“Feeling Good” (also known as “Feelin’ Good“) is a song written by English composers Antony Newley and Leslie Bricusse for the musical The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd. It was first performed on stage in 1964 by Cy Grant on the UK tour. In the show, Price’s character is asked to compete against the show’s hero “Cocky”; but, as “Cocky” and his master “Sir” argue over the rules of the game, “the Negro” reaches the centre of the stage and “wins”, singing the song at his moment of triumph. It was described as a “booming song of emancipation”. One of the earliest recorded versions was a jazz treatment by saxophonist John Coltrane, recorded in February 1965.
Nina Simone’s version, arranged and produced by Hal Mooney, was recorded in New York in January 1965 and appeared on her album I PUt a Spell on You. It was not released as a single at the time. In 1994, Simone’s recording was used in a British TV commercial for Volkswagen, and became popular. Released as a single, it reached No. 40 in the UK in July 1994. The vocal track by Nina Simone and the music of “Feeling Good” have been sampled in numerous songs. An official music video for Simone’s version was released on YouTube 56 years after the release of her recording in June 2021.
The English rock band Muse recorded a version for their 2001 album Origin of Symmetry. It was released as a single also featuring the song “Hyper Music”. In a poll by Total Guitar about best cover songs, Muse’s version came fifth. Muse’s version reached No. 137 on the singles chart in France, and No. 24 on the singles chart in the UK. In September 2010, NME readers voted it the greatest cover song of all time.
“Feeling Good” was covered by Canadian singer Michael Buble as the lead single from his album It’s Time. The single was released on 4 April 2005. The song was the opening track on his live album Caught in the Act and has appeared in television advertisements, ESPN’s 2005 World Series of Poker tournament, and the 2010 NBA draft broadcast. The single peaked at No. 162 in the United Kingdom, No. 70 in Australia, No. 36 in Germany, No. 66 in Austria, and No. 14 in Poland. The song has become one of his most popular singles and became a hit in May 2010, when it reached No. 69 on the UK Singles Chart after it was featured in British advertisements.
The Pussycat Dolls’ version of “Feelin’ Good” received mixed reviews from critics. Nick Butler of Sputnikmusic wrote that the song’s inclusion on the album serves as “a pretty pointless vocal workout for Nicole”. John Murphy from musicOMH gave a negative review, writing: “All the emotion and melodrama of the original is ripped out of the heart of the song and we’re left with a pointless, faux-jazz version. They may as well have strutted over to Simone’s grave and performed a stiletto clad dance upon it.” Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine commented that the “rendition of ‘Feelin’ Good’ […] is misguided at best”. In contrast, Spence D. of IGN praised the song for returning to the “retro vibe with wondrous results”. On the Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs chart, the song peaked at number 23, becoming The Pussycat Dolls’ only song to appear on that chart.
