Strange fruit was a musical lament against lynching. Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees pastoral scene of the gallant south the bulging eyes and the twisted mouth scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh then the sudden smell of burning flesh here is fruit for the crows to pluck for the rain to gather, for the wind to suck for the sun to rot, for the trees to drop here is a strange and bitter. Feb 16, 2011 billie holiday s 1939 song about racist lynchings redefined popular music. Southern trees bear strange fruit, blood on the leaves and blood at the root. Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees quick thought. The artwork, fittingly enough, is full of heavily lined figures in plays of shadow and light as they help to illustrate the grey areas that made up the truth behind much of the legend.
When billie holiday moved to the other jazz clubs strange fruit went over well. Jan 23, 2001 strange fruit not only chronicles the civil rights movement from the 30s on, it examines the lives of the beleaguered billie holiday and abel meeropol, the white jewish schoolteacher and communist sympathizer who wrote the song that would have an impact on generations of fans, black and white, unknown and famous, including performers lena. Jan 17, 2015 one night, in 1939, billie holiday stood on stage in new york city and sang a song that was unlike anything anyone had heard before. Golio crafts an honest biography of africanamerican jazz singer billie holiday, whose light skin, penchant for improvisation, and commitment to social justice often made her the center of heated controversy. She first rose to prominence in the 1930s with a unique style that reinvented the conventions of modern singing and performance. Strange fruit was a definitely an effectively powerful song. Billie holiday performs on stage at the sugar hill nightclub in newark, n. One of billie holidays most iconic songs is strange fruit, a haunting protest. Billie holiday has 27 books on goodreads with 11030 ratings.
May 25, 2017 billy holiday by carlos sampayo is a commentary on the realities that billie holiday suffered through and on the injustices of the times she lived in. Strange fruit song analysis final ballades, beats and. One night, in 1939, billie holiday stood on stage in new york city and sang a song that was unlike anything anyone had heard before. Richard brody, the new yorker when billie holiday first stepped into a recording studio in november 1933, it marked the beginning of what is arguably the most remarkable and influential career in twentiethcentury popular music. Strange fruit is a song performed most famously by billie holiday. Farah jasmine griffins 2001 book posed a challenge to biographers and helped reimagine holidays legacy. Strange fruit put the elements of protest and resistance back at the center of contemporary black musical culture, wrote angela davis in blues legacies and black feminism, a book that examines the lyrics of holiday, gertrude ma rainey and bessie smith. The first thing you notice in this book are the illustrations. Golios powerful narrative turns on two moments plucked from billie holidays career. Strange fruit by gary golio author and charlotte rileywebb illustrator is an absolutely wonderful picture book about billie holidays famous song with the same title. Billie holidays haunting song, though, broke through. While the lyrics never mention lynching, the metaphor is painfully clear. Billie holiday lyrics strange fruit southern trees bear a strange fruit. Poplar trees encompass a wide variety of north american trees.
Caryl phillips, who used the title for his first play, traces the songs. Apr 20, 2017 billie holiday didnt write strange fruit, but her voice made it the song it is today. Nicknamed lady day by her friend and music partner lester young, holiday had a seminal influence on jazz music and pop singing. Written by teacher abel meeropol as a poem and published in 1937, it protested american racism, particularly the lynching of african americans. Holiday has arguably the greatest voice in the history of popular music, and it stretches to breaking point on the line here is a strange and bitter crop. Aug 18, 2007 so horrific are the images conjured up by strange fruit that billie holiday always performed it with her eyes closed. Bestknown from billie holidays haunting 1939 rendition, the song strange fruit is a harrowing. Eleanora fagan april 7, 1915 july 17, 1959, professionally known as billie holiday, was an american jazz singer with a career spanning nearly thirty years. Strange fruit is a song recorded by billie holiday in 1939, written by abel meeropol and.
Gottlieb collection entered into the public domain on february 16, 2010. But now, billie holiday stays close to the music, to her performance style, and to the self she created and put into print, on record and on stage. John szweds brief but revelatory new book, billie holiday. Sep 05, 2012 one of billie holiday s most iconic songs is strange fruit, a haunting protest against the inhumanity of racism. Southern trees bear a strange fruit blood on the leaves and blood at the root black bodies swinging in the southern breeze strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees. Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees pastoral scene of the gallant south the bulging eyes and the twisted mouth scent of magnolias sweet and fresh then the sudden smell of burning flesh here is a fruit for the crows to pluck for the rain to gather, for the wind to suck for the sun to rot, for the tree to drop here is a strange and bitter. Billie holiday didnt write strange fruit, but her voice made it the song it is today. Holiday may have popularized strange fruit and turned it into a work of art, but it was a jewish communist teacher and civil rights activist from the bronx. Recorded by jazz legend billie holiday in 1939, strange fruit is considered to be the first significant song of the civil rights movement and the first direct musical assault upon racial lynchings in the south. Southern trees bear a strange fruit blood on the leaves and blood at the root black bodies swinging in the southern breeze strange fruit. Strange fruit explores the history and legacy of a song unique in the annals of american music.
Holiday first recorded it on this day in 1939, less than a month after first performing it at the. About billie holiday kirkus best books of 2015 selection for biography published in celebration of holidays centenary, the first biography to focus on the singers extraordinary musical talent when billie holiday stepped into columbias studios in november 1933, it marked the beginning of what is arguably the most remarkable and influential career in twentiethcentury popular music. How there were dead black people swingin in the southern breeze smelling like blood and burnin flesh instead of the. This picture book for older readers tells the story of how the racism.
In an extract from his history of protest songs, dorian lynskey explores the power of strange fruit. Strange fruit billie holiday signature song the official website of. Billie holiday and the power of a protest song is a childrens picture book written by gary golio and illustrated by charlotte rileywebb. This book was written by a ghostwriter though, and many of the stories were.
Strange fruit by gary golio, charlotte rileywebb kirkus. Shortly thereafter he served in world war one, where he was injured by mustard gas. Holidays version of the song was inducted into the grammy hall of fame in 1978. The musician and the myth viking, which comes out this weekjust under the wire for her centenary holiday was born april 7. One of billie holidays most iconic songs is strange fruit, a haunting. After writing it, meeropol put music to his lyrics and the song gained attention in new york. Billie holidays recording of strange fruit was released in 1939, the same year that gone with the wind was breaking box office records and marian anderson was barred from singing in constitution hall by the daughters of the american revolution. It condemned american racism, particularly the lynching of african americans that had occurred chiefly in the south but also in all regions of the united states. Holidays 1939 version of the song was included in the national recording registry on january 27, 2003. These people were killed by the kkk, and so billie wrote this song strange fruit.
Billy holiday, strange fruit music bibliographies cite. After asking students to assess the role music plays in their own lives, the lesson introduces some background information about lynching. The song is comparing black people to the strange fruit, calling them a bitter crop. Billie holiday books billie holidays 10 top songs music. Lyrics for strange fruit by billie holiday songfacts. So horrific are the images conjured up by strange fruit that billie holiday always performed it with her eyes closed. Caryl phillips traces the dark history of the song. Books by billie holiday author of lady sings the blues. Holiday was from baltimore, the daughter of jazz musician clarence holiday, who played guitar and banjo with eubie blake, and later with the big bands of fletcher henderson, benny carter, and others. Startlingly raw depiction of the song strange fruit and how billie holiday came to be.
Billie holiday, cafe society, and an early cry for civil. Billie holidays label wouldnt touch strange fruit smart. By some accounts, holiday was at first not particularly impressed by the lyrics. This lesson focuses on billie holidays signature song, strange fruit, a protest song lewis allen abel meeropol wrote in 1938 about the ongoing and intransigent problem of lynching in the american south. Please submit questions or licensing requests for the commercial use of her image and likeness via the email links below. The tragic story behind billie holidays strange fruit. Billie holiday, cafe society, and an early cry for civil rights harper perennial, wrote the song because i hate. Billie holiday was so well known for her rendition of strange fruit that she crafted a relationship to the song that would make them inseparable. Considering the vivid images and sustained metaphor of the song strange fruit, it shouldnt. The tragic story behind billie holidays strange fruit biography.
Drawing on a vast amount of new material that has surfaced in the last decade, critically acclaimed jazz writer john szwed considers how her life inflected her art, her influences, her uncanny voice. About strange fruit strange fruit is a song performed most famously by billie holiday, who first sang and recorded it in 1939. Poem analysis the poem strange fruit by abel meeropol is very dark and twisted as it paints a mental picture of past events in southern usa. This lesson focuses on billie holiday s signature song, strange fruit, a protest song lewis allen abel meeropol wrote in 1938 about the ongoing and intransigent problem of lynching in the american south. They are vibrant and seemingly leap from the pages. Holiday s 1939 version of the song was included in the national recording registry on january 27, 2003. Strange fruit would sit comfortably in a list of the top 20 songs of all time, let alone a list of the top 20 political songs.
The songs lyrics are an extended metaphor linking a trees fruit with lynching victims. Writing about her final years in his definitive book strange fruit. The poem refers to lynching, which is the act of hanging african americans, slaves and other protestors in public venues for a spectacle. Written by a jewish communist called abel meeropol, strange fruit was not by. The secret jewish history of strange fruit the forward. Billie holiday, born april 7, 1915 in philadelphia, pennsylvania, was a superstar of her day. Apr 03, 2015 john szweds brief but revelatory new book, billie holiday. The jazz star is hailed as one of the greatest singers of all time. Though it was recorded in 1939, sixteen years before rosa parks, it was also recorded seventeen years after the first antilynching bill was filibustered by southern senators. This site is maintained by the estate of billie holiday. How there were dead black people swingin in the southern breeze smelling like blood and burnin flesh instead of the beautiful sweet smell of fruit or flowers that should. Meeropol, according to david margolicks 2001 book, strange fruit.
Lillian smiths novel strange fruit 1944 was said to have been inspired by holidays version of the song. These are the sources and citations used to research billy holiday, strange fruit. Her vocal style, strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists, pioneered a new way of manipulating phrasing. This bibliography was generated on cite this for me on friday, february 27, 2015. Billie holiday was not the fist singer to perform strange fruit. Billy holiday by carlos sampayo is a commentary on the realities that billie holiday suffered through and on the injustices of the times she lived in. One of billie holidays most iconic songs is strange fruit, a haunting protest against the inhumanity of racism. Bestknown from billie holiday s haunting 1939 rendition, the song strange fruit is a harrowing.
When holiday heard the lyrics, she was deeply moved by them not only because she was a black american but also because the song. Billie holidays most popular book is lady sings the blues. Billie holidays 1939 song about racist lynchings redefined popular music. More than 80 years after making her first recording billies legacy continues to embody what is elegant and cool in.
In accordance with the generous wishes of william gottlieb, the photographs in the william p. Lyrics and video for the song strange fruit by billie holiday songfacts. It is a cursory biography billie holiday and her protest song strange fruit came to be. Billie holiday, cafe society, and an early cry for civil rights. Holiday s version of the song was inducted into the grammy hall of fame in 1978. Aug 23, 2019 billie holiday performs on stage at the sugar hill nightclub in newark, n.
In the american mainstream strange fruit was too sensitve to sing. Southern trees bear a strange fruit, blood on the leaves and blood at the. The songs powerful, evocative lyricswritten by a jewish communist schoolteacher who, late in life. When billie holiday went on a tour in the south, she witnessed these bodies of the africans hanging dead in the trees. When billie holiday was depressed she added strange fruit to the program.
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