She's was gift from heaven! Gone to soon. Rest in peace Laura Nyro.

Laura was made of many souls who spoke through her voice on Earth.

When I need to hear pure genius, I return to this .

Goose bumps here. She was young and alive and a brilliant song writer and performer. her gifts were gracious and many.

The great Laura Nyro! Incredible & beyond gorgeous (she is in her own class)! Thank you & greetings from Germany.

I was at Monterey Pop, I’m an original concert promoter! Laura Nyro never got a bad reception or response from an audience in her whole life!! Not on my shows or anyone I know! Period! She was just too good!

Absolutely brilliant. As a teenage songwriter, I'm not even sure what to do after hearing this.

I wish more people would hear her singing love her

Great voice and a beautiful woman who died way too young. RIP.

Laura Nyro wrote this song when she was only 15 years old. She probably had a premonition that she would not be long on this earth. She was only 49 when she passed away in 1997. Still had a lot of music in her.

Truly a great artist far ahead of her time, and gone far too soon. I am honored to have met her. Thanks for sharing.

I was there in the room while Laura was writing this. I told her to scrap it, that it was too morbid. Glad she didn't listen to me!

I #Love Laura Nyro! There is and never will B Another like her she was a genius!

What a genius. What a gift. Of all the great singer-songwriters of the '60s - Mitchell, Cohen, Lennon-McCartney, King, Dylan - she was the one who transcended genre. Her songs ARE American music.

Laura you are wonderful my darling.

Exactly fifty years today on November 23rd, 1969, Blood, Sweat, and Tears' "And When I Die"* peaked at #2 {for 1 week} on Billboard's Top 100 chart, the week it was at #2, the #1 record for that week was "Come Together"/"Something" by The Beatles... The rest of the Top 10 on November 23rd, 1969: At #3. "Wedding Bell Blues"* by The 5th Dimension #4. "Take A Letter Marie" by R.B. Greaves #5. "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" by Steam #6. "Smile A Little Smile For Me" by The Flying Machine #7. "Leaving On A Jet Plane" by Peter, Paul and Mary #8. "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday" by Stevie Wonder #9. "Down On The Corner"/"Fotunate Son" by Creedence Clearwater Revival #10. "Eli's Coming"* by Three Dog Night * And from the 'For What It's Worth' department; three of the records in the Top 10 were composed by Laura Nyro, "And When I Die", "Wedding Bell Blues", and "Eli's Coming"... May Ms. Nyro {1947 - 1997} R.I.P.

Deeply happy to hear this...thank you so so much. xxxooo

It's hard to believe she was only 16 when she wrote this. Singing this at 18 she sounds like she's got the soul of a woman who's seen a lot more years on earth than that... beautiful.

I wasn't familiar with Laura Nyro until the summer of 2020 one day over the summer i just wanted to here wedding bell blues by the fifth dimension and when I looked at writers, producers and composers the name laura Nyro was there I was like who is Laura Nyro? I guess after all these wonderful years I just assumed fifth Dimension was writing their own music and singing their own songs as my memory serves me correctly, I recall mom playing this album by the fifth Dimension when i was just a young girl on the stereo we were just dancing along and really having a jolly good time we never ,ever knew anything about Laura Nyro's music we were listening to soul music RB music. I was just a little girl back when or could of been a very young teen only God knows how old I was when wedding bells blues came out now that I am fully grown and of sound mind , I am literally blown away ABOUT what I discovered ABOUT pianist, lyricist singer/ songwriter , the incomparable beautiful and talented Miss Laura Nyro , I just recently found out she's the writer of dozens of hit songs other singers made famous including the fifth Dimension, Barbara Streisand, 3 dog night, and the list goes from there only God knows who else. they were the ones out there who were making millions of dollars and receiving all the trophies and awards basically from Laura Nyro's music catalog another thing I found out was that Laura received a lifetime achievement award she was inducted rock and roll Hall of fame but I read it wasn't until she was dead and literally gone before she received such and award and let alone recognition how come you have to be dead and gone gimme my flowers now while I am still breathing!!! 🌹🌷🌹🌷 couldn't believe I guess it was meant for me to find Miss Nyro and now that I have found her I am her biggest most loyal fan at 58years old! I love you Laura ❤️

How is it possible to be that good at that age. She must have had an old soul.

Her New York accent is so adorable.

How incredible for someone so young and, indeed, for anyone of any age! The one question on the Colbert Questionnaire that stumps almost everyone is "If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?" doesn't stump me - it would be this marvelous song.

Thank God for eternal life

Thanks for publishing this. I did not know that Laura did this song so early. (First hear the version by BS&T in 1969.) Damn, Laura has a good voice and good style.

This song was a not about death - it is one of the most life affirming songs of all time.

This is what I live for on KZfaq. Shit that no one can get a hold of on CD, DVD or whatever. Thank you many times. Great photo edit/mix accompaniment too.

Love you Laura!

OMG -- Laura I will always love your music! God Bles you!!!

Amazing human being We will not see another like her in our time,,,,

Yes, thank you very much for this.It's amazing how mature Laura's voice sounds at 18. She was born October 18, 1947 so it's likely she was still just 18 when this version was done in 1966. Speaking of things you can't get ahold of, there were live videos of Laura from 1994 recorded with hand held camera. I would be enormously appreciative if fhe person who set those to private would friend me. Thank you in advance.

To be able to write like this as a teenager (or a thirty year old for that matter) is rare. A prodigy. Carol King was writing far beyond her years too as a teenager, except unlike Laura, Carol rarely sang her own songs on records till many years later. But check out top 40 covers of King/Goffin songs from the 1960s. They are moving & amazing just as Laura Nyro songs are, imo!

Thank you so much. Been a nyro freak since the 60s. WOW. Had she lived longer.

This gave me goosebumps. Thanks so much for posting.

I miss her

her extraordinary musical genius is readily apparent. she was also very camera shy. Very few videos of her until later in her life. Primarily still photos.

. . . everyday....everyday this young ladies music is heard on the radio.... everyday !!!

The songwriter's verison is the one you respect.

I found out Laura was only 16years old when writing this song. I often wonder in my mind why was Laura Nyro writing about death at such a young age? I never knew not for even a moment about Miss Nyro and her existence here in planet earth until mid summer 2020 and when i die was the first song I had ever heard it broke me spiritually because at 59years old I lost my way through life I mean.. i found God at age 14... but in turn I lost God somewhere down the line "and when I die".

Treewizdom 3 years ago Beautifully said, Candace. She was a remarkable songwriter, open to life's revelations. She left so soon, but accomplished so much before she left. "All I ask of livin' is to have no chains on me." Yep. 6 Steve Eckstein Steve Eckstein 1 second ago WHETHER "SOULS" OR "EXTRA TERRESTRIALS", MS. LAURA NYRO WAS " OUT OF THIS MUSICAL WORLD

I'm still waiting for this century' version of Laura Nyro

18 years old! I love Rock n Roll 18 or crazy old, it is timeless.

Oh Laura. Words fail.

And sang it for David Clayton Thomas of Blood Sweat and Tears (she was the drummer's girlfriend) and the rest is history as they say.

BRILLIANT AND BEAUTIFUL !!!!!!!!

I cannot believe she was only 16 when she had written this!

I give credit to Blood, Sweat & Tears who did a fabulous job with this song. They changed the tempo at times well and the lead vocal was supreme. They did a lot for Laura, as did Streisand and the Fifth Dimension. That gets overlooked. Jimmy Webb thanks Glen Campbell for making his songs shine brightly at No. 1 in versions millions of people loved. I never heard Laura give credit to the fabulous artists who made her songs shine. Without them, many would not know of Laura's music. Me included.

So great.

She wrote this song as a teenager? Wow - that's heavy stuff for an 18 year old. She was obviously an old soul. No surprise now that her physcial body gave out early. RIP.

you hear it, hear the difference, the uniqueness, the style. She got some great help early on and then found it.

@SkeeterNYC You can find a cd with this demo of "And when I die", a demo of "Lazy Susan" and a lot more of this interview in the book "Laura Nyro: Lyrics & reminiscences", published by Cherry Lane Productions.

A very rare talent indeed!!

So sad she died young (40s) like her mom . She was so talented .

My God. I will always love you.

geez, what a talent.

By the way I heard somewhere that this was Bruce Lee's favorite song..I assume the BST version Bruce Lee 27 Nov. 1940 to 20 July 1973. 1/2 century. I grew up about 30 miles south of Laura in the Bronx in Jersey (I was born in '64) but my grandmother lived in upper Manhattan about 5 miles away. We visited her in the '60s...just think while Laura was so close and writing/performing her songs.

Do you like American Music? This is American Music. She is the Jordan River.

She does a version with acoustic guitar that is kind of a haunting ballad; my favorite.Try finding it; I've seen it on KZfaq, and Bigozine.

Sooo - my friend Kim Price told me about this girl in 1968_she starts a new thing with Save the Country - all I ask of living is to have no chains on me

laura nyro wrote it;blood sweat and tears made it famous.

Alan Merrill aka aleecat75 (1951-2020) a victim of SARS-CoV-2 was a great musical artist. Putting another dime in the jukebox to hear his songs.

So sweet, so rare, so overwhelming vocally.It appears "the lot in life of "the purest,most endearing & talented artists thru modern history suffer a tragic, shortened life,leaving only there acclaimed,sometimes under appreciated works as their "footprints" thru this life.The most wicked, crooked evil ones seem to keep on ticking like the old "TIMEX WATCH" commercial. No one, nowhere, has found an answer.So, " QUE SARRA, SARRA"(WHAT WILL BE WILL BE"(DORIS DAY)

"I have great respect for the animal rights movement." Wow she was very forward thinking. Though I was just a lad in 1966, I don't ever remember hearing word one about animal rights from anybody back then.

I was in my room when I first heard this

Yeah I hear dat!

Bruce Lee favourites song

So she was the original writer of this song?? Didn't know that......

Is there sheet music or a lead sheet for this rendition?

Age 18 !

4:14 is that Zinn Road in Danbury, CT, I wonder, her street, later in life.

. . .these songs from the pen ov a not 20 year old have withstood time for 50 years and will for another 50 years.....

aleecat75: wow! childhood friend of Laura Nyro. who are you? i loved your memories where can i hear/read more?

Those who sing think aloud also think.

My understanding is that she performed this song as a sort of an audition to join BS&T.

Ian Macdonald wrote Laura was the major influence on future female singer-songwriters.

I think Wedding Bell Blues was a hit before this was, but it was done by Peter Paul and Mary, but by '66 they were not a big player. 5th Dimension with Wedding Bell Blues and stone soul picnic, Three Dog Night with Eli's coming, and of course this song, Barbra Streisand Stoney End

So mature sounding for an 18 year old.

From "Live at the Bottom Line"

I bought the 8-track. You don't know what that is.

Female version of Jimmy Webb.

finally realized that laura sounds like janis, (sort of)

quite the songwriter,real talent here. of course BS&T had the bigger hit with this song.