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."
Trav'lin' All Alone
Billie Holiday and Her Orchestra Lyrics
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Feel tired like heavy stone
Travelin', travelin' all alone
Who will see and who will care
Bout this load that I must bear
Travelin', travelin' all alone
Prayers are said to heaven above
Head bowed down with misery
Nothing now appeals to me
Travelin', travelin' all alone
Give me just another day
There's one thing I want to say
Friends are well when all is gold
Leave you always when you're old
Trav'lin', trav'lin' all alone
The lyrics of Billie Holiday's song Trav'lin' All Alone describes the feeling of loneliness and weariness experienced by the singer. The opening lines give a glimpse of the current emotional state that the singer is going through - feeling tired and alone just like a heavy stone. The repetition of the phrase "travelin', travelin' all alone" shows that the singer is on a journey, both physical and emotional, and there is nobody around to share the burden with. The rhetorical question "who will see and who will care" is a reflection of the singer's desperate desire for companionship.
The next lines "bout this load that I must bear", highlights the weight that the singer has to carry alone. The repetition of the phrase "travelin', travelin' all alone" again emphasizes the loneliness that the singer is feeling. The singer seeks solace in prayer, hoping that somebody in heaven will take notice of their troubles. However, the head bowed down with misery and nothing appealing to the singer suggests that nothing is changing anytime soon.
The final lines where the singer says "Friends are well when all is gold, leave you always when you're old" highlights the fickleness of human relationships. The singer acknowledges that friends will only stand by you as long as everything is going well but when things get tough, they will leave you behind. This is a poignant reminder that the singer is all alone and will have to continue their journey without any support. The song Trav'lin' All Alone is an expressive and emotive representation of the human emotions of loneliness and the search for companionship.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm so weary and all alone
I feel exhausted and isolated
Feel tired like heavy stone
I feel as heavy and burdensome as a stone
Travelin', travelin' all alone
I am constantly moving forward on my own
Who will see and who will care
Nobody seems to notice or care about my struggles
Bout this load that I must bear
Nobody seems to understand the weight of my responsibilities
Prayers are said to heaven above
I turn to a higher power for comfort and support
'Bout my burdens,woes and love
I pray for help with my problems and my relationships
Head bowed down with misery
I am too overwhelmed to lift my head up
Nothing now appeals to me
I have lost interest in everything around me
Travelin', travelin' all alone
I continue to move forward without anyone to lean on
Give me just another day
I'm not sure how much longer I can keep going
There's one thing I want to say
There is something important that I need to express
Friends are well when all is gold
People are quick to call themselves friends when everything is good
Leave you always when you're old
However, those same people tend to abandon you when you are in need
Trav'lin', trav'lin' all alone
At the end of the day, I am still traveling through life alone
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: J.C. JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind