FEELING GOOD. Written by British songwriters Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse 1964

 

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Roar_of_the_Greasepaint_%E2%80%93_The_Smell_of_the_Crowd

The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd es un musical con letras y música compuestas por Leslie Bricusse y Anthony Newley. El título de la obra es una transposición de la frase "the smell of the greasepaint, the roar of the crowd", refiriendo a la experiencia de intérpretes de teatro.

Los siguientes textos se han obtenido de la página:

https://ig.ft.com/life-of-a-song/feeling-good.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9CFeeling%20Good%E2%80%9D%20was%20written%20to,comes%20with%20liberation%20from%20oppression.

Financial Times

Life of a Song

Feeling Good — Nina Simone’s anthem of liberation

Written for a 1964 musical, this exhilarating track has been covered by dozens of artists.

More than any other art form, music has the power to make us feel good: a guitar riff that gets the spine tingling, a soaring crescendo that makes us swoon, an aria that sets nape-hairs bristling.

And “Feeling Good” is perhaps the ultimate feelgood song: it soars and swoops, invoking the joy of nature, the freedom of a bird flying high. It thrills.

“Feeling Good” was written to express a particular kind of euphoria: that which comes with liberation from oppression. It was written by British songwriters Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse for their stage musical, The Roar of the Greasepaint, the Smell of the Crowd; the show toured provincial British theatres in 1964 (with a young Elaine Paige making her professional debut in the chorus) before opening on Broadway in 1965.

Nina Simone in 1964

(...) As has often been the case in this column, it took Nina Simone to find the song’s essence. In 1965 she and her arranger Hal Mooney brought in a big band, gave it a swing and a kick, emphasised the first and third beats like the strides of loping giant, introduced a tingling piano triplet, and unleashed Simone’s rebel spirit in a stunning vocal performance. Released during the ferment of the civil rights protests, Simone’s “Feeling Good” was a manifestation of that movement’s burning desire for freedom.

Nina Simone's version, arranged and produced by Hal Mooney, was recorded in New York in January 1965 and appeared on her album I Put a Spell on You. It was not released as a single at the time. 

Michael Bublé’s swinging, blowsy interpretation (2005) and its accompanying video channelled James Bond theme songs — aptly, as Newley had co-written “Goldfinger”.

In 1994, Simone's recording was used in a British TV commercial for Volkswagen, and became popular.

George Michael went big band on his Symphonica album, in a version that was his last single before his death in 2016.

LYRICS

FEELING GOOD

Birds flying high, you know how I feel
Sun in the sky, you know how I feel
Breeze driftin' on by, you know how I feel

It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life for me, yeah

It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life for me, ooh
And I'm feeling good

Fish in the sea, you know how I feel
River running free, you know how I feel
Blossom on the tree, you know how I feel

It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life for me
And I'm feeling good

Dragonfly out in the Sun
You know what I mean, don't you know?
Butterflies all havin' fun, you know what I mean
Sleep in peace when day is done, that's what I mean
And this old world is a new world
And a bold world for me, yeah, yeah

Stars when you shine, you know how I feel
Scent of the pine, you know how I feel
Oh, freedom is mine!
And I know how I feel

It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life for me

I'm feeling good!

VOCABULARY

drift /ˈdrɪft/ (float on water), (float on air)  ir a la deriva,   andar sin rumbo

·     There was a boat drifting in the middle of the lake.

·     The leaves drifted on the wind.

dawn /ˈdɔːn/ (earliest time of day)  alba, amanecer

·     Helen watched the dawn as she drank her morning coffee.

blossom /ˈblɒsəm/ (flower or flowers on a tree) flor

·     Magnolia trees have blossoms all summer.

bold /ˈbəʊld/  (courageous, daring) (valor)           valiente, audaz, atrevido/a

·     That was bold of you to go into the burning house to save the cat.

dragonfly /ˈdrægənflaɪ/ (flying insect) libélula

·     Dragonflies have four wings.

butterfly  /ˈbʌtə^rflaɪ/ (insect) mariposa

·     Can you see the beautiful butterfly?

scent /ˈsɛnt/ (pleasant smell) olor , perfume, aroma

·     Wendy loves the scent of freshly baked bread.

OTHER COVERS

The English rock band Muse recorded a version for their 2001 album Origin of Symmetry.