Billie Holiday had a difficult childhood. Much information once not considered true was confirmed in the book Billie Holiday by Stuart Nicholson in 1995. Holiday's autobiography, Lady Sings the Blues, which was first published in 1956, is sketchy when it comes to details about her early life, but has been confirmed by the Nicholson research.
Her professional pseudonym was taken from Billie Dove, an actress she admired, and Clarence Holiday, her probable father. At the outset of her career, she spelled her last name Halliday, which was the birth-surname of her father, but eventually changed it to Holiday, his performing name.
Her distinct delivery made Billie Holiday's performances instantly recognizable throughout her career. A master of improvisation, Billie's well-trained ear more than compensated for her lack of music education performance really was.
In 1972, Diana Ross portrayed Holiday in the film Lady Sings the Blues, which is loosely based on the 1956 autobiography of the same name. The film earned Ross a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She also has been portrayed by Ernestine Jackson in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill and by Paula Jai Parker in a Season 7 episode of Touched by an Angel entitled "God Bless the Child," the title deriving from a song that she had written and sung.
In 1987, Billie Holiday was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1993, R&B singer Miki Howard released an album dedicated to Holiday titled Miki Sings Billie: A Tribute To Billie Holiday. The United States Postal Service introduced a Billie Holiday postage stamp in 1994, she ranked #6 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women in Rock n' Roll in 1999, and she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. Over the years, there have been many tributes to Billie Holiday, including "The Day Lady Died," a 1959 poem by Frank O'Hara, and "Angel of Harlem," a 1988 release by the group U2. A 1953 Holiday concert in New York is a key feature of the 2009 Arthur Phillips novel The Song is You.
On May 31, 1959, Holiday was taken to Metropolitan Hospital in New York suffering from liver and heart disease. Police officers were stationed at the door to her room. She was arrested for drug possession as she lay dying, and her hospital room was raided by authorities. Holiday remained under police guard at the hospital until she died from cirrhosis of the liver (the result of several years of substance abuse) on July 17, 1959. In the final years of her life, she had been progressively swindled out of her earnings, and she died with $0.70 in the bank and $750 (a tabloid fee) on her person. Her funeral mass was held at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in New York City.
Critic John Bush wrote that she "changed the art of American pop vocals forever."She co-wrote only a few songs, but several of them have become jazz standards, notably "God Bless the Child," "Don't Explain," "Fine and Mellow," and "Lady Sings the Blues." She also became famous for singing jazz standards including "Easy Living," "Good Morning Heartache," and "Strange Fruit."
I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm
Billie Holiday and Her Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The wind is blowing
But I can weather the storm
Why do I care how much it may storm?
I've got my love to keep me warm
I can't remember
A worse December
Why do I care if icicles form?
I've got my love to keep me warm
Off with my overcoat
Off with my gloves
I need no overcoat
I'm burning with love
My heart's on fire
The flame grows higher
So I will weather the storm
Why do I care how much it may storm?
I've got my love to keep me warm
My heart's on fire
The flame grows higher
So I will weather the storm
Why do I care how much it may storm?
I've got my love to keep me warm
In "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm," Billie Holiday and Her Orchestra sing about the cold winter weather, with the snow falling and the wind blowing. Despite the harsh conditions, the singer can weather any storm because they have love. The repetition of the line "Why do I care how much it may storm?" emphasizes the idea that love can provide warmth and comfort in the midst of a cold and unforgiving world.
The lyrics also express a sense of optimism, with the singer acknowledging that this may be the worst December they can remember, but the love they have is enough to keep them warm. The use of the metaphor of icicles forming symbolizes the coldness and isolation that winter can bring, but again, the singer remains resolute, knowing that they have their love to keep them warm.
Overall, "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" is a hopeful and romantic song that celebrates the power of love to sustain us through difficult times.
Line by Line Meaning
The snow is snowing
It's snowing outside.
The wind is blowing
The wind is blowing in addition to the snow.
But I can weather the storm
I can handle the snow and wind despite it being bad weather.
Why do I care how much it may storm?
Why worry about the storm when I have something else that keeps me happy?
I've got my love to keep me warm
I have my love to hold onto, which is keeping me warm despite the cold weather.
I can't remember
I can't recall a time when the weather was this bad.
A worse December
This December is worse than any others I can remember.
Just watch those icicles form
The weather is so cold that icicles are forming.
Why do I care if icicles form?
Why let the cold weather affect me when I have something else to focus on?
Off with my overcoat
I don't need my overcoat because I already feel warm and comfortable.
Off with my gloves
I don't need my gloves because my hands are warm from the love I feel.
I need no overcoat
I don't need any extra warmth because I'm already warm from the love I feel.
I'm burning with love
My love is so strong that it's warming me up physically and emotionally.
My heart's on fire
I feel intense passion and emotion because of my love.
The flame grows higher
My love is growing stronger and more intense over time.
So I will weather the storm
I can handle anything because I have the support of my love.
I've got my love to keep me warm
I'm not alone in the cold because my love is keeping me warm and comfortable.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Irving Berlin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Spark _
She was the one made this song a huge hit !!! I've always loved this version & Ella's & Louis version the best !!! Both versions were truly the very best !!! To listen to & sing !!! 😍👍👍💜🥁🐉🎤🎶💕💞
Jazziz Café
🎶 En 1937, Irving Berlin compuso "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" para la película musical "On the Avenue", y ese mismo año la versión de Billie Holiday ocupo el #6 en la lista de éxitos del año, esta es una versión de la diva grabada en 1955 para Clef Records, luego integrada en Verve Records.
🙌 Eleanora Fagan, a quién Lester Young apodo 'Lady Day', nos dejo muy pronto, con solo 44 años, pero en los 26 años que duró su carrera musical se convirtió en una de las grandes Divas del Jazz que en 1973 entró en el 'Salón de la Fama de los Grammy', un premio que se le resistió en vida, sus 4️⃣ Grammy Awards le fueron otorgados de manera póstuma.
#classicmonday #jazzvocals
norain norainbows
The Lady's very best recording of this song.
Love to hear her say "Just watch those ice-sick-kels fall."
monica bella
Her earlier recording is better!
Erika Espinoza
She is my absolute favorite!
AA
This is true music 💕 god bless your soul 🙏🏼
oldsteamguy
love it
About Everything
I got to meet Lady Day, I cherish those memories, She was fantastic.
Ronald Knight
The music, oh man!!
murielinez
Who are the instrumentalists? Especially the cornet player. Great stuff!