Song · Nina Simone
“I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free” by Nina Simone
From the album Silk & Soul (1967)
“I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free” by Nina Simone appears on 1 radio countdown from 1 station in 2020. It was first released in 1967 on the album Silk & Soul. Its best result is #685 on the WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #4,071 indie & aaa song of all time.
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Nina Simone cut "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free" for Silk & Soul in 1967, with Danny Davis in the producer's chair and Sammy Lowe writing the arrangement. The melody belonged to Billy Taylor, who first wrote it as a jazz instrumental for his daughter Kim; Dick Dallas later put words to it.
Simone pulls it toward gospel, and the title carries the rest: a plain, aching wish that needs no explaining.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 685 | WXPN | WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2020 |
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