Billie Holiday - Strange Fruit

[Pete S]

Never listened to the lyrics all the way through before...

coupled with Billie's appearance, known drug habit, the song...quite a chilling little clip this and not to everyone's taste I realise that

[Guest]

Very poplar,Pete

[Bearsoul]

HAUNTING...SHE WAS THE REAL DEAL..OFTEN LISTEN TO HER

[Guest]

My dad was a great Billie H. fan,and i grew up listening to Lady Day,s records,Strange Fruit is absolutely sublime,and a song that needed to be recorded,(although she tired of performing it,late in her career.I have the book (of the same title--- and the amount of people who have been affected by this song is unbelievable.Nina Simone also recorded it and she also was uncomfortable performing it.A true classic.

Regards

Tony.C.

Edited October 10, 2006 by tony c

[Pete S]

Very poplar,Pete

[Guest Trevski]

Just looking at this pic, actualy highlights something that has always bothered me with the lyrics in "Strange fruit" for years. How do you hang someone from a poplar tree? conifer style tree with upright growing branches, and very bushy.Not good for dangling someone from. Would have thought an oak, or similar would have been better for the job. Just an observation.

Edited October 10, 2006 by Trevski

[jocko]

Amazing clip, I assume late on in her life looking at her but very powerful song (could this be the first deep soul song or is that for another thread).

Can you download these clips from You Tube (with it being bought over expect the free unregulated service to dissapear soon!!)

Fng hell Pete for someone that only likes pop stompers on vinyl you cant half spot a real soul performance (David Ruffin is tingling my spine as I type on other clip)

Cheers for these from someone too lazy to search through the thing!!!

Jock

Edited October 10, 2006 by jocko

[Pete S]

Amazing clip, I assume late on in her life looking at her but very powerful song (could this be the first deep soul song or is that for another thread).

Can you download these clips from You Tube (with it being bought over expect the free unregulated service to dissapear soon!!)

Fng hell Pete for someone that only likes pop stompers on vinyl you cant half spot a real soul performance (David Ruffin is tingling my spine as I type on other clip)

Cheers for these from someone too lazy to search through the thing!!!

Jock

Jock, if you're prepared to do some fiddling about converting files, it's quite easy.

If this link works, it's all there. I suggest downloading the add on for Firefox.

https://javimoya.com/blog/youtube_en.ph

if you decide to do it I'll tell you what software you need and how to do the rest, Craig posted up full instructions a month back but I've found some progs to make it easier since then

[Richard Bayley]

Apparently, the lyrics to this fantastic song were considered so incendiary that US Forces radio would only broadcast an instrumental version in the 1940s (remember, this was still a segregated army....) - Thanks for posting, Pete!

[macca]

the song is masterpiece full stop. billie holiday had a unique voice, languid, sultry, broken at times, definitely awe inspiring. love those photos of her with the gardenia in her hair. a tortured lady by all accounts. rejected by blacks for her almost white looks & also rejected (at first) by white hypocrites who preferred the 'real thing' ie big, loud & 'vulgar' singers like bessie smith. thanks pete!