"Miss Celie's Blues", also known as "Sister", is a song from the

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

film ''

The Color Purple ''The Color Purple'' is a 1982 epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker that won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction.Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...

and

Rod Temperton Rodney Lynn Temperton (9 October 1949 – 25 September 2016) was an English musician, songwriter, and record producer. Temperton was the keyboardist and principal songwriter for the 1970s funk band Heatwave, writing songs including "Star of a ...

and lyrics by the two of them with

Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of the Motown group Commodores; writing and recor ...

, performed by

Táta Vega Táta Vega (born Carmen Rosa Vega, October 7, 1951) is an American vocalist, whose career spans theater, film, and a variety of musical genres. Early life Vega was born in Jamaica, Queens, New York and raised between New York, Chicago, Texas, P ...

. The song was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

for Best Music, Original Song in 1986.

Background

During the song, composed in a blues/ragtime style, the singer explains to her "sister" that she has her in her mind as a kindred spirit. She sings that after a long period of loneliness on the road, she has finally become "someone" and hopes that her sister is also. In the 1985 film, the song is sung by Shug to Celie, and portrays the romantic and sexual relationship blossoming between the two women. Although Shug was portrayed by

Margaret Avery Margaret Avery is an American actress. She began her career appearing on stage and later had starring roles in films including '' Cool Breeze'' (1972), '' Which Way Is Up?'' (1977), ''Scott Joplin'' (1977) which earned her an NAACP Image Award no ...

, her voice was synchronised by

, and the harmonica at the beginning of the song was played by

Sonny Terry Saunders Terrell (October 24, 1911 – March 11, 1986), known as Sonny Terry, was an American Piedmont blues and folk musician, who was known for his energetic blues harmonica style, which frequently included vocal whoops and hollers and occas ...

. It appeared in the 2023 film adaptation of the stage musical as a nod to the previous film, performed by

Taraji P. Henson Taraji Penda Henson ( ; born September 11, 1970) is an American actress. Her accolades include a Golden Globe Award, alongside nominations for an Academy Award, six Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award. In 2016 and 2024, ''Time'' named Henson one of ...

as Shug.

Reception

"Miss Celie's Blues" was immediately popular with audiences, and

Alice Walker Alice Malsenior Tallulah-Kate Walker (born February 9, 1944) is an American novelist, short story writer, poet, and social activist. In 1982, she became the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, which she was awa ...

, the author of the original novel took an instant liking to it. It became a concert piece independently of the song, and an unofficial anthem of the African-American lesbian community. The song was covered by

Ute Lemper Ute Gertrud Lemper (; born 4 July 1963) is a German singer and actress. Her roles in musicals include playing Sally Bowles in the original Paris production of ''Cabaret'', for which she won the 1987 Molière Award for Best Newcomer, and Vel ...

(1987),

Elba Ramalho Elba Ramalho (; born August 17, 1951) is a Brazilian singer and songwriter. Nineteen-times Brazilian Music Awards winner, she is sometimes called "The Queen of Forró". In addition to her successful solo career, Elba has collaborated with a num ...

(1989),

Renato Russo Renato Russo (born Renato Manfredini, Jr., March 27, 1960 – October 11, 1996) was a Brazilian musician who was the lead singer of the pop rock band Legião Urbana. A Brazilian film depicting his life and career was released in 2013, called ...

(1994),

Emiliana Torrini Emiliana is a feminine name of Italian origin. It can refer to: As a given name * Emiliana of Trasilla and Emiliana, Catholic saints * Emilíana Torrini (born 1977), Icelandic singer As a surname * Cesare Emiliani (1922–1995), Italian-Ameri ...

(1995),

Nikka Costa Domenica "Nikka" Costa (born June 4, 1972) is an American singer whose music combines elements of pop, soul, and blues. She also had a career as a child singer starting in the early 1980s. She is the daughter of music producer Don Costa. Ear ...

(1996),

Vanessa Petruo Vanessa Anneliese Petruo-Zink (born 23 October 1979) is a German former singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. Born and raised in Berlin within a family of actors, she had minor roles in television and as a voice actress before ...

(2005),

Marjorie Estiano Marjorie Dias de Oliveira (born 8 March 1982), known professionally as Marjorie Estiano (), is a Brazilian actress and singer-songwriter. She became nationally known for her role in TV Globo's teen soap opera '' Malhação''. In film, Estiano ...

(2005),

Luiza Possi Luiza Possi Gadelha (born June 26, 1984) is a Brazilian pop singer. She is the daughter of another famous Brazilian singer, Zizi Possi. Biography In 1999, Luiza was invited to go on stage and sing a song with a band that was opening a show by ...

(2007) and Eden Atwood (2010). It has also been interpreted in a jazz style by such artists as

Pat Thompson Arthur Frederick Thompson (6 June 1920 – 9 October 2009), known as Pat Thompson, and A. F. Thompson,Philip Waller ''The Independent'', 8 December 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2017. was an academic historian specialising in 19th-century British p ...

Molly Johnson Margaret Leslie "Molly" Johnson, Order of Canada, OC is a Canadian singer of pop and jazz. Biography Johnson began as a child performer, receiving formal training from the National Ballet School and the Banff School of Fine Arts. Johnson's b ...

and

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan ( ), is an American singer. Known as the " Queen of Funk", her career has spanned more than five decades beginning in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of ...

References

{{authority control 1985 songs American songs Blues songs LGBTQ-related songs Songs written by Lionel Richie Songs written by Quincy Jones Songs written by Rod Temperton Songs written for films