"Strange Fruit" is a bold look at lynching and overall race terrorism of African Americans in the South and was originally performed by Billie Holiday in 1939. The song has a simplistic composition which allows the emotional complexity to shine. Even today, many may feel the urge to look away from the picure painted by the powerful words, but all should see and feel it. There is a simple mix of harmony and melody serving as an appropriate backdrop for intensely emotional lyrics. Some of the more
own way of doing it. That’s all I know.” She came from a background of intense struggle that shaped her, but above all she had an innate talent. Notably, her interpretation of “Strange Fruit” against the backdrop of the Harlem Renaissance and the culture of racism in the United States made Billie an integral part of American history. Billie’s alteration of her past life is also important as she wanted to expose her life in a perfected manner. In
“Strange Fruit” was originally a poem written by Abel Meeropol, a teacher and activist, who was appalled after seeing a picture of two black males being hanged. Other artists had previously sang Meeropol’s poem, but it was Holiday who popularized the song. Billie
Most works of art is created by inspiration; our experiences in life or that little bit a self-genius that makes us create a work for the ages. In the case of these two poems, “My Arkansas” and “Strange fruit” by Maya Angelou and Abel Meeropol respectively, the authors had a triple effect on them. Both authors are geniuses; they were inspired by the events that occurred in the environment and time that they lived in and at the same time have loads of life experiences, which taught them a lot, and
Before women truly had any rights in the United States, it was almost impossible to speak out for anything, especially for African American women. Eleanora Fagan, known for her stage name Billie Holiday, was born in this difficult time period. Known not only for her revolutionizing jazz style of music, Holiday spoke out about sensitive subjects through her lyrics. Few people understood her message at first, but that was her goal. Her innovative phrasing and emotional intensity made her one of the