one song.
The first song on my list was first released in 1968.
It was written Gene Taylor, Nina Simone's bass player, upon hearing the news of Dr. King's death. He (MLK) died on the 4th April and the song was preformed for the first time on the 7th. I'd heard a heavily edited 5-6 minute version of this song on another CD but didn't know what I was missing until I heard this full, nearly 13 minute version.
The un-edited version here comes from a compilation CD released this year called Forever Young Gifted and Black which I bought only to hear this song. I had read that listening to this song will leave you drained, and damnit if it doesn't. It slowly builds and builds then at about minute 7 it explodes with raw emotion that moves me nearly every time I hear it.
Mississippi Goddam is sort of like a sister piece to Why.
Nina wrote it four years before as a response to the murder of Medgar Evers as well as the church bombing that killed four little girls.
It doesn't appear on the official 1968 album release with Why but Forever... places it immediately after it. While preforming she makes reference to Why and how it was "Composed especially for today", so I am assuming that they were originally played together in concert.
I imagine that it was excluded from the original because near the middle of the song she says
And then she laughs.
The King is Dead, The King of Love is Dead
I ain't 'bout to be non-violent, honey
So there we are. Part one of my favorite song(s) of '06. The rest won't be nearly as good I promise.
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