Nina Simone - Little Girl Blue

Joe writes: My favourite Nina Simone recording, as covered recently by Laura Mvula. It was the title track of Nina's debut album from 1958, released on the seasonal-sounding Bethlehem Records. But there was no room at the inn for Nina - according to Wikipedia, she sold her rights to the album (which also included the much-synched My Baby Just Cares For Me) outright for $3000. I suspect Joni Mitchell might have got the idea for the Jingle Bells piano part in River from Little Girl Blue's similar reference to to Good King Wenceslas.

Anyway, Rodgers & Hart wrote Little Girl Blue; Nina immortalised it.

my new favourite Dylan cover - Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues by Nina Simone

Joe writes: Just Like Tom Thumb's Blue isn't one of my favourite Bob Dylan songs, or wasn't until I heard Nina's restrained version of it. It's my new favourite Dylan cover and one of my two favourite Nina Simone tracks.



Here's my other Nina favourite, Little Girl Blue, which borrows from Good King Wenceslas:



and while I'm on the subject of classic tracks that borrow from Christmas carols, here's Joni Mitchell's River with its debt to Jingle Bells:

Nina Simone - My father

Phil writes: Some time ago I saw a clip of Judy Collins singing this song of hers and wondered about posting it then. I knew it was a good song but wasn't quite sure how good. I just caught this Nina Simone version on a film of her last recorded live performance. I find it very moving and deeply felt, in a way that the original doesn't quite match.

Nina Simone - For all we know

Phil writes: A distinctive and stunning version of a much-covered song: