“Southern trees bear strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees“
One of the most important songs ever composed and recorded, Abel Meeropol originally wrote “Strange Fruit” as a poem under the pseudonym Lewis Allan. He penned it in 1937 under the name “Bitter Fruit”, after being deeply troubled by the news reports of the public lynchings that were happening in the Southern United States.
He ended up setting it to music, and the first performance of the tune was sung by his wife. In 1938 the song was frequently performed by Laura Duncan, including a performance at Madison Square Garden. It was Duncan’s performances that caught the attention of Billie Holiday.
Holiday recorded and released the definitive version of the tune in 1939. The vivid and painful imagery became the perfect vehicle for her voice. You can sense the mourning in her vocals which adds weight to the song’s powerful message.
Due to fears of potential backlash from the South, Holiday’s record label Columbia refused to allow her to record it. They did allow her to record and release it through alternative jazz label, Commodore.
Holiday fighting to get the song recorded paid off. Not only did it become one of her biggest hits, but the anti-lynching anthem is an essential part of the canon of civil rights’ protest songs.
Since Holiday’s version, the song has become an enduring protest standard. Two notable versions were recorded by Josh White & Nina Simone (both were 2018 inductees into the Protest Music Hall of Fame).
White’s stripped-down version was recorded in 1942.
Nina Simone’s version appeared on her 1965 album Pastel Blues.