"Sea Lion Woman" (also "Sealion Woman", "Sea-Line Woman", "See heLyin' Woman", "She Lyin' Woman", "See-Line Woman", or "C-Line Woman") is a traditional African American folk song originally used as a children's
playground song
A children's song may be a nursery rhyme set to music, a song that children invent and share among themselves or a modern creation intended for entertainment, use in the home or education. Although children's songs have been recorded and studied ...
.
History
The song was first recorded by folklore researcher
Herbert Halpert
Herbert Halpert (August 23, 1911 – December 29, 2000) was an American anthropologist and folklorist, specialised in the collection and study of both folk song and narrative.
Biography
Herbert Norman Halpert's interest in folklore emer ...
on May 13, 1939. Halpert was compiling a series of field recordings for the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...
in Byhalia, MS, when he ran across Walter Shipp, a minister, and his wife Mary, a choir director of a local church. Halpert recorded Shipp's daughters, Katherine and Christine, singing a spare version of "Sea Lion Woman" that defined the basic rhymes and rhythm of the song.
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
KCRW (89.9 MHz FM) is a National Public Radio member station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, where the station is licensed. KCRW airs original news and music programming in addition to programm ...
,''The Real Meaning to Nina Simone's Classic Song, "See-Line Woman"'' by Tom Schnabel, posted July 9, 2013 on KCRW Rhythm Planet website /ref> he was told that
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, ...
'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.
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, ...
popularized the song as "See-Line Woman". Her original studio recording was first released in 1964 as the single B-side of "
Mississippi Goddam
"Mississippi Goddam" is a song written and performed by American singer and pianist Nina Simone, who later announced the anthem to be her "first civil rights song". The song was released on her album '' Nina Simone in Concert'' in 1964, which wa ...
", a song that marked her turn to political engagement with
Civil Rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...
protest songs. On the single's label "See-Line Woman" is credited as having been written by George Houston Bass and arranged by Simone. The song was then part of her album ''
Broadway-Blues-Ballads
''Broadway-Blues-Ballads'' is an album by the singer/pianist/songwriter Nina Simone, released in 1964.
Track listing
# "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" (Bennie Benjamin, Gloria Caldwell, Sol Marcus) - 2:48
# "Night Song" (Lee Adams, Charles St ...
'' of the same year, and it was featured again as a single the next year, this time as an A-side coupled with "I Love Your Lovin' Ways". She often performed the song in concert, and, according to Tom Schnabel, Simone occasionally altered her lyrics.
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
Beat, beats or beating may refer to:
Common uses
* Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area
** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols
** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men
* Battery (c ...
band
the Easybeats
The Easybeats were an Australian rock band that formed in Sydney in late 1964. They enjoyed a level of success that in Australia rivalled The Beatles. They became the first Australian rock act to score an international hit, with the 1966 sing ...
as the closing track for their album ''
Good Friday
Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Hol ...
''.
In 1987, Irish
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band
Hothouse Flowers
Hothouse Flowers are an Irish rock band that combine traditional Irish music with influences from soul, gospel, and rock. Formed in 1985 in Dublin, they started as street performers. Their first album, ''People'' (1988), was the most successf ...
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.
Nina Simone's version of the song was prominently covered by Feist for her 2007 album ''
The Reminder
''The Reminder'' is the third studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Feist. It was released on April 23, 2007 in countries outside of North America, and May 1, 2007 in the United States and Canada.
Following its release, it debuted on the ...
''. "Sea Lion Woman" was Feist's original title for this song but on the album it was shortened to "Sealion". It charted through digital downloads under the title "Sea Lion Woman" and peaked at No. 94 on the ''Billboard'' Canadian Hot 100 chart.
The folk-rock group
Ollabelle
Ollabelle is a New York-based folk music group named after the influential Appalachian songwriter Ola Belle Reed. The group is composed of five singing multi-instrumentalists hailing from disparate parts of the United States, Canada and Austral ...
rearranged the song in 2006 as a rock version for their album ''
Riverside Battle Songs
''Riverside Battle Songs'' is a 2006 album by Ollabelle. It was produced by Larry Campbell, best known for having played in Bob Dylan's band.
Track listing
#"See Line Woman "Sea Lion Woman" (also "Sealion Woman", "Sea-Line Woman", "See heLyi ...
''.
American experimental band
Xiu Xiu
Xiu Xiu ( ) is an American experimental band, formed in 2002 by singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart in San Jose, California. Currently, the line-up consists of Stewart (the only constant member since formation) and Angela Seo. The band's name co ...
covered the song as "See Line Woman" on their 2013 Nina Simone tribute album
Nina Nina may refer to:
* Nina (name), a feminine given name and surname
Acronyms
*National Iraqi News Agency, a news service in Iraq
* Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, on the campus of Norwegian University of Science and Technology
*No income, ...
.
The song was also covered by singers
Katie Melua
Ketevan Katie Melua (; ka, ქეთევან "ქეთი" მელუა, ; born 16 September 1984) is a Georgian and British singer and songwriter. She was born in Kutaisi and raised in Belfast and London. Under the management of comp ...
(featuring
Arno
The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber.
Source and route
The river originates on Monte Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a s ...
) and
Brooke Fraser
Brooke Gabrielle Ligertwood (née Fraser; born 15 December 1983) better known by her maiden name Brooke Fraser, is a New Zealand singer and songwriter best known for her hit single " Something in the Water", released in 2010. Fraser released two ...
(from New Zealand), among others.
An instrumental version of the song was recorded by jazz saxophonist
Yusef Lateef
Yusef Abdul Lateef (born William Emanuel Huddleston; October 9, 1920 – December 23, 2013) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and prominent figure among the Ahmadiyya Community in America.
Although Lateef's main instruments ...
on his 1967
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
album ''
The Complete Yusef Lateef
''The Complete Yusef Lateef'' is an album by multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef recorded in 1967 and released on the Atlantic label.Greg Hale Jones and Russell Ziecker entitled "She Began to Lie"; it became part of the soundtrack for the 1999
feature film
A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
Kerri Chandler
Kerri Camar Chandler (born 28 September 1969) is an American house DJ and record producer.
Biography
Chandler's influences go back to New Jersey, growing up in a family of jazz musicians. His father, Joseph Chandler, was a DJ and provided him wi ...
, calling themselves The Songstress, for Ibadan Records in 1997. In 1999, a
UK garage
UK garage, abbreviated as UKG, is a genre of electronic dance music which originated in England in the early to mid-1990s. The genre was most clearly inspired by garage house, but also incorporates elements from dance-pop, R&B, and jungle. It ...
version titled "See Line Woman '99" reached No. 64 on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
and No. 3 on the
UK Dance Singles Chart
The UK Dance Singles Chart and the UK Dance Albums Chart are music charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company from sales of songs in the dance music genre (e.g. house, trance, drum and bass, garage, synthpop) in record s ...
.
Nina Simone's 1964 recording was remixed by
Masters at Work
Masters at Work is the American garage house production and remix team of "Little" Louie Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez. The duo has produced music together under the names MAW, KenLou, Sole Fusion, Hardrive, and Nuyorican Soul. They have been r ...
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
Jonathan Dagan, (born February 16, 1982) known by his stage name J.Views, is a two-time Grammy nominated musician based in New York.Ogris Debris in 2012.
The song is sampled in H.C.P. by
Frayser Boy
Cedric Coleman, professionally known by his stage name Frayser Boy, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He was formerly signed to Hypnotize Minds, the record label run by Three 6 Mafia founders DJ Paul and Juicy J, and had released t ...
The Durutti Column
The Durutti Column are an English post-punk band formed in 1978 in Manchester, England.Strong, Martin C. (1999) "The Great Alternative & Indie Discography", Canongate, The band is a project of guitarist and occasional pianist Vini Reilly who ...
sampled this on the track "Woman" on their 2003 album ''Someone Else's Party''.
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
sampled Nina Simone for the track "Bad News" on his 2008 album ''
808s & Heartbreak
''808s & Heartbreak'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper Kanye West. It was released by Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records on November 24, 2008, having been recorded earlier that year in September and October at Glenwood Studi ...
''.
A house version of the song with samples of Nina Simone's recording by was produced by French DJ
Bob Sinclar
Christophe Le Friant (; born 10 May 1969), better known by his stage name Bob Sinclar (), is a French record producer, DJ and remixer. He is the owner of the record label Yellow Productions.
Musical career
A native of Paris, Le Friant began DJ ...
for his 2013 album ''Paris by Night''.
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.
WhoSampled
WhoSampled is a website and app database of information about sampled music or sample-based music, cover songs and remixes.
History
Nadav Poraz founded the site in London, England in 2008, as a way to track musical samples and cover songs. ...