Nina Simone / I Put a Spell On You / 1965
Take Care of Business
flirtatious, warm, teasing
A playful, sensual number in which the narrator urges a lover to take charge physically and emotionally, framed as light domestic comedy dressed in double entendre. It's one of Simone's more direct, unguarded performances of desire, using a repeated catchphrase as both command and tease.
desire and physical intimacy female sexual agency playful command and submission idolization of a lover repetition as seduction
Who's speaking
A woman speaks directly to her lover in second person, confident and unembarrassed about what she wants; the voice is intimate rather than distant, and reads as sincere rather than ironic, though the humor of the euphemism keeps it light.
What happens
The song moves from an initial request for closeness and quiet, through increasingly bold instructions for the lover to act decisively, to a near-worshipful declaration of his effect on her, and finally back to the refrain as public proclamation — she wants everyone to know how well he satisfies her.
How it's built
Built on a simple verse-refrain pattern where each verse escalates emotional or physical intensity slightly before returning to the same four-word catchphrase, which functions like a chorus. The repetition of the closing phrase across every verse creates a hypnotic, incantatory rhythm; the bridge-like third verse breaks the pattern with a more exalted, hyperbolic comparison before snapping back to the refrain.
Section by section
Opening verse
The song begins quietly, requesting silence and closeness rather than words — establishing intimacy before instruction. The phrase asking the lover to act sets up the song's core euphemism immediately.},}],
Craft
- double entendre
- The central phrase operates simultaneously as a literal instruction (handle matters, be decisive) and as sexual code, letting the song discuss intimacy without explicit language.
- anaphora
- The triple repetition of "for me" at the end of each verse reinforces insistence and desire, turning a simple phrase into a rhythmic plea.
- hyperbole
- Comparing the lover to a divine gift elevates ordinary romantic satisfaction into near-religious devotion, amplifying the emotional stakes of the song's otherwise casual tone.
- apostrophe
- A brief invocation of a higher power mid-song blurs the line between religious exclamation and romantic urgency, a device common in soul and gospel-inflected pop of the era.
Reading it
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Context
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About Nina Simone
Nina Simone was an American composer, concert pianist, singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Simone's bearing and stage presence earned her the title the High Priestess of Soul.
1933 - 2003 / United States
Full biography and catalogue