Happy Birthday Billie Holiday!

Today is the day the Billie Holiday was born. She was born in 1915. The popular "torch singer" was a favorite among fans and peers alike. She was tragically overtaken by her drug addiction.

In celebration of her birthday, I've posted one of her most historically notable songs, "Strange Fruit."

When Billie Holiday bravely recorded "Strange Fruit," as a protest to the lynchings that were happening across the nation, she literally put her life and career on the line.

STRANGE FRUIT LYRICS
Southern trees bear strange fruit
Blood on the leaves
Blood at the root
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees
Pastoral scene of the gallant south
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth
The scent of magnolia 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 crop
Composed by Abel Meeropol (aka Lewis Allan)
Originally sung by: Billie Holiday