This week I am feeling sweet and sentimental and so I want to tell you about one of my favorite Nina Simone songs. It’s called “It Be’s That Way Sometime”, and it’s written and composed by Nina’s brother, Sam Waymon, who’s a wonderful writer and musician in his own right. Among many other projects, Sam did the music for the movie Ganja and Hess, which, if you haven’t seen, you should, and you should absolutely listen to the soundtrack. Back to “It Be’s That Way Sometime” – I first heard the song when my brother Ben played it for me. I loved the song – it’s a weirdly happy song about accepting that sometimes, shit doesn’t go your way, and that when shit doesn’t go your way, you have the opportunity to change to make things better for yourself. It is a kind and generous song that acknowledges sadness and heartbreak but doesn’t indulge in it. Ultimately, it’s about our inherent worth and agency. This is, essentially, what our loved ones SHOULD be telling us when we’re down, and I can’t get over how sweet the song/advice is generally, but that it’s specifically written by a brother for his sister makes my heart do a Grinch and grow three sizes.
