Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood - wikipedia Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood `` Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood '' Single by Nina Simone from the album Broadway, Blues, Ballads Released 1964 Recorded New York City Genre Blues jazz Label Philips Songwriter ( s ) Bennie Benjamin Gloria Caldwell Sol Marcus Broadway, Blues, Ballads track listing `` Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood '' ( 1 ) Night Song ( 2 ) `` Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood '' is a song written by Bennie Benjamin, Gloria Caldwell and Sol Marcus for the jazz singer and pianist Nina Simone, who first recorded it in 1964. `` Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood '' has been covered by many artists, most notably by The Animals, whose blues rock version of the song became a transatlantic hit in 1965. A 1977 four - on - the - floor disco rearrangement by disco group Santa Esmeralda was also a hit. Contents 1 Nina Simone original 2 The Animals version 3 Santa Esmeralda version 4 Other versions 5 References 6 External links Nina Simone Original The beginnings of `` Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood '' came with composer and arranger Horace Ott, who came up with the melody and chorus lyric line after a temporary falling out with his girlfriend ( and wife - to - be ), Gloria Caldwell. He then brought it to writing partners Bennie Benjamin and Sol Marcus to complete. However, when it came time for songwriting credits, rules of the time prevented BMI writers ( Ott ) from officially collaborating with ASCAP members ( the other two ), so Ott instead listed Caldwell 's name on the credits. `` Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood '' was one of five songs involving the writing of Benjamin and Marcus, presented for Nina Simone 's 1964 album Broadway - Blues - Ballads. There, it is taken at a very slow tempo and arranged around harp and other orchestral elements ; a backing choir appears at several points. Simone sings it in her typically difficult - to - categorize style. Horace Ott 's involvement did not end with his initial songwriting ; he was the arranger and orchestral conductor for the entire album. Backed with `` A Monster '', `` Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood '' was released as a single in 1964, but failed to chart. To some writers, this version of `` Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood '' carried the subtext of the Civil Rights Movement, that concerned much of Simone 's work of the time ; while to others, this was more personal, and was the song, and phrase, that best exemplified Simone 's career and life. Decades later, a commercial for Christian Dior 's perfume J'Adore, starring Charlize Theron, featured Simone 's version of the song, as did the final scene of the 2009 Polish film drama Rewers. In 2010, Simone 's version was used for the end credits of the first season finale episode of BBC 's crime drama Luther ; in 2011, it was used again in the trailer for the show 's second season. In 2017, it was used again for the final scene of the pilot of FX 's crime drama Snowfall. The Animals version `` Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood '' Single by The Animals B - side `` Club a Go - Go '' Released January 1965 ( UK ) February 1965 ( U.S. ) Format 7 '' Recorded November 1964 Genre Blues rock Length 2 : 28 Label Columbia Graphophone ( UK ) MGM ( U.S. ) Songwriter ( s ) Bennie Benjamin Gloria Caldwell Sol Marcus Producer ( s ) Mickie Most The Animals singles chronology `` I 'm Crying '' ( 1965 ) `` Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood '' ( 1965 ) `` Bring It On Home to Me '' ( 1965 ) `` I 'm Crying '' ( 1965 ) `` Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood '' ( 1965 ) `` Bring It On Home to Me '' ( 1965 ) The Animals ' lead singer Eric Burdon would later say of the song, `` It was never considered pop material, but it somehow got passed on to us and we fell in love with it immediately. '' The Animals sped up the tempo and made prominent use of a guitar and organ riff that was picked out and expanded from an element that originally appeared in the Simone recording 's outro. The song was recorded in November 1964. The group gained a trans - Atlantic hit in early 1965 from their rendition, rising to number 3 on the UK Singles Chart, number 15 on the U.S. pop singles chart, and number 4 in Canada. This single was ranked by Rolling Stone at # 322 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In Animals concerts at the time, the group maintained the recorded arrangement, but Burdon sometimes slowed the vocal line down to an almost spoken part, recapturing a bit of the Simone flavor. It is heard in a 2012 commercial for H&M featuring David Beckham that aired during NBC 's coverage of Super Bowl XLVI on February 5, 2012. At the South by Southwest conference in 2012, Bruce Springsteen credited the song as the inspiration and the riff for his song `` Badlands ''. Santa Esmeralda version `` Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood '' Single by Santa Esmeralda from the album Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood Released 1977 Format 7 '' 12 '' Recorded 1977 Genre Disco, Salsa, Flamenco Length 16 : 12 ( Original 1977 album version ) Label Casablanca Songwriter ( s ) Bennie Benjamin Gloria Caldwell Sol Marcus Producer ( s ) Nicolas Skorsky Jean Manuel de Scarano A Disco version of the song by the disco group Santa Esmeralda, which took The Animals ' arrangement and added some disco, flamenco, salsa, and other Latin rhythm and ornamentation elements to it, also became a hit in the late 1970s. First released in summer 1977 as a 16 - minute epic that took up an entire side of their Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood album, it was picked up for more worldwide distribution by the label of the time, Casablanca Records. A 12 - inch club remix was extremely popular, hitting number one on the U.S. Billboard Club Play Singles chart and in some European countries as well. The single peaked at number four on the Hot Dance / Disco - Club Play chart. Released as a pop single late in the year, it did well as well, reaching number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 by early 1978. NBC Sports would use the song frequently in the years following its release, especially during their coverage of the World Series. Santa Esmeralda 's `` Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood '' was used as the opening theme of the 1980 pilot for the U.S. game show Bullseye, after which a sound - alike was used in regular episodes. This version of the song was also used on German ARD soccer television show Sportschau from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s, in the introduction for the `` goal of the month '' segment. Santa Esmeralda 's rendition is featured in the 1992 film American Me and the 2001 English comedy Blow Dry. It became widely popular with a later generation after its inclusion in the 2003 Quentin Tarantino film Kill Bill : Volume 1, where its instrumental passage plays over the duel between The Bride and O - Ren Ishii, and the accompanying Kill Bill Vol. 1 Original Soundtrack, where it is incorporated in a full vocal form that runs over ten minutes. A rendition appears in the trailer for the 2005 film Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, as well as the 2008 Korean `` ramyun western '' film The Good, the Bad, the Weird, played in the chasing sequence in the Manchurian desert. Other versions The Animals ' Eric Burdon has re-recorded the song throughout the years, notably an eight - minute version on his 1974 album Sun Secrets, and a heavy metal performance in 1976 later released on his Live at the Roxy album. Jon English recorded a version for his album, Minutes to Midnight ( 1977 ). Since the early 1980s, Burdon has performed it in a reggae style. In a different version, it was performed during The Animals ' 1983 reunion, as documented on the following year 's Greatest Hits Live ( Rip It to Shreds ) release. A version by Joe Cocker ( from his 1969 debut album ) played over the ending credits of the 2004 film Layer Cake. Cocker re-recorded it for his 1996 album Organic. Other artists who have recorded the song include The Moody Blues, Elvis Costello ( from King of America ), Cyndi Lauper ( from At Last 2003 ; used at the final credits of one of the chapters of TV series Gypsy ), Tony Moran under the moniker of Latin Rascals as vocalist and co-producer with Albert Cabrera, Arthur Brown, Uthanda, Julie Driscoll with Brian Auger, King Kong & D'Jungle Girls, Mike Batt, Trevor Rabin, No Mercy, John Legend, Lou Rawls, Gary Moore, Robben Ford, New Buffalo, Farhad Mehrad, Shahram Shabpareh, The Killers, the Doug Anthony All Stars, Di'Anno, Meshell Ndegeocello, Savage Circus, King Køng, Place of Skulls, Lana Del Rey, and Jamie Cullum. In their 1980s concerts, Dire Straits played the central theme of `` Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood '' during an instrumental introduction to their `` Tunnel of Love '', as Mark Knopfler talked about The Animals ' hometown of Newcastle upon Tyne, near where Spanish City song is set. After Cat Stevens converted to Islam and changed his name to Yusuf Islam and left popular music, various controversies arose concerning public statements and actions. When he returned to such music, he recorded an allusion to such controversies by way of `` Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood '', with some lyrical alterations, as featured on his 2006 album An Other Cup. Rapper Common 's `` Misunderstood '' sampled Nina Simone 's version of her `` Live in Paris '' album for his 2007 album Finding Forever, while it was also sampled for the 2008 Lil Wayne album Tha Carter III, in the song `` DontGetIt ''. The song 's key lines are used as the hook of the 2012 Regina Spektor song `` Oh Marcello ! ''. Brent Smith, of the band Shinedown, has also performed a version that was featured in the trailer for the 2014 film Birdman. Lana Del Rey also covered this song for her fourth studio album Honeymoon, which was released on September 18, 2015. American singer Morgan James also covered the song on her album `` Morgan James Live, A Celebration of Nina Simone. '' American metalcore band Mutoid Man recorded an altered version of the song titled `` The Manimals '' for their 2013 EP Helium Head. References ^ Jump up to : Hilton Valentine, `` Stories '', Hiltonvalentine.com, 2001 - 04 - 28. Accessed 2007 - 09 - 06. ^ Jump up to : `` Songwriter, Arranger Horace Ott '', www.fyicomminc.com Jazzmen. Accessed 2007 - 09 - 06. Jump up ^ Collins, Jim ( July 4, 2003 ). `` Reviews : Two - disc retrospective celebrates late, great Nina Simone ''. The Register - Guard. Eugene, Oregon. p. 17. Jump up ^ Margaret Busby, `` Books : Do n't let her be misunderstood '', The Independent, 2004 - 04 - 16. Accessed 2007 - 09 - 06. Jump up ^ Rolling Stone, `` The Animals '', Rollingstone.com. Accessed 2007 - 09 - 06. Jump up ^ `` The Animals - The Complete Animals ( Line notes scanned ) ''. Discogs. Retrieved 2017 - 01 - 31. Jump up ^ `` Rolling Stone 's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time ''. Rolling Stone. April 7, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2015. Jump up ^ `` The Animals ~ Live ~ Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood ~ 1965 ''. YouTube. Jump up ^ `` Bruce Springsteen 's SXSW 2012 Keynote Speech ''. NPR. March 18, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Santa Esmeralda - Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood ''. Discogs. Retrieved 2015 - 11 - 23. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 2004 ). Hot Dance / Disco : 1974 - 2003. Record Research. p. 227. Jump up ^ `` The Eric Burdon Band * - Sun Secrets ''. Discogs. Retrieved 2015 - 11 - 23. Jump up ^ `` Eric Burdon - Roxy Live ''. Discogs. Retrieved 2015 - 11 - 23. Jump up ^ `` REVIEW : Eric Burdon should n't be misunderstood at Penn 's Peak ''. themorningcall.com. Retrieved 2015 - 11 - 23. Jump up ^ `` The Animals - Greatest Hits Live ! ''. Discogs. Retrieved 2015 - 11 - 23. Jump up ^ `` Various - Layer Cake - Music From The Motion Picture ''. Discogs. Retrieved 2016 - 04 - 06. Jump up ^ `` The Costello Show - Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood ''. Discogs. Retrieved 2015 - 11 - 23. Jump up ^ `` Latin Rascals - Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood ''. Discogs. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 14. Jump up ^ `` Gary Moore - Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood ''. Discogs. Retrieved 2015 - 11 - 23. Jump up ^ `` King Køng - Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood ''. Discogs. Retrieved 2015 - 11 - 23. ^ Jump up to : Leas, Ryan ( September 23, 2015 ). `` 21 Covers Of `` Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood, '' Rated ``. Stereogum. Retrieved 2016 - 04 - 06. Jump up ^ DogSwede1 ( 2009 - 05 - 21 ), Dire Straits - Tunnel of Love ( Wembley - 85 ~ HD ~ P1 ), retrieved 2016 - 04 - 06 Jump up ^ Sullivan, Caroline ( 2012 - 05 - 24 ). `` Regina Spektor : What We Saw from the Cheap Seats -- review ''. The Guardian. ISSN 0261 - 3077. Retrieved 2016 - 04 - 06. Jump up ^ http://www.mcall.com/entertainment/lehigh-valley-music/mc-review-morgan-james-shows-at-zoellner-arts-center-she-has-the-voice-to-do-it-all-20150919-column.html External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Nina Simone Studio albums Little Girl Blue Nina Simone and Her Friends The Amazing Nina Simone Forbidden Fruit Nina Simone Sings Ellington Broadway - Blues - Ballads I Put a Spell on You Pastel Blues Nina Simone with Strings Wild Is the Wind High Priestess of Soul Nina Simone Sings the Blues Silk & Soul Nina Simone and Piano To Love Somebody Here Comes the Sun Baltimore Fodder on My Wings A Single Woman Compilation albums Nina 's Choice The Soul of Nina Simone The Very Best of Nina Simone Live albums Nina Simone at Newport Nina at the Village Gate Nina Simone at Carnegie Hall Folksy Nina Nina Simone in Concert Black Gold Live at Ronnie Scott 's The Great Show Live in Paris Emergency Ward ! Live and studio albums Nina Simone at Town Hall Let It All Out ' Nuff Said ! It Is Finished Remix albums Remixed and Reimagined Related articles Discography I Put a Spell on You ( book ) What Happened, Miss Simone ? Songs and singles `` Ai n't Got No, I Got Life '' `` Alone Again ( Naturally ) '' `` Angel of the Morning '' `` Ballad of Hollis Brown '' `` Baubles, Bangles, & Beads '' `` Black Is the Colour ( Of My True Love 's Hair ) '' `` Brown Eyed Handsome Man '' `` Cherish '' `` Cotton - Eyed Joe '' `` Do Nothing till You Hear from Me '' `` Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood '' `` Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye '' `` Exactly Like You '' `` Falling in Love Again ( Ca n't Help It ) '' `` Feeling Good '' `` Fine and Mellow '' `` For All We Know '' `` Four Women '' `` Go Limp '' `` He 's Got the Whole World in His Hands '' `` Here Comes the Sun '' `` The House of the Rising Sun '' `` I Get Along Without You Very Well ( Except Sometimes ) '' `` I Loves You, Porgy '' `` I Put a Spell on You '' `` I Shall Be Released '' `` I Think It 's Going to Rain Today '' `` I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free '' `` If I Should Lose You '' `` It Do n't Mean a Thing ( If It Ai n't Got That Swing ) '' `` It Might as Well Be Spring '' `` Just Like Tom Thumb 's Blues '' `` Just Like a Woman '' `` Lilac Wine '' `` Little Girl Blue '' `` The Look of Love '' `` Love Me or Leave Me '' `` Mississippi Goddam '' `` Mood Indigo '' `` The More I See You '' `` Mr. Bojangles '' `` My Baby Just Cares for Me '' `` My Sweet Lord '' `` My Way '' `` Ne me quitte pas '' `` Nobody '' `` Nobody 's Fault but Mine '' `` Papa, Can You Hear Me ? '' `` The Pusher '' `` Rich Girl '' `` ( In My ) Solitude '' `` Satin Doll '' `` Sea Lion Woman '' `` Sign o ' the Times '' `` Since I Fell for You '' `` Sinnerman '' `` Someone to Watch Over Me '' `` Something Wonderful '' `` Spring Is Here '' `` Strange Fruit '' `` Summertime '' `` Suzanne '' `` Take My Hand, Precious Lord '' `` That 's All '' `` That 's All I Want from You '' `` The Times They Are a-Changin ' '' `` To Be Young, Gifted and Black '' `` To Love Somebody '' `` Trouble in Mind '' `` Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! '' `` Who Knows Where the Time Goes ? '' `` Wild Is the Wind '' `` Willow Weep for Me '' `` You 'd Be So Nice to Come Home To '' Book : Nina Simone The Animals The ( Original ) Animals ( 1962 -- 1966, 1977, 1983 ) : Eric Burdon Chas Chandler Mick Gallagher Barry Jenkins Alan Price Dave Rowberry John Steel Hilton Valentine Eric Burdon & The ( New ) Animals ( 1966 -- 1969 ) : Vic Briggs Eric Burdon Barry Jenkins Danny McCulloch Zoot Money Andy Summers John Weider Studio albums The Animals ( 1962 -- 1966 ) ( UK ) The Animals Animal Tracks Animalisms ( US ) The Animals The Animals on Tour Animal Tracks Animalization Animalism Eric Burdon and the Animals Eric Is Here ( US only ) Winds of Change The Twain Shall Meet Every One of Us ( US only ) Love Is The Animals ( 1977, 1983 ) Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted Ark Compilations The Best of The Animals ( 1966 ) The Greatest Hits of Eric Burdon and The Animals The Most of Animals The Best of The Animals ( 1988 ) The Best of The Animals ( 1997 ) Absolute Animals 1964 -- 1968 Hit singles `` Baby Let Me Take You Home '' `` The House of the Rising Sun '' `` I 'm Crying '' `` Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood '' `` Bring It On Home to Me '' `` We Gotta Get out of This Place '' `` It 's My Life '' `` Inside - Looking Out '' `` Do n't Bring Me Down '' `` See See Rider '' `` Help Me Girl '' `` When I Was Young '' `` Good Times '' `` San Franciscan Nights '' `` Monterey '' `` Sky Pilot '' `` The Night '' Related articles The Animals discography Eric Burdon discography Book Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Don%27t_Let_Me_Be_Misunderstood&oldid=797374941 '' Categories : 1964 singles 1965 singles 1977 singles 1964 songs Billboard Dance Club Songs number - one singles Casablanca Records singles Columbia Graphophone Company singles MGM Records singles Number - one singles in Germany Philips Records singles Song recordings produced by Mickie Most Songs written by Bennie Benjamin Songs written by Sol Marcus Jazz songs Blues rock songs Nina Simone songs Santa Esmeralda songs Hidden categories : Articles with hAudio microformats Talk Contents About Wikipedia Čeština Deutsch Ελληνικά Español Français Italiano Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk nynorsk Русский Svenska Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt Edit links This page was last edited on 26 August 2017, at 17 : 30. 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Question: who sang the original don't let me be misunderstood
Answer: Nina Simone