Strange Fruit

One night while watching a jazz special on PBS with my husband, my perception of music lyrics as a poetic form changed. I heard Billie Holiday sing “Strange Fruit.” When I first heard the song, I did not comprehend the lyrics because sometimes when jazz singers sing we don’t understand the words completely. The song is haunting and beautiful on its own, but when the lyrics are understood, it is disturbing.




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. (Bluesforpeace.com)

I cried as I heard the commentators reveal the background for the song with the upsetting images of men hanging lynched from trees portrayed in the background. It was powerful, something I will never forget. Billie Holiday first sang “Strange Fruit” in 1939, decades before the Civil Rights Movement (Clarke 163). Regarding her performances, Barney Josephson remembers, “Every time she sang that song it was unforgettable…The room was completely black, service stopped…everything was dark except for a little pin spot on her face. That was it. When she sang ‘Strange Fruit,’ she never moved. Her hands were down. She didn’t even touch her mike. With the little light on her face. The tears never interfered with her voice, but the tears would come and just knock everybody in that house out” (Clarke 164-165). The song had great impact and was awarded Time Magazine’s Best Song of the Century in 1999.

Understanding the historical context brought more significance. I remembered what a literature teacher had taught me about different criticisms and how they change or bring deeper meaning to a piece of literature. This happened to me after hearing “Strange Fruit” and then learning its historical context.

Work Cited
"Billie Holiday Strange Fruit London 1959." Youtube. Web. 1 Mar. 2011.

Clarke, Donald. The Life and Times of Billie Holiday. New York City: Penguin, 1994.

Meeropol, Abel. “Strange Fruit.” Bluesforpeace.com. 2008. Web. 18 Jan. 2011.

"The Best of the Century." Time. 31 Dec. 1999. Web. 6 Mar. 2011.

Lesson Plan:
"Strange Fruit." PBS. 28 Mar. 2003. Web. 6 Mar. 2011.

Lesson Plans

Baxter-Ewing, Heather. “Connecting Pop Lyrics to Literary Terms Guides Students to an Appreciation of the Meaning of Figurative Language.” LitTunes.com. 7 Jan. 2009. Web. 27 Jan. 2011.

Connecting Pop Lyrics to Literary Terms Guides Students to an Appreciation of the Meaning of Figurative Language

Bowman, Heidi. "People Everyday: Introduction to Literary Analysis and Music Literacy." Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2011.

People Everyday: Introduction to Literary Analysis and Music Literacy

Brown, Amanda C. and Holly E. Ojalvo. “Songs in the Key of Lit: Ways to Use Music to Study Literature.” The New York Times: The Learning Center. 10 Nov. 2010. Web. 1 Feb. 2011.

Songs in the Key of Lit: Ways to Use Music to Study Literature

Fink, Linda S. “The History Behind Song Lyrics.” Readwritethink.org. 2011. Web. 1 Feb. 2011.

The History Behind Song Lyrics

Fink, Linda S. “On a Musical Note: Exploring Reading Strategies by Creating a Soundtrack.” Readwritethink.org. 2011. Web. 1 Feb. 2011.

On a Musical Note: Exploring Reading Strategies by Creating a Soundtrack


Fulton, Lori. "Screening Coleridge's Fantasies: Using Popular Music as a Bridge to Literacy." Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2011.

Screening Coleridge’s Fantasies: Using Popular Music as a Bridge to Literacy

Garran, Daniella and Johnathan Chase. “Learning From Lyrics.” The Kennedy Center: ArtsEdge. 2010. Web. 3 Feb. 2011.

Learning From Lyrics

Jakobi, Heather. “Pop Music Connections Help Students Engage Themes of Emily Brontë's Complex Classic Novel Wuthering Height.” LitTunes.com. 23 Apr. 2009. Web. 27 Jan. 2011.

Pop Music Connections Help Students Engage Themes of Emily Brontë's Complex Classic Novel Wuthering Height

Knap, Joe. "Break on Through: The Poetry of Jim Morrison." Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2011.

Break on Through: The Poetry of Jim Morrison

Knap, Joe. "Pink Floyd and the Carpe Diem Theme." Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2011.

Pink Floyd and the Carpe Diem Theme

Knap, Joe. "Using Rock to Teach Literary Devices: Jimi Hendrix 'The Wind Cries Mary.'" Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2011.

Using Rock to Teach Literary Devices: Jimi Hendrix 'The Wind Cries Mary

LitTunes.com. 2007. Web. 27 Jan. 2011.

LitTunes

LoGuidice, Susan. “I Went to the Crossroads: The Faust Theme in Music, Film and Literature.” Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 2010. Web. 11 Feb. 2011.

I Went to the Crossroads: The Faust Theme in Music, Film and Literature

“Music with a Message.” Rock & Roll Library. 2001. Web. 3 Feb. 2011.

Music with a Message

Orloff, Marlene. "Rock and Poetry: A Thematic Project." Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 2011. Web. 1 Mar. 2011.

Rock and Poetry: A Thematic Project

“Rock & Roll through Literary Terms – An Upbeat Lyrical Adventure.” 2011. Rock & Roll Library. Web. 3 Feb. 2011.

Rock & Roll through Literary Terms – An Upbeat Lyrical Adventure

"Scops, Rappers, and You: Historians with Style!" Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2011.

Scops, Rappers, and You: Historians with Style!

Stickney, Joe. “Teaching ‘Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey’ with Popular Music.” Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 2010. Web. 11 Feb. 2011.

Teaching ‘Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey’ with Popular Music

“Words/Music/Images: Interpretation and Meaning A Motivational Activity.” Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 2010. Web. 11 Feb. 2011.

Words/Music/Images: Interpretation and Meaning A Motivational Activity

Reading List

Evans, Jerome. “From Sheryl Crow to Homer Simpson: Literature and Composition through Pop Culture.” The English Journal 93.3 (2004): 32-38. JSTOR. Web. 1 Feb. 2011.

Goering, Chris. “Music and the Personal Narrative: The Dual Track to Meaningful Writing.” The Quarterly. 26.4 (2004). NWP.org. Web. 1 Feb. 2011.

Goering, Christian Z. “The Give and Take between Song Lyrics and Canonical Texts Helps Students Read and Appreciate Classic Literary Works.” LitTunes.com. 11 Nov. 2007. Web. 27 Jan. 2011.

Goering, Christian. “Making Connections between Classic Lit and Pop Tunes.” LitTunes. 7 Nov. 2007. Web. 27 Jan. 2011.

Morrell, Ernest and Jeffrey M.R. Duncan-Andrade. “Promoting Academic Literacy with Urban Youth through Engaging Hip-hop Culture.” The English Journal 91.6 (2002): 88-92. JSTOR. Web. 1 Feb. 2011.