Sea Lion Woman
"Sea Lion Woman" (also "Sealion Woman", "Sea-Line Woman", "See [the] Lyin' Woman", "She Lyin' Woman", "See-Line Woman", or "C-Line Woman") is a traditional
History
The song was first recorded by folklore researcher
The exact origins of the song are unknown but it is believed to have originated in the southern United States. According to Tom Schnabel of KCRW,[3] he was told that Nina Simone's "See-line Woman" was a 19th-century seaport song about sailors coming into port (e.g. Charleston or New Orleans) and prostitutes waiting for them, lined up along the dock, hence the term 'sea line' (a line of women by the sea) or alternatively, 'see-line' (women standing in a line to be seen). In this account, their dress colors allegedly signified the specific services they offered.
Song versions
Most versions of the song cover Nina Simone's lyrics and arrangement with syncopated hand-claps (or percussion) and more than one back-up voice for the response.
An early cover of Simone's version was recorded in 1967 by the Australian beat band the Easybeats as the closing track for their album Good Friday.
In 1987, Irish rock band Hothouse Flowers released a live recording of the song (credited only to G. H. Bass) on a 12" maxi edition of their first single, "Love Don't Work This Way", a year before their first album.[6]
Nina Simone's version of the song was prominently covered by
The folk-rock group Ollabelle rearranged the song in 2006 as a rock version for their album Riverside Battle Songs.
American experimental band Xiu Xiu covered the song as "See Line Woman" on their 2013 Nina Simone tribute album Nina.
The song was also covered by singers Katie Melua (featuring Arno) and Brooke Fraser (from New Zealand), among others.
An instrumental version of the song was recorded by jazz saxophonist Yusef Lateef on his 1967 Atlantic album The Complete Yusef Lateef.
Remixes and sampling
This section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2021) |
A remix of the seldom used original recording of the traditional song performed by the Shipp sisters was produced by Greg Hale Jones and Russell Ziecker entitled "She Began to Lie"; it became part of the soundtrack for the 1999 feature film The General's Daughter.[9]
A
Nina Simone's 1964 recording was remixed by Masters at Work for a 12" single release in 2002 (coupled with the original 1964 recording), and was part of the Verve label compilation Verve//Remixed of the same year. Other remixes of the recording were produced by J.Views in 2008, and by Ogris Debris in 2012.
The song is sampled in H.C.P. by Frayser Boy from the 2003 album Gone on That Bay.
The Durutti Column sampled this on the track "Woman" on their 2003 album Someone Else's Party.
Kanye West sampled Nina Simone for the track "Bad News" on his 2008 album 808s & Heartbreak.
A house version of the song with samples of Nina Simone's recording by was produced by French
A version is also found over the ending credits of the 2016 movie American Fable.
Wade's Remix of See Line by Dennis Cruz released by Solid Grooves Records.
Lyrics
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by Nina Simone and George Bass[citation needed]
© Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. |
References
- ^ Afro-American Blues and Game Songs - The Library of Congress Archive of Folk Culture Retrieved November 8, 2009
- ^ Entry and recording of "Sea Lion Woman" at the American Library of Congress
- ^ a b The Real Meaning to Nina Simone's Classic Song, "See-Line Woman" by Tom Schnabel, posted July 9, 2013 on KCRW Rhythm Planet website
- )
- ^ Pictures of single labels on Discogs.com
- ^ "Hothouse Flowers - Love Don't Work This Way" at Discogs
- ^ "Feist - The Reminder". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
- ^ "Billboard Canadian Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. 2008-04-26. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
- ^ Review of "The General's Daughter" from moviemusicuk.us Retrieved November 8, 2009
- ^ "SONGSTRESS | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts.
- ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40 | Official Charts Company". Official Charts.