To Be Young, Gifted and Black - Wikipedia To Be Young, Gifted and Black This article is about the song. For the play, see To Be Young, Gifted and Black ( play ). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( March 2010 ) `` To Be Young, Gifted and Black '' Song by Nina Simone from the album Black Gold Released 1970 Recorded October 26, 1969 Venue Philharmonic Hall, New York City Genre Soul, blues, gospel Length 9 : 34 Label RCA Composer ( s ) Nina Simone Lyricist ( s ) Weldon Irvine Producer ( s ) Stroud Productions `` To Be Young, Gifted and Black '' is a song by Nina Simone with lyrics by Weldon Irvine. It was written in memory of Simone 's late friend Lorraine Hansberry, author of the play A Raisin in the Sun, who had died in 1965 aged 34. The song was originally recorded and released by Simone in 1969, also featuring on her 1970 album Black Gold, and was a Civil Rights Movement anthem. Released as a single, it peaked at number eight on the R&B chart and number 76 on the Hot 100. Notable cover versions of the song were recorded by Donny Hathaway ( on his 1970 album Everything Is Everything ), Aretha Franklin ( on her 1972 album Young, Gifted and Black ) and Bob and Marcia ( whose 1970 recording reached number 5 in the UK Singles Chart and number 15 in Ireland ). Jamaican rocksteady / reggae trio The Heptones recorded a version for Coxsone Dodd 's Studio One label in 1970. Elton John recorded a version of `` To Be Young, Gifted and Black '' prior to his solo success. Intended to be released as a low - budget sound - alike version of the original, it was later reissued on the compilation album Covers as Sung by Elton John. The song has also become a popular sample amongst various modern R&B / hip - hop pieces, including Rah Digga 's 2003 unreleased record `` On the Move '', Faith Evans ' 2014 single `` I Deserve It '', featuring Missy Elliott and Sharaya J, and on the title track of Rapsody 's 2017 album Laila 's Wisdom. References Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 2004 ). Top R&B / Hip - Hop Singles : 1942 - 2004. Record Research. p. 528. Jump up ^ Roberts, David ( 2006 ). British Hit Singles & Albums ( 19th ed. ). London : Guinness World Records Limited. p. 67. ISBN 1 - 904994 - 10 - 5. 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 This 1970s R&B / soul music song - related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. This 1970s single -- related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=To_Be_Young,_Gifted_and_Black&oldid=826227144 '' Categories : 1970 singles 1972 singles Aretha Franklin songs Movements for civil rights Donny Hathaway songs Nina Simone songs Songs written by Nina Simone Songs against racism and xenophobia 1969 songs 1970s R&B song stubs 1970s single stubs Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from March 2010 All articles needing additional references Articles with hAudio microformats All stub articles Talk About Wikipedia Eesti Norsk Edit links This page was last edited on 17 February 2018, at 23 : 20. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who wrote the song young gifted and black
Answer: Nina Simone