History Music / BillieHoliday

'''Billie Holiday in popular culture'''
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[[quoteright:252:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/billie_holiday_3515.jpg]]

-->-- '''Music/FrankSinatra''', interview in ''Ebony'', 1958

Eleanora Fagan (April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959), known professionally as [[StageName Billie Holiday]] and nicknamed "Lady Day", was a popular jazz singer. Her early life was tragic and her [[DrugsAreBad drug abuse]] cut her life short, but she remains famous for her powerful yet vulnerable voice, her persona, and her fearless advocacy of civil rights with such songs as the anti-lynching ballad "Strange Fruit" (which took considerable courage to record, seeing as how it predated the UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement by two decades). She was bisexual and had flings with both men ''and'' women.

* DeathSong: Two of her most famous recordings, "Strange Fruit" and "Gloomy Sunday", are both related to death. The former is about the lynchings that occurred frequently in the United States at the time, while the other is a song about [DrivenToSuicide contemplating suicide (and maybe doing it).]] Both are ''undeniably'' haunting and leave quite the impression.

* DarkAndTroubledPast: She had a rather troubled upbringing to say the least (especially as a black girl in America in the 1910's) and her life in general was ''very'' troubled. Her parents were unmarried and young (''bad'' for the early 20th Century), her father died of an illness which doctors refused to treat due to his race and she was molested by a neighbor when she was nine years old, which led her to spending time in foster homes and she developed a drug and alcohol problem as she grew older. Many have said they can still hear such pain in her voice even as she sings, which may be one of the reasons why her music is so powerful (in fact she cites "Strange Fruit" as personal because it makes her think of her father).
* DeathSong: Two of her most famous recordings, "Strange Fruit" and "Gloomy Sunday", are both related to death. The former is about the lynchings that occurred frequently in the United States at the time, while the other is a song about the singer [[DrivenToSuicide contemplating suicide (and maybe doing it).]] Both are ''very'' haunting and (purposely) leave quite the impression.

* BerserkButton: Racism seemed to be one.
* BrokenBird: Where to begin?
* DeadArtistsAreBetter: Her legend has been accelerated by her early death.

* GoingColdTurkey: Many times, in custody and out. Billie had a heroin habit that at its worst required her to cook up her fix in an old tuna fish can. Most junkies use a teaspoon. Even when in the agonies of withdrawal she still rarely missed a show. Cirrhosis from alcoholism is what eventually killed her.
* GoodOldFisticuffs: One instance in Harlem, two unlucky sailors tempted fate by extinguishing their cigarettes on Billie's coat. She promptly asked them to meet her outside, and ''beat the living hell out of them''. Nobody messed with Billie Holiday.
* {{Jazz}}: She is still the most iconic female jazz singer of all time.
* TheLadette: Known for her love of drinking, brawling, and gambling.

* RapeAsBackstory: By a neighbor at 10 years old.

* SlowClap: When she first sang "Strange Fruit," the result was silence... then a SlowClap.

* GoodOldFisticuffs: One instance in Harlem, two unlucky sailors tempted fate by extinguishing their cigarettes on Billie´s coat. She promptly asked them to meet her outside, and ''beat the living hell out of them''. Nobody messed with Billie Holiday.

* {{Mondegreen}}: "God Bless The Child"'s lines "Mama may have, Papa may have" could be heard as "Mama Mayhem, Papa Mayhem".

* FlowerInHerHair: Signature look. Many female singers since have copied it in order to pay tribute to her.

Eleanora Fagan (April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959), known professionally as [[StageName Billie Holiday]] and nicknamed "Lady Day", was a popular jazz singer. Her early life was tragic and her [[DrugsAreBad drug abuse]] cut her life short, but she remains famous for her powerful yet vulnerable voice, her persona, and her fearless advocacy of civil rights with such songs as the anti-lynching ballad "Strange Fruit" (which took considerable courage to record, seeing as how it predated the UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement by two decades).

* BiTheWay: Had flings with both men ''and'' women.

* GoingColdTurkey: Many times, in custody and out. Billie had a heroin habit that at its worse required her to cook up her fix in an old tuna fish can. Most junkies use a teaspoon. Even when in the agonies of withdrawal she still rarely missed a show. Cirrhosis from alcoholism is what eventually killed her.

* Audra [=McDonald=] performed Holiday in the Broadway performance (2015) and Creator/{{HBO}} airing of ''Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill'' (2016).