To Be Young, Gifted and Black

[cobee33]

Lol, Elton John ! He did record a version of this song before he became well known, this definitely is not it :)

[tinyliz52]

this song came out when all we were interested in good music nothing else.

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[SearchBucket2]

Nothing to do with Elton John??

[soulman1950]

I'm with you, then, and now.

[lamdelz]

i just love this and yes i still have 2 lambrettas sad isnt it

[worldcoup]

I was a all three once...now I'm none....I'm not bitter. ;-)

[elondontopguy]

brilliant pop song!

still fresh

[Marty1fatbstard]

@RandomMusicAndDance I love this too!! and im also not black...... I was young once,slim and gifted.. Just never black either. Scares the life out of me to remember just how young I was when I used to first sing along to it. !!

[jvadc]

@Marty1fatbstard True, true! I'm not black either, nor young. Still; the song is an icon. Shame that blacks had to use such a modest comparability, to claim they are equal to whites.

[DrAyaba]

@jvadc Not equal to whites. Just thankful to be what we are. Just grateful to God to be alright with what we are. You cannot imagine growing up in a world that wherever you go YOU are the one who is looked at with fear or disdain because the skin is not white. To grow up with the implied idea that black is dirty. To grow up with Elvis, Sinatra, and M and M and others ushering in the Great White Hope for whites who disdain our talents and accomplishments. It is a heavy pressure on the psyche.

[1954771]

@DrAyaba Elvis embraced many great songs that were done by blacks he didn't disdain any black artist infact the total opposite.

In 1970 he refused to play at the Houston astrodome because he was told to leave his all black girl backing group The Sweet insperations which included Cissy Houston {Whitneys mother} at home-he insisted they be treated as everyone else..and they all performed.Sammy Davis was a VERY good friend of Elvis's as was Jackie Wilson and you can hear on YT what...

[1954771]

@DrAyaba ctd..James Brown said about Elvis at the start of his cover of Are You Lonesome tonight.Elvis was fully aware of the contributions black people made to the music field .Many people say things like Elvis "Stole" songs like Hound Dog from Mama Thornton but forgetting it and many other songs done by black artists were written by Leiber and Stoller.

[ParacelsusAsia]

Such a mod cynic is our alneal.... but it affected ya din't it ? (Lambretta indeed, swop yer me bottle green velvets)

[alneal100]

This would have been a great song to have been featured on "Mary Poppins". It's the perfect song for a ten year old chimney sweep! I also had a Lambretta 150 in 1970 England.

[alneal100]

This would have been a great song to have been featured on "Mary Poppins". It's the perfect song for a ten year old chimney sweep!

[TheRoy1945]

het of RADIO LONDON weer in lucht .als oude nrs hoor .dan gaat hart vlug kloppen

die goede oude tijd

[URframed2]

I love dancin to this

[geofflovett]

To be back on me Lambretta SX150,Summer 1970.This song brings a tear to my eye.

[lamdelz]

i only knew this version which i like, not a fan of sir jelton holm

[burnley5960]

Not in the league of Bob and Marcia

[musktko]

simon sokol 01-29-1982 playlist1

[feelah2]

It's a great, catchy song with a great message no matter who sings it.. Just enjoy it, for cripes sake.

[kgmurray]

song is sung best by a whitie.

[badboybaldy1]

some thnigs should be left alone ..grrr really insult

[payitforwardeddie]

Thanks for posting this. I love the Bob & Marcia version best. Played it to death at the Disco when I was a DJ.

Its a shame some people choose to make racist remarks about it just because the singer Elton John is white. I am white but I'm not racist. Just remember when you point a finger at someone, there are three more pointing back at you.

[harvey1954]

Elton covered it because he was on one of those cheapo cover cash lps. It had nothing to do with his philosophy, but the fact that this was a hit song at the time and they covered it.

[ajdicks]

the irony is this is like the whitest performance ever

[stylishsid]

*sung by Elton John

Not "by Elton John"

[NoodyHolder]

I´m a white lover of black music, so hearing a white such Elton John singing this tune mixed with BLACK PANTHERS picture makes me shame, and sure black people feel the same...looks like a ironic joke!

[socialtalker1]

its like someone painting a big red clown nose on a masterpiece. dont care for this at all.

[khamikins]

Nina Simone the Composer of this song, might be turning ober in her grave everytime this record spins

[sdh568]

this was done in his pre-fame days (as Reginald Dwight) for a label that did knock-off cover versions hit singles of the day ("see if you can tell the difference"). This is a cover of Bob (Andy) & Marcia (Griffiths)'s version, a monster hit in england.

[Prezusofl]

Why not use the original version? That's the one with the most feeling.

[Gozzillacia]

So true - in the age of Obama - young- gifted and black - or lets face it "young" is good enough, - love life - have fun - hate success - relax - dance - love - dance some more - smile some more - and be happy. Fuck money.

[NoirFan01]

I guess it's ironic for someone as white as Elton John to be singing this. But, the arrangement is very catchy.

[superfastmikey]

tip top

[kgmurray]

Brilliant.

[mooseylad]

i find it strange when i was a kid aged 10-16 i was inti reggae-2 tone-mod music then i turned sort of racist aged from 18-28.now am n love with humanity again....love all colours n music again glesga mod-casual

[HolyBison]

There is no version as great as Donny Hathaway's. This sounds like polka music!

[HYPHY67]

Nina simone's version is better

[analfabeta44]

I agree with you. Nina's versions had a strong and melancholic felling!

[burnley5960]

Only Bob and Marcia can sing this the right way

[62philly]

This is a lovely ska version and was the one i grew up with in the 1970's........then I heard Nina do it. Different league. Powerful, empowering; extraordinary.

[missdeebates]

@62philly of course it was written by Nina :)

[frobsey]

guess i must be old useless and white,although i do like this song

[PhreakyBionick]

lmfao!!! 2 funny! im sure ur just as young gifted and...white??? i guess. Anyways its all love.

[soniccage]

Be proud... hehe

[NoirFan01]

@frobsey It's better than being fat, hairy & white!

[sherrob1952]

@frobsey why is it that everytime another race uplifts itself, u have to take it as a personal confrontation?!?

[crushsatan]

@frobsey

context; don't forget context. People have a tendancy to forget the beauty and significance of the context of words, such as "black".

[kgmurray]

Go mhaith!

[tshirtheaven]

Duetting with Elton Is none other than Clare Torry...who later sang on DSOM........

[DiegoMosquera28]

I prefer the original version, by Bob Andy and Marcias Griffiths, but this is not bad

[charlydetess]

ca y est c'est christine lebail,la version francaise,bel enfant noir

[Rhazieel]

Nice song!

[48reggaewoman]

I love this version!

[socalkickboxer]

Nina Simone!!!!!

[smeggars]

brilliant version, brings my skinhead memorys, when we done the "damage" to the p+++ influx, , when joe hawkins and the likes rooled

[love4uand4me]

I hate this version.

[charlydetess]

tres bonne version peut etre la meilleure,quelqu'un pourrait me donner le nom de la reprise en francais:toi bel enfant noir merci a tous

[Karamel2233]

um-WTF???? who ever is singing this song should leave it up to Nina Simone! This version sucks!!!!

[love4uand4me]

I agree.

[coveralbums]

this version is from an album called 'Pick of the pops' it was an cover versions album not unlike the old cover versions on the 'Top of the pops albums. Elton sings about 5 other covers on this same record.

[Zaglebiakska]

MARCIA GRIFITHS AND BOB ANDY

[fipsfan]

Who is singing this song?

[finndapin]

Elton John.

[Thefunksoulbro]

Reminds me of my brother who was a skinhead at the time.A white man who loved life at the time and this great music.I love it, it still sends a shiver.

[kgmurray]

great song.

[dollywasher]

great song. very catchy and uplifting.

[kagsy81]

Great song of validation and affimation. I loved it when I was a kid growing up in Liverpool....

[neonjack]

Obama song!!! Yeah!

[burnley5960]

Good,but only the original will do,Bob and Marcia,still sound as good as ever

[tomdaly92]

if anything the fact tht a white man sings it strengths the song because it shows the gd relationship between both black and white people and equality my best m8 is young gifted and black and im white gd song made me smile x.

[sweetspice1986]

YOUNG GIFTED AND BLACK

[potluck08]

this is really sweet . .

[Shawn510]

Wow. Ummm.. yea wow.

[Jonesman911]

Man muss den historischen hintergrund kennen sonst bringt das gar nichts man kann sich viel auf dieses lied denken aber es hat inen bedeutenden hntergrund in der gechichte eine bedeutene grundgebung zur Trennung von schwarz und weiß. Dieses Lied war eine Beleidigung für die weiße rasse so bezeichneten sie dies. Alles in allem aber ein tolles LIEd

[08CARIB]

There's no need for you to apologies. I do see the irony from someone who is not YG&B.

However I do not see the relevance of Obama with me not liking this version of this song?

[08CARIB]

I find this version insulting. The song looses ALL meaning sung by Elton john:(

[oramikleepunk]

I see nothing wrong with Elton john singing this song.He likes black people,and he blieves they are human beings.

[08CARIB]

This song was written as an affirmation for black young people by another young black person.

Having Elton, or a person not from that community sing this song, for me and many other Y,G&B people is like having a non black person sing a negro spiritual. It looses the purity of the message, and sentament for which it was written.

[BastardMonk]

you're probably a really boring person to be around

[08CARIB]

If you consider a young, gifted, and black person to be boring then yes, I am VERY boring! ((HUGS)) :)

[BastardMonk]

Nope, whatever race you are has nothing to do with it. You just seem like a really banal, petty person.

'Hugs'.

[08CARIB]

No, non of those words are descriptive of me.

However some,not me of course, but some would say that only a boring, banal, and incredibally petty person would make a character judgement about someone based on an opinion of a song (over a month ago no less).

But I would NEVER say that about you.

Thanks for the hug :)

[pampasdust]

@08CARIB It's a lovely version... you could also dig on its particular meaning, you'll be happily surprised. "Insulting" is to believe art loses meaning after interpretation. It is insulting toward art, and artists. And you can always play Elton's vinyl :)

[NatTurner]

This is funny. Not just Elton singing this song but that he redid the ska(?) version.

Anybody know who's singing with him?

[yammyspeed13]

Even funnier is that this song was a big hit with English skinheads in the 1960's.

[Schmidthorst69]

Why funny? The roots of the skinhead movement were a mixture of two lifestyles: those of white british mods and black jamaican Rude Boys.

[yammyspeed13]

a bit more ironic i guess. it's a shame most so called skinheads don't know the roots of the cult.

[Scoogey]

This was a marching song for the Black Panther party. I remember those days... The Panthers / Malcom X / Dr. King

Many have laid down their lives so it will be better for us.

[Nostradamis]

I'm waiting for the brothers in the picture to start boppin!

[allidenz]

lol. me too.

[leyroz]

the same