I suppose it’s appropriate that, after so many recent posts about movies, the Random iTunes Fairy served up a song from another movie.
‘Gold’ appeared in the lovely 2007 film Once, and later in the successful Broadway adaptation of the film. I first assumed this was a performance by the film’s leads, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, but apparently it is actually by an Irish band called Interference.
‘I Put a Spell On You’ was written and originally recorded by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins in 1956.
Nine years later, Nina Simone recorded her version and had a minor hit on the R&B charts with it. The song was the lead-off track on an album also titled I Put a Spell On You — an album notable for also including the classic ‘Feeling Good.’
This song inspired John Lennon’s contribution to the Beatles hit ‘Michelle’: “I had been listening to Nina Simone – I think it was ‘I Put A Spell On You’. There was a line in it that went: ‘I love you, I love you.’ That’s what made me think of the middle eight for ‘Michelle’: ‘I love you, I love you, I l-o-ove you.'”
My love for Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma has veered into obsession. I have watched the film in full three times now and specific scenes many more times than that. I’m gobbling up articles and podcasts as fast as they’re being produced.
To capture the many ways Roma works its magic, I’ve decided to compile a list of the film’s thematic elements, recurring motifs, and symbolism, as well as some good old-fashioned trivia.
Please use the comment section to explore and challenge these items and to suggest your own.
Warning: This is a SPOILER zone. Don’t read on until you’ve seen the movie!
Nina Simone’s 1964 civil rights anthem ‘Mississippi Goddamn’ was released on an album of live recordings from Carnegie Hall. Simone reportedly wrote the song in just an hour, inspired by the deaths of Medgar Evers in Mississippi and the four black children murdered in an Alabama church bombing.
‘Sinnerman’ is one of Nina Simone’s most famous songs. She turned the traditional Negro spiritual, which she had no doubt heard in her mother’s church as a little girl, into a sprawling 10-minute jazz piano epic.
Simone’s version has been sampled in modern rap songs and used in many TV shows and movies, including both the original 1968 Thomas Crown Affair and the 1999 remake. It’s easy to see why. The pulsating rhythm and raw emotional power of the track are irresistible.
Meet Me In Montauk 