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."
The Very Thought of You
Billie Holiday and Her Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I forget to do
Those little ordinary things
That everyone ought to do
I'm livin' in a kind of a daydream
I'm happy as a queen
And foolish though it may seem
The mere idea of you
The longing here for you
You'll never know
How slow the moments go
Till I'm near to you
I see your face in every flower
Your eyes in stars above
It's just the thought of you
The very thought of you, my love
I see your face in every flower
Your eyes in stars above
It's just the thought of you
The very thought of you, my love
The song "The Very Thought of You" by Billie Holiday and Her Orchestra is a tender and romantic ballad that speaks about the transformative power that being in love can have on a person. The opening line, "The very thought of you, and I forget to do those little ordinary things that everyone ought to do," captures the essence of the song's message. When we are in love, everything else takes a backseat to that person who has captured our hearts. The singer is living in a daydream where she is happy, and everything seems perfect.
The second verse emphasizes how powerful this feeling is, "The mere idea of you, the longing here for you, you'll never know, how slow the moments go, till I'm near to you." The singer experiences time differently when she is in love. The anticipation of being with her beloved is palpable; she sees him in every flower and star, and the very thought of him fills her with joy.
Overall, "The Very Thought of You" is a beautifully written song that speaks to the heart of what it means to fall in love.
Line by Line Meaning
The very thought of you
Thinking of you consumes my every thought
And I forget to do
My mind becomes so preoccupied with thoughts of you that I lose track of time and neglect daily responsibilities
Those little ordinary things
Mundane tasks and responsibilities of daily life
That everyone ought to do
Tasks that are necessary and expected of everyone
I'm livin' in a kind of a daydream
I am lost in thoughts of you, creating a surreal, dream-like state of mind
I'm happy as a queen
The feeling of love and fondness for you brings me extreme happiness and joy
And foolish though it may seem
Although it may appear silly or frivolous to others, my love for you is genuine and all-consuming
To me, that's everything
My love and thoughts of you are more important and valuable to me than anything else
The mere idea of you
The very thought or concept of you is enough to fill me with emotions and longing
The longing here for you
My strong desire and yearning for you is ever-present and all-encompassing
You'll never know
You cannot comprehend or understand the full extent of my feelings towards you
How slow the moments go
Without you, time seems to drag and pass by slowly
Till I'm near to you
Only when I am with you does time feel right and pass quickly
I see your face in every flower
Your presence and memory is so strong that even the sight of a flower triggers thoughts of your face
Your eyes in stars above
The stars in the sky create an image of your eyes in my mind
It's just the thought of you
The mere thought of you can elicit strong emotions and feelings
The very thought of you, my love
Just the idea of you is enough to fill me with love and longing
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CARLIN AMERICA INC
Written by: Ray Noble
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-tj7xt3ph1l
Lyrics :
The very thought of you and I forget to do
The little ordinary things that everyone ought to do
I'm living in a kind of daydream
I'm happy as a king
And foolish though it may seem
To me that's everything
The mere idea of you, the longing here for you
You'll never know how slow the moments go till I'm near to you
I see your face in every flower
Your eyes in stars above
It's just the thought of you
The very thought of you, my love
The mere idea of you, the longing here for you
You'll never know how slow the moments go till I'm near to you
I see your face in every flower
Your eyes in stars above
It's just the thought of you
The very thought of you, my love
@victoriawoods3900
The first time I heard this song was in the film Forever Young when Mel Gibson & Jamie Leigh Curtis dance cheek to cheek. I was about 12. I’m 40 soon and have been a devoted fan of Billie Holiday ever since. Such a beautiful song x
@soisou59
me too
@skeetlarson5186
Same
@jerolyn77
Me too!
@unclevenci
🙂same here!
@tkm1550
Me too haha
@Andrea2354
My dad used to sing this song. One day at work, a friend was trying to remember the lyrics. That night, I had my dad write them down. My friend from work was most impressed. Wish I could hear Dad sing it again.
@angelasuhar8233
Her voice is like the comfort of a friend when my heart is breaking
@TedWms521
Perfect!
@ajdoubleu4218
Same here 💔