Nnenna Freelon: “Oh! Susanna"
Clip: 2/27/2025 | 7m 55sVideo has Closed Captions
Nnenna Freelon performs her soulful reinvention of the well-known folk song “Oh! Susanna.”
“Oh! Susanna” is a well-known folk song today, but it was originally written in the tradition of minstrelsy and performed in blackface. Freelon was drawn to the song’s melody but chose to rewrite parts of the song “so that it resonated with who I am as a Black woman.” For her, it is “a song of longing, loss and lament.”
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Shaped by Sound is a local public television program presented by PBS NC
Made possible through support from Come Hear NC, a program of the N.C. Music Office within the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
Nnenna Freelon: “Oh! Susanna"
Clip: 2/27/2025 | 7m 55sVideo has Closed Captions
“Oh! Susanna” is a well-known folk song today, but it was originally written in the tradition of minstrelsy and performed in blackface. Freelon was drawn to the song’s melody but chose to rewrite parts of the song “so that it resonated with who I am as a Black woman.” For her, it is “a song of longing, loss and lament.”
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship♪ I come from Alabama ♪ ♪ With a banjo on my knee ♪ ♪ I'm bound for Louisiana ♪ ♪ My true love for to see ♪ [gentle music] ♪ ♪ Hmm, da-da, yeah ♪ ♪ It rained all night ♪ ♪ The day I left ♪ ♪ The weather, it was dry ♪ ♪ The sun's so hot ♪ ♪ I nearly froze to death ♪ ♪ Susanna, don't you cry ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, Susanna ♪ ♪ Don't you cry, don't you cry for me ♪ ♪ I come from Alabama ♪ ♪ A banjo on my knee ♪ ♪ Ra-da, yeah, oh baby, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Yu-ro-da, yu-ro-da, yeah, do ♪ ♪ I had a dream the other night ♪ ♪ When everything was still ♪ ♪ I saw my dear Susanna ♪ ♪ She was coming down the hill ♪ ♪ Um-dum, yu-ro-di ♪ ♪ It rained, it rained, it rained forever ♪ ♪ The river was rising high ♪ ♪ I, I saw my dear Susanna ♪ ♪ A tear was in her eye ♪ ♪ Ooh, Susanna ♪ ♪ Don't you cry, don't you cry for me ♪ ♪ I, I come from Alabama ♪ ♪ A banjo on my knee ♪ [gentle music] ♪ [gentle music continues] ♪ ♪ I, I soon be in New Orleans ♪ ♪ And then I look around, I look around ♪ ♪ When I find my Susanna ♪ ♪ I fall upon the ground ♪ ♪ And if I, I do not find her ♪ ♪ Then I will surely die ♪ ♪ And when I'm dead and buried ♪ ♪ Susanna, don't you cry ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, Susanna ♪ ♪ Don't you cry, don't you cry for me ♪ ♪ I, I, I come from Alabama ♪ ♪ A banjo on my ♪ ♪ Oh, yeah, da-da, yeah, don't you die ♪ ♪ Oh my Susanna ♪ ♪ Don't you cry for me ♪ ♪ I come from Alabama ♪ ♪ A banjo on my knee ♪ ♪ Bra-da-da-da-di ♪ [gentle music] [exhales loudly]
Nnenna Freelon: “Beneath the Skin”
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Clip: 2/27/2025 | 3m 39s | Nnenna Freelon’s song “Beneath the Skin” explores the emotions beneath joy and pain. (3m 39s)
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Clip: 2/27/2025 | 4m 39s | Nnenna Freelon performs “Black Iris,” which was inspired by the rare flower’s unique blossoming. (4m 39s)
Nnenna Freelon: “Dark & Lovely”
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Clip: 2/27/2025 | 3m 35s | Nnenna Freelon performs “Dark & Lovely,” a song dedicated to her young granddaughters. (3m 35s)
Nnenna Freelon: “Here’s Your Hat”
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Clip: 2/27/2025 | 5m 28s | Nnenna Freelon’s “Here’s Your Hat,” a song about letting go of those who no longer serve you well. (5m 28s)
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Clip: 2/27/2025 | 4m 33s | Nnenna Freelon’s “Widow Song” delves into the societal labels that accompany grief. (4m 33s)
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Preview: 2/27/2025 | 30s | The incomparable jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon shares selections from her latest album. (30s)
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Shaped by Sound is a local public television program presented by PBS NC
Made possible through support from Come Hear NC, a program of the N.C. Music Office within the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.