I Put a Spell on You (album)

I Put a Spell on You
Studio album by Nina Simone
Released	June 1965
Recorded	New York City January 1965
Genre	Vocal Jazz Blues Pop
Length	34:21
Label	Philips
Producer	Hal Mooney
Nina Simone chronology
Broadway-Blues-Ballads (1964)Broadway-Blues-Ballads1964 I Put a Spell on You (1965) Pastel Blues (1965)Pastel Blues1965

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Pitchfork Media	9.1/10[2]

I Put a Spell on You is a 1965 album by jazz singer/pianist/songwriter Nina Simone for Philips Records. Described by AllMusic reviewer Richie Unterberger as "One of her most pop-oriented albums, but also one of her best and most consistent",^[1] the album features some of Simone's best known songs. On July 24th, 2017, NPR released an article ranking 150 of the greatest albums by women, Simone's 1965 album was ranked #3 overall. ^[3]

Information about songs on this album

• "I Put a Spell on You", a song originally by Screamin' Jay Hawkins. The original version gave the song an ironic theme, but Simone transformed it into a thrilling love song, complete with horns and strings. It had become one of her most well known songs. She used the title for her autobiography I Put a Spell on You (1992). The Beatles drew inspiration from the song for their song "Michelle".^[1]
• "Tomorrow Is My Turn", an English translation of a French song by Charles Aznavour.
• "Ne me quitte pas", a rendition of the song by Jacques Brel. It became one of her live repertoire standards.
• "Feeling Good": Simone's version of the Broadway song written by Anthony Newley and Leslie Briscusse ^[4] has been covered by many artists including Muse and Michael Bublé. A sample of the song is featured on Mary J. Blige's song "About You" on the album The Breakthrough (2006). Kanye West and Jay-Z also sample "Feeling Good" for the song "New Day" on their album Watch The Throne. Simone's recording of this song also goes away from her jazz roots, with the support of a big-band behind her vocals. ^[5]
• "Take Care of Business" was featured in the 2015 film adaptation of the 60s television series "The Man from U.N.C.L.E."

Track listing

1. "I Put a Spell on You" (Jalacy Hawkins) – 2:34
2. "Tomorrow Is My Turn" (Charles Aznavour, Marcel Stellman, Yves Stéphane) – 2:48
3. "Ne me quitte pas" (Jacques Brel) – 3:34
4. "Marriage Is for Old Folks" (Leon Carr, Earl Shuman) – 3:29
5. "July Tree" (Irma Jurist, Eve Merriam) – 2:41
6. "Gimme Some" (Andy Stroud) – 2:57
7. "Feeling Good" (Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley) – 2:53
8. "One September Day" (Rudy Stevenson) – 2:48
9. "Blues on Purpose" (instrumental) (Rudy Stevenson) – 3:16
10. "Beautiful Land" (Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley) – 1:54
11. "You've Got to Learn" (Charles Aznavour, Marcel Stellman) – 2:41
12. "Take Care of Business" (Andy Stroud) – 2:03

Charts

References