Strange Fruit: A Song and Its Legacy

Catalog description

Southern trees bear a strange fruit. Blood on the leaves and blood at the root. These are the opening words to one of the world's most famous protest songs, named "Song of the Century" by Time Magazine in 1999. Its music and lyrics are often attributed to Billie Holiday, who first integrated nightclub. The song's history spans many of the great social movements of the 20th century, from the history of lynching to Communism and anti-Communism to the alliance between American Jews and African-Americans in the struggle for civil rights. This course examines Strange Fruit's social history, from its authorship in the mid 1930's through contemporary resonance with issues of racial and social justice and injustice. Students will study the song in the context of early twentieth-century social history, investigating how the song resonates in literature, art, politics, and culture.