Billie Holiday Music

by 2 people | Log in to rate

Ranked #6,454 in Music, #175,887 overall

Billie Holiday's Music - Uniqueness of Emotion and Sound

The music of Billie Holiday will make you long for the company of an old flame, or reminisce about matters of the heart. The first time I really listened to a Billie Holiday song was when I was about 19 years old. Up until then, I was a big fan of the movie, Lady Sings the Blues, and very familiar with this version of Billie Holiday's life. As I listened to the tune, her voice sounded very different and strange to me. I didn't understand her, nor did I understand much about myself then...

I did not realize that Lady Sings the Blues was really a romanticized version of Lady's life. In spite of all of her personal problems, Billie Holiday rose above with her spectacular talent. She was a torch singer, a real jazz singer, and an American icon.

Years later when I had really truly experienced the pain of heartbreak, the shock of disappointment, and a 5-year battle with depression, did I really discover the true value of Billie Holiday's music.

I learned that life experience is really a prerequisite to understanding and truly appreciating the music of Billie Holiday.

You will have to really experience a little life, a lot of love, and a sprinkle of heartbreak to really appreciate Billie's music.

New Table of Contents

Billie Holiday's Quotes
All of My Favorite Tunes by Lady Day
Billie Holiday - Travelin Light
Must Have Billie Holiday Music
Books on Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday - Fine and Mellow
What are your favorite Billie Holiday songs?

Billie Holiday's Quotes

Billie said exactly what was on her mind.

"Don't threaten me with love, baby."

"Sometimes it's worse to win a fight than to lose."

"If I don't have friends, then I ain't got nothing."

"I'm always making a comeback but nobody ever tells me where I've been."

"I hate straight singing. I have to change a tune to my own way of doing it. That's all I know."

"If I'm going to sing like someone else, then I don't need to sing at all."

"I never hurt nobody but myself and that's nobody's business but my own."

"Mom and Pop were just a couple of kids when they got married. He was eighteen, she was sixteen and I was three."

"If you copy, it means you're working without any real feeling. No two people on earth are alike, and it's got to be that way in music or it isn't music."

"You've got to have something to eat and a little love in your life before you can hold still for any damn body's sermon on how to behave."