Strange Fruit was orginally a poem by Abel Meeropol called 'Bitter Fruit' which he wrote after seeing a photograph of the lynching of Tom Shipp and Abe Smith in Marion, Indiana.
Billie Holiday recorded her version in 1939. This song has been labelled as the 'beginning of the Civil Rights Movement', as it was the first time a black musician sung a song with 'controversial' lyrics.
Listen to Strange Fruit
By Billie Holiday
| Artist | Billie Holiday |
|---|---|
| Release Date | 1939 |
| Album | Single |
| Label | Commodore |
| Genre | Blues, Jazz |
| Producer(s) | Milt Gabler |
| Writer(s) | Abel Meeropol |
| Duration | 3:02 |
| Language | English |
| Country | USA |
Abel Meeropol (1939), UB40 (1980) Diana Ross (1972) Sting (1986)
Holiday was reluctant to sing and perform the song when it was initially brought to her. The song was out of character to what she would initially sing, as the lyrics were about the lynching of black Americans happening at the time in the southern states of America. However, despite this, it turned out to be one of her most renowned songs which reached number 16 on the charts.
Grammy Hall of Fame, 1978
Song of the Century Times Magazine, 1999
Sold over 1 million copies worldwide
Strange Fruit was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant", 2002
