This Bitter Earth
Encyclopedia
"This Bitter Earth" is a 1960 song
made famous by rhythm and blues
singer Dinah Washington
. Written and produced by Clyde Otis
, it topped the U.S. R&B charts
for the week of 25 July 1960 and also reached #24 on the U.S. pop charts. The song is a key piece in the 1977 film Killer of Sheep
by director Charles Burnett
.
1960 in music
-Events:*January 14 – Elvis Presley is promoted to Sergeant in the U.S. Army*February 6 – Songwriter Jesse Belvin dies in an automobile accident in Los Angeles...
made famous by rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
singer Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington, born Ruth Lee Jones , was an American blues, R&B and jazz singer. She has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s", and called "The Queen of the Blues"...
. Written and produced by Clyde Otis
Clyde Otis
Clyde Otis, born in Prentiss, Mississippi, , was an American songwriter and producer best known for his collaboration with singer Brook Benton, and for being one of the first African American A&R executive for a major label.According to the music licensing organization Broadcast Music Inc., Otis is...
, it topped the U.S. R&B charts
R&B number-one hits of 1960 (USA)
These are the Billboard magazine R&B singles chart number one hits of 1960:See also: 1960 in music, List of number-one R&B hits...
for the week of 25 July 1960 and also reached #24 on the U.S. pop charts. The song is a key piece in the 1977 film Killer of Sheep
Killer of Sheep
Killer of Sheep is a 1977 American film written, directed, produced and shot by Charles Burnett. It features Henry G. Sanders, Kaycee Moore, and Charles Bracy, among others. The drama depicts the culture of urban African-Americans in Los Angeles' Watts district...
by director Charles Burnett
Charles Burnett (director)
Charles Burnett is an African-American film director, film producer, writer, editor, actor, photographer, and cinematographer...
.
Other recordings
- In 1964, Aretha FranklinAretha FranklinAretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
released a cover on her album "Unforgettable: A Tribute to Dinah WashingtonUnforgettable: A Tribute to Dinah WashingtonIn January 1995, John Snyder, the producer of the reissue, said - "...This is a very soulful record, a record of ispired singing by one of the great voices of our time. That makes it a "must-have" and a record that is once again "current." It's that kind of work: Ms. Franklin's performance makes...
" for Columbia RecordsColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. - In May 1970, The Satisfactions released a version, reaching #36 on the U.S. R&B charts.
- In 1992, JazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
/R&B singer Miki HowardMiki HowardAlicia Michelle "Miki" Howard is an American R&B/jazz singer and actress who had a string of Top 10 hit songs in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Howard's string of hits also included Baby,Be Mine", "Come Share My Love" and "Love Under New Management"...
recorded a remake of this song on her 1992 album Femme FataleFemme Fatale (Miki Howard album)Femme Fatale is the fourth studio album by American R&B/jazz artist Miki Howard. Released in 1992 under Giant Records, the album peaked at No. 110 on Billboard 200 and No. 7 on Billboard's Top R&B Albums chart. The first single, "Ain't Nobody Like You", reached No. 1 on the R&B Singles chart, her...
. - In 2004, break-core musician Venetian SnaresVenetian SnaresVenetian Snares is the main performing alias of Canadian electronic musician Aaron Funk .From Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Funk is known for making electronic music often in odd numbered time signatures...
used vocals from this song in his own composition with the same title on his mini-album Moonglow / This Bitter EarthMoonglow / This Bitter EarthMoonglow/This Bitter Earth is a 7" by Aaron Funk a.k.a. Venetian Snares, released in 2004 on Addict Records. It carries on from his EP Badminton , in that it features jazz music, cut up to fit strange time signatures and fast programming...
. - In 2007, R&B/DanceDanceDance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
singer Deborah CoxDeborah CoxDeborah Cox is a Canadian R&B singer-songwriter and actress. Her 1998 song "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" held the record for longest-running number one single on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart , a record held for nearly eight years. She has achieved ten number-one hits on...
made a remake of this song on her album Destination MoonDestination Moon (album)Destination Moon is the fourth album by Canadian R&B singer Deborah Cox, released in June 2007 by Decca Records. It also pays tribute to legendary jazz singer Dinah Washington, and Cox calls it "a concept album that I've had in mind for years". Many of Washington's songs are reinterpreted on the...
. - In 2009, Dinah Washington's voice was remixed with an orchestral piece, "On the Nature of Daylight" by Max RichterMax RichterMax Richter is a German-born British composer.-Biography:Richter studied composition and piano at University of Edinburgh, the Royal Academy of Music and with Luciano Berio in Florence. After finishing his studies, Richter co-founded the contemporary classical ensemble Piano Circus...
, for the closing titles on Martin ScorseseMartin ScorseseMartin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
film Shutter Island. - On June 10, 2010, this was danced to on So You Think You Can DanceSo You Think You Can Dance (U.S. TV series)So You Think You Can Dance is an American dance competition and reality show that airs on Fox in the United States.The series first premiered on July 20, 2005, and was created by American Idol producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and is produced by 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions...
, in a routine choreographed by Mia MichaelsMia MichaelsMia Michaels is an American choreographer best known for her judging and contemporary choreography on the TV show So You Think You Can Dance . She has worked with musical artists such as Celine Dion, Madonna, Tom Cruise, Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, and Prince...
.