When was strange fruit by billie holiday written

The Black press barely mentioned it: It was too radioactive even for them. It wasn't until the civil rights era that "Strange Fruit" became widely known, thanks in part to Nina Simone's stirring cover sampled in Kanye West's "Blood on the Leaves" in The song was named "best song of the century" by Time magazine in and added to the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry in for its cultural and historical significance.

Part of what makes "Strange Fruit" so haunting — and unlike any other protest song that's come before or after — is its relative stillness. Holiday lingers over words, so the images of blood on the leaves, of bodies swinging in the wind, also linger. And the song continues to resonate today.

Sometime in the Thirties, Meeropol came upon a photo of a lynching, most likely in a magazine. At the time, lynchings were shockingly commonplace: According to an updated study done last year by historians Charles Seguin and David Rigby, 4, people — 3, of them black — were lynched in America between and Meeropol, a self-taught composer and pianist with no musical training, soon set the poem to a spectral, meditative melody.

Then a lone person began to clap nervously. Then suddenly everyone was clapping. I defy anyone to categorize the music. When we performed it live, we always did it as the last song. Meeropol was surprised when, in her book, Holiday implied she had helped set his poem to music. Both Rosenbergs maintained their innocence. But he says they referenced the song in one of their prison correspondences before their death.

Holiday died in and Meeropol in — but their collaboration has endured, its capacity to shock never waning. It has inspired musicians since to sing about injustice with candour and the awareness that a song can be a timeless impetus for social change. The impulses that [Meeropol] was talking about are still very much with us.

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And if you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc. Songs that Made History Pop music. Strange Fruit: The most shocking song of all time? Share using Email. Despite her tragic demise, Holiday has a lasting legacy in the world of jazz and pop music. Among the many songs that Holiday is celebrated for, "Strange Fruit" will always be one of her defining works. It allowed her to take what was originally an expression of political protest and transform it into a work of art for millions to hear.

From how she got the nickname "Lady Day" to the origins of "Strange Fruit," here are some facts about the famed jazz singer. The Federal Bureau of Narcotics relentlessly pursued Holiday, the chase largely fueled by commissioner Harry Anslinger's biases. These are the real-life mobsters and events that inspired the books and movies. The comedienne used the gesture as a way to silently communicate with her beloved grandmother.

Learn about the real inspiration behind the movie about the Pentagon Papers. Kennedy in May marked one final hurrah before her life came to a sudden end less than three months later. The "Queen of Soul" took an existing song and infused it with such passion that it has become a universal rallying cry for the civil rights and feminist movements.

They're tough, talented and have made headlines on and off the court.