Nina

Album: Masters (1944)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Noël Coward wrote this comic song in the Spring of 1944 while traveling on an overnight train in South Africa. Though incredibly complex both rhythmically and lyrically, he performed it "hot from the oven" and dried up dead as he started the first verse. His audience was forgiving, and he started again, but Coward was furious with himself, and "ashamed of my casual non-professionalism... before I attempted 'Nina' again it had been rehearsed two hours a day for a week."

    It may have been that the song was inspired by the Portuguese-born Brazillian singer Carmen Miranda. Coward did in fact write some alternative lyrics alluding to her for the second verse, in July 1945, but dropped these after being advised they could have been construed as defamatory.
  • When he performed "Nina" in the 1955 CBS special Together With Music, he introduced it as a song about "a fairly disagreeable lady." Carmen Miranda was anything but a disagreeable lady, having recorded such songs as "The Lady In The Tutti Frutti Hat," but Coward does take a playful swipe at his contemporary and rival Cole Porter in the song, which drew laughs from his TV audience. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Graham Nash

Graham NashSongwriter Interviews

Graham Nash tells the stories behind some of his famous songs and photos, and is asked about "yacht rock" for the first time.

Oliver Leiber

Oliver LeiberSongwriter Interviews

Oliver Leiber talks about writing and producing hits for Paula Abdul, and explains his complicated relationship with his father, the songwriter Jerry Leiber.

Movie Stars In Music Videos

Movie Stars In Music VideosSong Writing

Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Mila Kunis and John Malkovich are just a few of the film stars who have moonlighted in music videos.

Adele

AdeleFact or Fiction

Despite her reticent personality, Adele's life and music are filled with intrigue. See if you can spot the true tales.

Grunge Bands Quiz

Grunge Bands QuizMusic Quiz

If the name Citizen Dick means anything to you, there's a chance you'll get some of these right.

Fire On The Stage

Fire On The StageSong Writing

When you have a song called "Fire," it's tempting to set one - these guys did.