Billie Holiday was an American jazz and blues singer from the 1930s to 1950s. She was known for her unique and expressive voice, as well as her intensely emotional performances.
She grew up in the Baltimore neighborhood known as “The Battlefield” and witnessed violence and racial discrimination from an early age. This experience likely influenced her commitment to social and political causes later in her career.
In 1939, Billie Holiday recorded Strange Fruit, a jazz standard that denounced the lynching of black people in the United States. The song was controversial at the time and was censored by many radio stations, but became one of her biggest hits.
She was very close to her friend and colleague, jazz singer Sarah Vaughan. The two women often performed together on stage and recorded songs together.
Billie Holiday also had a difficult personal life, suffering from drug and alcohol problems, and eventually died prematurely at the age of 44 in 1959. Despite this, she is considered one of the greatest jazz singers of all time and had a huge influence on many artists to come.
The album Lady in Satin
“Lady in Satin” is an album of ballads and jazz standards, which shows the evolution of the singer's vocal style, and her performance is marked by great maturity and intense expressiveness. It was recorded shortly before her death while Billie Holiday was recovering from an overdose.
Billie's performances on songs like You've Changed and I'm a Fool to Want You (which masterfully opens the album) are considered masterpieces of the song.
The album is also notable for the presence of Ray Ellis conducting the orchestra, who gave the album a luxurious and elegant sound.
In 2015, the album was reissued in a Centennial edition, expanded with 13 new tracks and incomplete takes.
I'm a Fool to Want You
I'm a Fool to Want You is a song written by Frank Sinatra, Jack Wolf, and Joel Herron. But it was this version by Billie Holiday that popularized the song.
The song is a melancholy ballad about unrequited love and the pain of lost love. The lyrics describe a passionate love that has become destructive and painful. The narrator admits that he is “crazy” for wanting to be with this person despite all the pain he endures.
I'm a fool to want you
Pity me, I need you
I know it's wrong, it must be wrong
But right or wrong I can't get along without you
Billie Holiday's performance of this song is considered one of the pinnacles of her vocal art. She brings an emotional intensity and vulnerability that reflects the lyrics of the song. She was able to convey deep emotions using her unique phrasing and vocal technique.
Among the many covers of this standard, let's pin this version by Chet Baker found on Youtube.