| "To Be Young, Gifted and Black" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Nina Simone | |
| from the album Black Gold | |
| Released | 1970 |
| Recorded | October 26, 1969 |
| Venue | Philharmonic Hall, New York City |
| Genre | Soul, blues |
| Length | 9:34 |
| Label | RCA |
| Composer(s) | Nina Simone |
| Lyricist(s) | Weldon Irvine |
| Producer(s) | Stroud Productions |
| Official audio | |
| "Nina Simone - To Be Young, Gifted and Black (Audio)" on YouTube | |
"To Be Young, Gifted and Black" is a song by Nina Simone with lyrics by Weldon Irvine. Simone introduced the song on August 17, 1969, to a crowd of 50,000 at the Harlem Cultural Festival, captured on broadcast video tape and released in 2021 as the documentary film Summer of Soul.[1][2] Two months later, she recorded the song as part of her concert at Philharmonic Hall, a performance that resulted in her live album Black Gold (1970). Released as a single, it peaked at number 8 on the R&B chart and number 76 on the Hot 100 in January 1970.[3] A cover version by Jamaican duo Bob and Marcia reached number 5 on the UK Singles Chart in 1970.[4]
The title of the song comes from Lorraine Hansberry's autobiographical play To Be Young, Gifted and Black.[5][6] The song is considered an anthem of the Civil Rights Movement.[7]
British Hit Singles & Albums was invoked but never defined (see the help page).