Song 10: Strange Fruit

Billie Holiday wrote this song in 1939, and it conveys a very powerful message. It tells of the lynching of African Americans that illustrated the racial prejudice that still existed in America, sadly. Research tells me that this song was powerful in its own time, for when Holiday would perform it, everyone would become silent and all activity would come to a halt.

This song certainly would not garner popularity because it is fun. No, the entire point of the song is to face reality, even as it is harsh and unpleasant. America is supposed to be a free place, where one does not have to fear being mistreated by the fellow person. Unfortunately, even many decades after the abolition of slavery, African Americans were still atrociously mistreated. Living in the South, I have obviously heard about the Ku Klux Klan, and seen many of their "hideouts" on country roads, but, beyond seeing a Confederate flag out front, or perhaps an article in the paper, the terrible crimes which their members commit were vague and nebulous to me. I find it difficult to relate to the situation, but then again, who but those affected truly can? I commend Holiday for this song, because, even as it is very sad, it faces the truth, and people cannot move forward if they do not face the unpleasant realities that exist within their society.