is strange fruit blues or jazz

What are some interesting facts about the song Strange Fruit?

1 "Strange Fruit" was originally a poem. ... 2 The song reminded Holiday of her father. ... 3 The protest anthem became Holiday's downfall. ... 4 "Strange Fruit" was declared 'song of the century' Despite her tragic demise, Holiday has a lasting legacy in the world of jazz and pop music. ...

Why did Billie Holiday Sing Strange Fruit?

Billie Holiday's 1939 song about racist lynchings stunned audiences and redefined popular music. In an extract from 33 Revolutions Per Minute, his history of protest songs, Dorian Lynskey explores the chilling power of Strange Fruit Billie Holiday in concert in Britain, 1954.

Who played on Strange Fruit in 1939?

On 20 April 1939, Holiday entered Brunswick's World Broadcasting Studios with Frankie Newton's eight-piece Cafe Society Band and recorded Strange Fruit in one four-hour session. Worried that the song was too short, Gabler asked pianist Sonny White to improvise a suitably stealthy introduction.

What artists have covered Strange Fruit?

Strange Fruit. The song continues to be covered by numerous artists, including Nina Simone, UB40, Jeff Buckley, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Dee Dee Bridgewater and has inspired novels, other poems, and other creative works. In 1978, Holiday's version of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

What genre is Strange Fruit?

JazzStrange Fruit / Genre

What is the tone of Strange Fruit?

Tone. The tone of the song, "Strange Fruit" is a darkness that is haunting. It has a powerful feeling that sticks, and is hard to forget.

Which jazz singer is particularly associated with the song Strange Fruit?

singer Billie HolidayOn 20 April 1939, the jazz singer Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan in 1915) stepped into a studio with an eight-piece band to record Strange Fruit.

What kind of rhyme scheme does Strange Fruit follow?

'Strange Fruit' by Abel Meeropol contains three stanzas. Each stanza has four lines in it. The rhyme scheme of the poem is AABB. The poem has a perfect rhyme, and the mentioned rhyme scheme runs throughout the poem.

What does the Strange Fruit symbolize?

First recorded in 1939, the protest song Strange Fruit came to symbolise the brutality and racism of the practice of lynching in America's South. Now, more than seventy years later, such is the song's enduring power that rapper Kanye West sampled the track on his latest album Yeezus.

What is the theme of the song Strange Fruit?

In Billie Holiday's song "Strange Fruit," the theme demonstrates the horror of lynching in post-Civil War America in the Deep South. As the song progresses, a much deeper interpretation of racial prejudice emerges.

What is jazz and blues music?

Jazz: A blended mix of African and Auropean musical techniques and traditions from church, home, work. Blues: African American folk music with spiritual origins from African American churches and spiritual songs. Instruments used. Jazz: Guitar, Piano, Bass, Saxophone, Trumpet, Clarinet, Drum kit, Tuba, Double bass.

What Style Is Strange Fruit by Billie Holiday?

Blues jazz"Strange Fruit" is a song written and composed by Lewis Allan and recorded by Billie Holiday in 1939. The lyrics were drawn from a poem by Abel Meeropol published in 1937....Strange Fruit."Strange Fruit"Released1939RecordedApril 20, 1939GenreBlues jazzLength3:0212 more rows

Why was the song Strange Fruit banned from the radio?

“Strange Fruit” was banned from radio airways as being too radical, and turned down by record companies because they did not want to offend white Southern customers.

Who is the intended audience of Strange Fruit?

The audience at Café Society was mostly white; the music was mostly black; Meeropol was the Jewish "middleman" bringing the two together. But "Strange Fruit" began to turn the power dynamics of that old relationship upside down.

Who is the speaker in Strange Fruit?

As the poem was inspired by a photograph of a real life event, we can assume that the speaker might represent Abel Meeropol himself and the characters might represent Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith, the two African-Americans from the photo who were lynched by a white mob.

Why is strange fruit a protest song?

The NAACP had been waging a battle against the lynching of African Americans. Strange Fruit quickly became an anthem of the anti-lynching movement and the first significant song of the then fledging Civil Rights Movement. The song forced listeners to confront the brutality of lynching.

What instruments are used in strange fruit?

Strange FruitTitle:Strange FruitComposer:Billie Holiday, Abel MeeropolInstruments:String Quartet, Violin I, Violin II, Viola, CelloGenre:Jazz, BluesISMN:97905806801054 more rows

What is strange fruit about Seamus Heaney?

However, “Strange Fruit” is, importantly, linked to the terrible execution of two American Southern States Black men during the Jim Crow era. The bodies hanging from a tree in a ritualistic killing are the “strange fruit”. Heaney used the title of the Billie Holiday song about the American executions for his poem.

What was Abel Meeropol life like?

Personal life Meeropol was a communist and sympathetic to Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Later, he and his wife Anne adopted the Rosenbergs' two sons, Michael and Robert, who were orphaned after their parents' executions for espionage. Michael and Robert took the surname Meeropol.

Who wrote Strange Fruit?

Poem and song. "Strange Fruit" originated as a poem written by the Jewish-American writer, teacher and songwriter Abel Meeropol, under his pseudonym Lewis Allan, as a protest against lynchings. In the poem, Meeropol expressed his horror at lynchings, inspired by Lawrence Beitler 's photograph of the 1930 lynching of Thomas Shipp ...

When was Strange Fruit voted Best Song of the Century?

Awards and honors. 1999: Time magazine named "Strange Fruit" as "Best Song of the Century" in its issue dated December 31, 1999. 2002: The Library of Congress honored the song as one of 50 recordings chosen that year to add to the National Recording Registry.

Why did anti-racism activists mail copies of Strange Fruit to their senators?

In an attempt to have a two-thirds majority in the Senate that would break the filibusters by the southern senators, anti-racism activists were encouraged to mail copies of "Strange Fruit" to their senators.

When was the poem "Strange Fruit" published?

Meeropol published the poem under the title "Bitter Fruit" in January 1937 in The New York Teacher, a union magazine of the Teachers Union. Though Meeropol had asked others (notably Earl Robinson) to set his poems to music, he set "Strange Fruit" to music himself.

When was Strange Fruit selected for preservation?

In 2002 , "Strange Fruit" was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant".

Who sang Strange Fruit for John Hammond?

When Holiday's producer John Hammond also refused to record it, she turned to her friend Milt Gabler, owner of the Commodore label. Holiday sang "Strange Fruit" for him a cappella, and moved him to tears.

What is the song "The Beginning of the Civil Rights Movement" called?

The song has been called "a declaration" and "the beginning of the civil rights movement ". Meeropol set his lyrics to music with his wife and the singer Laura Duncan and performed it as a protest song in New York City venues in the late 1930s, including Madison Square Garden.

What is so remarkable about Strange Fruit?

What is so remarkable about Strange Fruit is how indelible a mark it made on American society so soon after its release. Samuel Grafton, a columnist for the New York Post, wrote of the song: “It will, even after the tenth hearing, make you blink and hold onto your chair. Even now, as I think of it, the short hair on the back of my neck tightens and I want to hit somebody. And I think I know who.”

Why was Strange Fruit written?

“I wrote Strange Fruit because I hate lynching, and I hate injustice, and I hate the people who perpetuate it,” Meeropol said in 1971. He never witnessed a lynching but it is suggested he wrote Strange Fruit after seeing Lawrence Beitler’s distressing photograph of the 1930 lynching of Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith in Indiana. Lynching had begun to subside by the time the poem was published – but photographs like Beitler’s seared these graphic images into public consciousness.

What is the significance of Strange Fruit?

In 2002, Strange Fruit was added to the National Registry of the Library of Congress, immortalising it as a song of great significance to the musical heritage of the US. Holiday died in 1959 and Meeropol in 1986 – but their collaboration has endured, its capacity to shock never waning. It has inspired musicians since to sing about injustice with candour and the awareness that a song can be a timeless impetus for social change.

What is the most shocking song of all time?

Strange Fruit: The most shocking song of all time? Billie Holiday recorded her iconic version of Strange Fruit on 20 April 1939. Eighty years on – in the first of our Songs that Made History series – Aida Amoako explores how a poem about lynching became a timeless call to action.

What was Billie Holiday's biggest hit?

This jarring song about the horrors of lynching was not only Holiday’s biggest hit, but it would become one of the most influential protest songs of the 20th Century – continuing to speak ...

Is Strange Fruit a metaphor?

“It's come to sort of represent racism generally,” Margolick tells BBC Culture. “Every once in a while there’s some horrific moment but lynching has become kind of a metaphor and, in that sense, the song has become more metaphorical than literal over the decades.”

Who first heard Strange Fruit?

It was there that Robert Gordon, the new floor manager at the jazz club Café Society, supposedly first heard Strange Fruit in 1938. He mentioned it to Barney Josephson, the club’s founder, and Meeropol was invited to play it for Holiday.

Who sang the song Strange Fruit?

“Strange Fruit” is a song performed most famously by Billie Holiday, who first sang and recorded it in 1939. Written by a white, Jewish high school teacher from the Bronx and a member of the Communist Party, Abel Meeropol wrote it as a protest poem, exposing American racism, particularly the lynching of African Americans. Such lynchings had occurred chiefly in the South but also in other regions of the United States. Meeropol set it to music and with his wife and the singer Laura Duncan, performed it as a protest song in New York venues, including at Madison Square Garden.

Who sang Strange Fruit for Frankie Newton?

Holiday sang “Strange Fruit” for him a cappella, and moved him to tears. Columbia allowed Holiday a one-session release from her contract in order to record it and Frankie Newton’s eight-piece Cafe Society Band was used for the session.

When was Strange Fruit published?

He published the poem under the title “Bitter Fruit” in 1937 in The New York Teacher, a union magazine. Though he had often asked others (notably Earl Robinson) to set his poems to music, he set “Strange Fruit” to music himself and the piece gained a certain success as a protest song in and around New York. Barney Josephson, the founder of Cafe ...

What is the meaning of the song Strange Fruit?

In the song, the image of "Strange Fruit" serves as a shocking metaphor for bodies hanging from trees, the victims of racist lynch mobs in the US in the early decades of the 20th century .

Who wrote Strange Fruit?

Rather than a jazz standard or the work of a songwriter, "Strange Fruit" began life as a 12-line poem composed by Abel Meeropol, according to Biography .

What is the most shocking song of all time?

In a 2019 article celebrating 80 years of the song's existence, the BBC describes "Strange Fruit" as a "timeless call to action," and suggests it is possibly the most shocking song of all time.

What is the song Lady Day sings the blues about?

In its discussion of "Strange Fruit," Lady Day Sings the Blues paints a picture of an artist overcome by her own enormous emotional and physical reactions to perhaps her greatest work. Holiday describes how the song would allow her "angriest and strongest voice" to emerge, and how she would have to think long and hard about when the song ought to be performed, and for whom. She nearly always saved the song until last, after which, Holiday claims, she would leave the stage and go straight to the backroom, where she would be physically sick.

Who wrote the song Strange Fruit?

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, Abel Meeropol, who wrote it, first as a poem, then later as a song.

What was the nightclub scene in Strange Fruit?

While civil rights activists and Black America embraced "Strange Fruit," the nightclub scene, which was primarily composed of white patrons, had mixed reactions. At witnessing Holiday's performance, audience members would applaud until their hands hurt, while those less sympathetic would bitterly walk out the door.

What is the significance of Strange Fruit?

Among the many songs that Holiday is celebrated for, "Strange Fruit" will always be one of her defining works. It allowed her to take what was originally an expression of political protest and transform it into a work of art for millions to hear. In 1999 Time designated "Strange Fruit" the "song of the century.".

What is the tragic story behind Strange Fruit?

The Tragic Story Behind Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit". To great controversy, Lady Day introduced the world to the racially charged protest song "Strange Fruit.". In the end, some believe it killed her. To great controversy, Lady Day introduced the world to the racially charged protest song "Strange Fruit .". In the end, some believe it killed her.

What did Anslinger believe?

A known racist, Anslinger believed that drugs caused Black people to overstep their boundaries in American society and that Black jazz singers — who smoked marijuana — created the devil's music. When Anslinger forbid Holiday to perform "Strange Fruit," she refused, causing him to devise a plan to destroy her.

Who sang Strange Fruit?

Many decades after it was first recorded by Billie Holiday, “Strange Fruit” continues to be terrifyingly resonant. The song, which verbalizes the horrors of racism in the American South, has been covered countless times by artists across genres, from Tori Amos to Andra Day.

Who wrote the poem Strange Fruit?

While Holiday’s interpretation may lead listeners to believe it’s an original composition, “Strange Fruit” was initially a poem set to music written by Jewish-American writer Abel Meeropol in 1937. It serves as a disturbing allegory between fruit on trees and Black lynching victims throughout American history, penned in response to a 1930 photo ...

Why is Strange Fruit covered?

One of the reasons that “Strange Fruit” continues to be covered and sampled is that its true meaning – which draws attention to the horrors of racial violence – highlights an issue that has always been present , but has yet to be rectified . The ongoing, unjust treatment of Black people in the United States confirms there is still “blood at the root” of our country’s social, racial, and moral foundation, and there is still work to be done in order to make long-lasting change.

What is Miss Simone's take on Strange Fruit?

Featured on her 1965 album Pastel Blues, Miss Simone’s take on “Strange Fruit” finds her utilizing solemn, piano instrumentation ( one of the sonic hallmarks of the project) in order to throw a thematic, emotional gut punch that still reverberates to this day. Her transformative version employs a minimalist sound palette rather than a jazzy one, forcing you to sit with the heavy imagery and her tangible, grief-filled tone.

Who wrote Strange Fruit?

Written by a Jewish communist called Abel Meeropol, Strange Fruit was not by any means the first protest song, but it was the first to shoulder an explicit political message into the arena of entertainment. Unlike the robust workers' anthems of the union movement, it did not stir the blood; it chilled it.

Where was Strange Fruit recorded?

Holiday's regular label, Columbia, blanched at the prospect of recording it, so she turned to Commodore Records, a small, leftwing operation based at Milt Gabler's record shop on West 52nd Street. On 20 April 1939, Holiday entered Brunswick's World Broadcasting Studios with Frankie Newton's eight-piece Cafe Society Band and recorded Strange Fruit in one four-hour session. Worried that the song was too short, Gabler asked pianist Sonny White to improvise a suitably stealthy introduction.

What was the significance of the lynching in Strange Fruit?

Although lynching was already on the decline by the time of Strange Fruit – the grotesque photograph of a double hanging which moved Meeropol to pick up his pen had been taken in Indiana in 1930 – it remained the most vivid symbol of American racism, a stand-in for all the more subtle forms of discrimination affecting the black population. Perhaps only the visceral horror that lynching inspired gave Meeropol the necessary conviction to write a song with no precedent, one that required a new songwriting vocabulary.

What is Billie Holiday's song about?

Billie Holiday's 1939 song about racist lynchings stunned audiences and redefined popular music. In an extract from 33 Revolutions Per Minute, his history of protest songs, Dorian Lynskey explores the chilling power of Strange Fruit

What happened to Lady Sings the Blues?

According to Lady Sings the Blues, she accidentally pierced her scalp with a hatpin and sang with blood trickling down her face. There could be only one contender for the closing number. "By the time I started on Strange Fruit," she wrote, "between the sweat and blood, I was a mess.".

Who wrote the bitter fruit poem?

Meeropol, who taught at a high school in the Bronx and churned out reams of topical songs, poems and plays under the gentle alias Lewis Allan, published a poem under the title Bitter Fruit in the union-run New York Teacher magazine in 1937. The later name change was inspired. "Bitter" is too baldly judgmental.

Did Josephson have a set with Strange Fruit?

Josephson, a natural showman, knew there was no point slipping Strange Fruit into the body of the set and pretending it was just another song. He drew up some rules: first, Holiday would close all three of her nightly sets with it; second, the waiters would halt all service beforehand; third, the whole room would be in darkness but for a sharp, bright spotlight on Holiday's face; fourth, there would be no encore. "People had to remember Strange Fruit, get their insides burned by it," he explained.

Overview

Billie Holiday's performances and recordings

One version of events claims that Barney Josephson, the founder of Café Society in Greenwich Village, New York's first integrated nightclub, heard the song and introduced it to Billie Holiday. Other reports say that Robert Gordon, who was directing Holiday's show at Café Society, heard the song at Madison Square Garden and introduced it to her. Holiday first performed the song at Café Society in 1939. She said that singing it made her fearful of retaliation but, because its imagery r…

Poem and song

Notable covers

Awards and honors

Fiction

Bibliography

External links