Most of the program can be seen in the 22-minute video above. Simone’s choice of material is characteristically eclectic. There is a two-song medley from the musical Hair (“Aint Got No/I Got Life”), a blues with lyrics written for her by the poet Langston Hughes (“Backlash Blues”), a pop song made famous by the Animals (“Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”) and a song written by her bassist, Gene Taylor, in reaction to the assassination of Martin Luther King, titled “Why? (The King of Love is Dead).”
Midway through, Simone changes into an African robe and headdress. She is accompanied by Taylor on bass, her younger brother Sam Waymon on organ, vocals and percussion, Henry Young on guitar and Buck Clarke on drums. The original broadcast reportedly included an encore with one of Simone’s signature songs, ”Mississippi Goddam,” but that has been cut in this video. Here is what’s on it:
- “Go to Hell” by Morris Bailey, Jr.
- “Ain’t Got No/I Got Life” by Galt MacDermot, James Rado and Gerome Ragni
- “Backlash Blues” by Nina Simone and Langston Hughes
- “I Put a Spell on You” by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
- “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” by Bennie Benjamin, Gloria Caldwell and Sol Marcus
- “Why? (The King of Love is Dead)” by Gene Taylor
Nina Simone Sings Her Breakthrough Song, ‘I Loves You Porgy,’ in 1962
Nina Simone Sings of Social Injustice in a 1965 Dutch Television Broadcast
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