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."
Summertime
Billie Holiday and Her Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high
Oh your Daddy's rich and your ma is good lookin'
So hush little baby, don't you cry
One of these mornings
You're goin' to rise up singing
And you'll take the sky
But 'til that morning
There's a nothin' can harm you
With daddy and mammy standin' by
One of these mornings
You're goin' to rise up singing
Then you'll spread your wings
And you'll take the sky
But 'til that morning
There's a nothin' can harm you
With daddy and mammy standin' by
The lyrics to Billie Holiday's song "Summertime" are a reflection on the simple pleasures of summer and the reassurance of familial support. The opening line, "Summertime and the livin' is easy" presents an idyllic vision of summer, where the fish are jumping and the cotton is high. The second line, "Oh your Daddy's rich and your ma is good lookin'," suggests that the singer is addressing a child, perhaps their own, and that they come from a place of privilege.
The lyrics in the following lines, "So hush little baby, don't you cry/One of these mornings/You're goin' to rise up singing/Then you'll spread your wings/And you'll take the sky," encourage the child to embrace their potential and future. There is a sense of hope and optimism in the idea that the child will one day rise up and take on the world with their own abilities. In the chorus, the repeated line "But till that morning/There's a nothin' can harm you/With daddy and mammy standin' by" reassures the child that they are safe and protected by their caregivers until they are ready to face the world on their own.
Overall, Billie Holiday's "Summertime" is a soothing lullaby that celebrates the joy of summer and the reassurance of family support. The lyrics paint a picture of a world full of possibilities and encourage the listener to embrace their potential.
Line by Line Meaning
Summertime and the livin' is easy
The time of year is summer, and everything feels relaxed and simple.
Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high
Nature all around is vibrant and active during this season.
Oh your Daddy's rich and your ma is good lookin'
You come from a family that has money and is attractive.
So hush little baby, don't you cry
Don't worry, everything is going to be alright.
One of these mornings
At some point in the future.
You're goin' to rise up singing
You will wake up feeling happy and excited.
Then you'll spread your wings
You will feel free and unencumbered.
And you'll take the sky
You will be able to do whatever you want.
But till that morning
Until that moment arrives.
There's a nothin' can harm you
You are protected and safe.
With daddy and mammy standin' by
Your family is there to support and help you.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, ACUM Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Dorothy Heyward, Du Bose Heyward, George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Sam-ef3bj
Thought it might be some fun to post other versions, by other artists (not saying this one isn’t amazing, because it is)
The song, “Summertime” - 5 Versions, 5 Links
Ella Fitzgerald, Janis Joplin,, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn,
Lena Horne
++++
Ella Fitzgerald - “Summertime”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2bigf337aU
++++
Janis Joplin - “Summertime”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn5TNqjuHiU
++++
Billie Holiday - “Summertime”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THflqYOqm3A
++++
Sarah Vaughn - “Summertime”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHz465gSJS8
++++
Lena Horne - “Summertime”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzYlUNs0-s0
++++
@debbiesimpson1493
Amy winehouse and this woman singing together equals paradise
@Lestos66
It would have been great to be there back then!❤
@rays7437
Can you imagine seeing/hearing this live?
@objetty11
My parents saw Billie in Hollywood in 1947 at the Pantages theater. We grew up listening to their collection of 78 RPM LP'S from the 30's and 40's still bitchen tunes today....Aloha
@youknowwhoiam7443
Heavenly
@Ivan_Abram
@@objetty11 dang you must be in your 90s or something if you were alive in the 1930s and 40s
@objetty11
@@Ivan_Abram Close but not @ that age yet ivan. We had 78 rpm records my parents had and they were the ones that saw her perform live. Still really dig her music....Aloha
@Sam-ef3bj
she was just the best. Completely amazing. My Dad did see her perform live. She was just sitting at the bar, quietly, like anyone else. They announced her. She got up, humble as can be, got to the microphone and just blew that room away....
@zs-jn2nm
4/7/1923-7/17/1959: Billie's voice is providing the background music to my cleaning day today on what would have been her 111 Birthday 🎶🎵🎶🎂🕊
@jennieosborne3530
I love the way Billie Holloday does this song. When I was growing up my mother listened to her.