Young, gifted and black Oh, what a lovely precious dream To be young, gifted and black Open your heart to what I mean In the whole world you know There's a million boys and girls Who are young, gifted and black And that's a fact! You are young, gifted and black We must begin to tell our young There's a world waiting for you Yours is the quest that's just begun When you feel really low Yeah, there's a great truth that you should know When you're young, gifted and black Your soul's intact Oh, to be young, gifted and black Oh, how I long to know the truth There are times when I look back And I am haunted by my youth Oh, but my joy of today Is that we can all be proud to say To be young, gifted and black Is where it's at Is where it's at Is where it's at
Young, gifted and black Oh, what a lovely precious dream To be young, gifted and black Open your heart to what I mean In the whole world you know There's a million boys and girls Who are young, gifted and black And that's a fact! You are young, gifted and black We must begin to tell our young There's a world waiting for you Yours is the quest that's just begun When you feel really low Yeah, there's a great truth that you should know When you're young, gifted and black Your soul's intact Oh, to be young, gifted and black Oh, how I long to know the truth There are times when I look back And I am haunted by my youth Oh, but my joy of today Is that we can all be proud to say To be young, gifted and black Is where it's at Is where it's at Is where it's at
A música estreou em 17 de agosto de 1969 diante de uma plateia de 50.000 pessoas no Harlem Cultural Festival.
A performance inaugural de Nina Simone foi capturada em fita de vídeo e, décadas depois, em 2021, foi incluína no documentário Summer of Soul.
Apenas dois meses após a estreia ao vivo, Simone gravou a música no Philharmonic Hall, tornando-se parte do álbum ao vivo Black Gold, lançado em 1970.
Em janeiro de 1970, o single atingiu a posição número 8 no gráfico de R&B e número 76 no Hot 100.
Um cover realizado pelo duo jamaicano Bob and Marcia alcançou a quinta posição no UK Singles Chart em 1970.
O título da canção é uma referência direta à peça autobiográfica To Be Young, Gifted and Black, escrita por Lorraine Hansberry, e a música é considerada um hino do Movimento dos Direitos Civis.
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