When I was seven years old, my mother gave me a DVD of her favorite movie: The Notebook. I did not understand much about the movie, but one thing I will always remember is the music.
In the final scene of the film, Noah lies down next to Allie to enjoy their final night together. This moment is special to Noah because it is the first time in years that Allie, who suffers from dementia, remembers him.
The song accompanying this powerful scene is Billie Holiday’s “I’ll Be Seeing You.” Holiday’s soulful voice expresses the love, longing, pain, and contentment that Noah feels in his last moments with Allie.
When I was 16 years old, I got a record player for Christmas. The first vinyl record I bought was Billie Holiday’s self-titled album, which had tracks like “I’ll Be Seeing You” and “I Cover the Waterfront.” Those were the only two songs I knew well, and I anticipated more love songs like them.
What I did not expect to hear was track seven: “Strange Fruit.” I had heard this song before, but never Holiday’s rendition. I did not know the historical meaning of the song, but I was instantly entranced by the haunting nature of the music and the quiet anger in her voice.
After researching “Strange Fruit,” I understood more about Holiday and the intention behind her music. As a black woman in the 20th century, she experienced heartbreaks deeper than those caused by romances gone wrong.
“Strange Fruit” was based on a poem called “Bitter Fruit” by Abel Meeropol, written after he saw photographs of the public lynchings of young black men in 1930s Indiana. Meeropol turned the poem into lyrics and performed it at racial violence protests around New York City.
The song is about black men who were murdered and hanged in trees, likening them to fruits that grow on poplar trees in the South. “Strange Fruit” contrasts the beauty and prosperity of the South with the violence used to oppress black people, who were responsible for the prosperity that Southern white people enjoyed.
Holiday began performing the song at an integrated NYC jazz club in 1939. She faced backlash from some of the white patrons, but was dedicated to the message behind her art.
She asked her label, Columbia Records, if she could record the song, but they said no. So, she signed with Commodore Records, recorded the song, and put it on her self-titled album.
The song ended up being one of the best-selling songs of Holiday’s career, even though many Southern radio stations refused to play it.
“Strange Fruit” was and remains a song of protest that forces people to stare America’s racist foundations in the face. The song’s popularity and longevity make it impossible to look away.