This Bitter Earth

This article is about the Dinah Washington song. For the ballet, see Five Movements, Three Repeats.

"This Bitter Earth"
Single by Dinah Washington
from the album Unforgettable
A-side	"I Understand"
Released	1960
Recorded	1959
Genre	jazz, soul
Length	2:30
Label	Mercury Records
Songwriters	Clyde Otis, Lily Mars, Charles Kawasaki
Producers	Clyde Otis, Jay Darlington, Lily Mars, Charles Kawasaki, Ray Mann
Dinah Washington singles chronology
"A Rockin' Good Way (to Mess Around and Fall in Love)" (1960) "This Bitter Earth" (1960) "Love Walked In" (1960)

"This Bitter Earth" is a 1960 song made famous by rhythm and blues singer Dinah Washington. ^[1] Written and produced by Clyde Otis, ^{[2] [3]} it peaked to #1 on the U.S. R&B charts for the week of July 25, 1960, and also reached #24 on the U.S. pop charts. ^[4]

Charts

Chart (1960)	Peak position
US Billboard Top Pop Songs	24
US Billboard Hot R&B Songs	1

Ledisi version

"This Bitter Earth"
Single by Ledisi
from the album For Dinah
Released	July 18, 2025
Recorded	2025
Genre	jazz
Length	5:04
Label	Listen Back Entertainment, Candid Records
Songwriters	Clyde Otis, Lily Mars, Charles Kawasaki
Producers	Ledisi, Christian McBride, Rex Rideout
Ledisi singles chronology
"BLKWMN" (2025) "This Bitter Earth" (2025)

"This Bitter Earth" was recorded by American singer-songwriter Ledisi, for her thirteenth studio album For Dinah (2025).

Background and release

Following the conclusion of the Love You Too Tour, Ledisi announced her next album For Dinah; a tribute album to Dinah Washington to be released on October 3, 2025. ^[5]

This song is so reflective of any era, especially in such a chaotic time as this. People need music right now, and this song is a beautiful sentiment depicting a longing for life being filled with love. When I hear Dinah, I hear that longing. It’s a perfect way to announce my tribute to The Queen of The Blues.

— Ledisi ^[6]

On July 18, 2025, Ledisi released her version of "This Bitter Earth" as the lead single of the album. ^{[7] [6]}

Music video

While a formal music video was not filmed, an in-studio performance video, directed by Ron T. Young, was released to Ledisi's social media platforms. ^[6] The video was shot in black-and-white and featured musicians Joe Harley on piano and Ronald "Cjay" Alexander on bass.

Credits and personnel

Ledisi – vocals Christian McBride – bass, producer Michael King – piano McClenty Hunter Jr. – drums Sara Hewitt-Roth – cello

Antoine Silverman – violin, viola Yuko Naito-Gotay – violin, viola Lisa Matricardi – violin, viola Rex Rideout – producer Todd Whitelock – mixer Rueben Cohen – mastering engineer

Other recordings

• In 1964, Aretha Franklin released a version on her album Unforgettable: A Tribute to Dinah Washington for Columbia Records.
• In May 1970, The Satisfactions released a version, reaching #36 on the U.S. R&B charts. ^[4]
• In 1973, Johnnie Taylor released a version on his album Taylored In Silk for Stax Records
• Miki Howard recorded a version that appears on her 1992 album, Femme Fatale.
• In 2004, break-core musician Venetian Snares used vocals from this song in his own composition with the same title on his mini-album Moonglow/This Bitter Earth. ^[8]
• Gladys Knight recorded the song for her 2006 album Before Me.
• Deborah Cox recorded the song for her 2007 album Destination Moon.
• On June 10, 2010, the song featured in So You Think You Can Dance , in a routine choreographed by Mia Michaels.
• The song was featured on the soundtrack for the 2010 Martin Scorsese film Shutter Island , in the form of a mashup with Max Richter's "On the Nature of Daylight." ^[9] In 2012, the mashup was featured as the accompanying track to the launch trailer of The Secret World , an MMORPG from developer Funcom, published by Electronic Arts. It was also used in the Christopher Wheeldon's dance Five Movements, Three Repeats . ^[10] The pas de deux set to the mashup was added to New York City Ballet's repertory later that year. ^[11] The track featured on Richter's 2018 double-album The Blue Notebooks: 15 Years Edition. ^[12]
• Erykah Badu and Nas released "This Bitter Land," which featured on the soundtrack of Steven Caple Jr.'s 2016 film The Land.
• In 2021 Veronica Swift released her adaptation of the Max Richter arrangement of the song.

Elsewhere in popular culture

• The song is a key piece in the 1978 film Killer of Sheep by director Charles Burnett. ^[13]
• The song is featured in the closing scene of the 2014 French crime film La French , directed by Cédric Jimenez.

Notes and references

1. "The Essential Dinah Washington - The Great Songs". musicbabylon.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-29.
2. "Clyde Otis Music Group Beginnings". tcomg.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29.
3. "This Bitter Earth". BMI.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-15.
4. Goldberg, Marv (2007). "The Marvels". Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks. Archived from the original on 2008-07-19.
5. Ledisi to release tribute project "For Dinah" on October 3rd, 2025 | Announces U.S. & European Tour for 2025. The Urban Music Scene. Retrieved on July 17, 2025
6. Ledisi Announces Dinah Washington Tribute Album, Shares ‘This Bitter Earth’. Rated R&B. Retrieved on August 2, 2025
7. New Music Drops: July 18, 2025. Shatter the Standards. Retrieved on July 18, 2025
8. Venetian Snares "This Bitter Earth".bandcamp
9. Bambarger, Bradley (March 12, 2010). "Shutter Island soundtrack casts eerie spell". New Jersey On-Line . Retrieved June 12, 2021.
10. Macaulay, Alastair (September 28, 2012). "Old Favorite Returns, Freshness Still In Its Step". The New York Times .(subscription required)
11. Macaulay, Alastair (September 21, 2012). "All This in the Name of Fashion". The New York Times.(subscription required)
12. Richter, Max (2018). The Blue Notebooks: 15 Years Edition. Deutsche Grammophon.
13. Turan, Kenneth (April 6, 2007). "Killer of Sheep". Los Angeles Times .