Perfect Music Moments in Black History: Nina Simone’s ‘4 Women’

For a certain segment out there, I imagine that Jay-Z’s song “The Story of O.J.” introduced them to Nina Simone (born Eunice Waymon). The song samples her famous 1966 song “Four Women,” released on the Wild Is the Wind album. For those who were introduced to her through Jay-Z, I’m both happy and sad: happy because at least they were introduced, and sad because that’s a lot of good Nina Simone music they’ve been missing out on.

“Four Women” is one of the most powerful songs I’ve ever heard in my entire life. From the piano riff that runs through the entire song, which is nothing short of heaven-sent in its perfection, to the buildup at the end to punctuate the emotions and the stories of the four women who are the essence of the song, “Four Women” brilliantly shares the various pain and struggles of black womanhood in America, as faced by these four black figures: Aunt Sarah, Saffronia, Sweet Thing and Peaches.

According to an old Village Voice piece written by Thulani Davis after Simone passed away in 2003:

But it was “Four Women,” an instantly accessible analysis of the damning legacy of slavery, that made iconographic the real women we knew and would become. For African American women it became an anthem affirming our existence, our sanity, and our struggle to survive a culture which regards us as anti-feminine. It acknowledged the loss of childhoods among African American women, our invisibility, exploitation, defiance, and even subtly reminded that in slavery and patriarchy, your name is what they call you.

As a youth, I’d heard Simone’s music through my own discovery of new artists, but it (admittedly) wasn’t until Kanye West sampled “Sinnerman” for Talib Kweli’s “Get By” in 2002 that I did a deep dive into her entire catalog. I spent a week digging into internet crates looking for every album I could find, trying to learn as much as I could.

Her political messaging stood out to me particularly because of the timing and tone of a lot of her music—so much was released in the heat of the civil rights movement—and she didn’t make any bones about her feelings over what was happening in America.

From the Washington Post about the creation of the song “Mississippi Goddam”:

When Nina Simone heard about the bombing death of four young girls at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., in 1963, she famously went to her garage and tried to build a zip gun to take out her anger on someone. When her husband suggested that her music would be a more effective weapon, she wrote “Mississippi Goddam,” a politically charged song that declared, “Lord have mercy on this land of mine / we all gonna get it in due time.” When she released the song in 1964, it contained this curious, spoken aside: “This is a show tune, but the show hasn’t been written for it yet.”

“Four Women” follows along in that political ideology, and from the moment I first heard it, I was drawn into it. It’s almost impossible not to feel something. She electrified us with her storytelling, and influenced other artists—there are plays and works named in honor of the song—by creating offerings that spoke to black womanhood in ways that resonated broadly, but particularly among black women.

Her catalog contains so many gems that one listen through any greatest-hits compilation would whet your appetite for more. From “Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” to the aforementioned “Sinnerman” and “Mississippi Goddam” to “I Put a Spell on You,” you can find almost anything you’re looking for from Nina Simone. She has over 30 albums for your choosing, but even among the many gems, “Four Women” stands out for its impact and purpose.

It’s why they call her Peaches, the last of the four women:

My skin is blackMy arms are longMy hair is woollyMy back is strongStrong enough to take the paininflicted again and againWhat do they call meMy name is AUNT SARAHMy name is Aunt Sarah

My skin is yellowMy hair is longBetween two worldsI do belongMy father was rich and whiteHe forced my mother late one nightWhat do they call meMy name is SAFFRONIAMy name is Saffronia

My skin is tanMy hair is fineMy hips invite youMy mouth like wineWhose little girl am I?Anyone who has money to buyWhat do they call meMy name is SWEET THINGMy name is Sweet Thing

My skin is brown My manner is toughI’ll kill the first mother I seeMy life has been roughI’m awfully bitter these daysbecause my parents were slavesWhat do they call meMy name is PEACHES