Today’s classic song of the day had popular recordings by three very different artists in three very different styles. We’re talking about “Don’t Be Misunderstood,” first recorded by Nina Simone in a simmering soul version, then by the Animals in a bluesy rock version, then by Santa Esmeralda in a fiery Latin disco version. It says something that the song holds up in all three interpretations.
“Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” was written by Bennie Benjamin, Sol Marcus, and Horace Ott. Benjamin (not the Motown drummer with a similar name) and Marcus were a successful songwriting team who wrote such classics as “I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire” and “When the Lights Go On Again.” Ott was better known as an arranger for artists such as Aretha Franklin, George Benson, Gil Scott-Heron, the Stylistics, and the Village People.
Nina Simone made the first recording of the song for her 1964 album, Broadway-Blues-Ballads. Her version was slow and smooth and sultry, kind of jazzy but also soulful, as was her style, accompanied by Horace Ott’s lush orchestration, including a harp and a choir. Released as a single, it only hit #134 on the Billboard Hot 100—which, if you do the math, isn’t really in the Hot 100 at all.
Eric Burdon and the Animals had a go at it next. They recorded their version later in 1964 and released it as a single in January the next year. This organ-heavy version was more in the blues/rock vein and was a major success, hitting #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on the UK Singles Chart.
A full decade later, the French-American group known as Santa Esmeralda had their turn with the song. Released in December of 1977, this version was a huge dance hit the following year, hitting #1 on the Billboard Club Play Singles chart and #15 on the Hot 100. The full dance version was a 16-minute epic that fused disco, flamenco, and other Latin rhythms into a steamy mix. You may have heard it in Quentin Tarantino’s 2003 film, Kill Bill: Volume 1, during the fight between the Bride (Uma Thurman) and O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu).
Of the three versions, I think I like the Santa Esmeralda cover the best. It’s got a huge groove and is hot, hot, hot with an energy the previous two versions never achieved. I also thought it was perfect for that part of Kill Bill; Mr. Tarantino always does a great job sourcing music for his flicks.
Whichever version you like, it’s a great song with great lyrics. Listen to one or listen to them all, they’re all terrific.
