The combination of a beautiful sunset and a Mozart string quartet can bring out emotions we feel in the depths of our soul. A sappy love scene combined with a cheesy romantic melody can make us cry. When moving images are connected with meaningful music, the two have an incredibly powerful effect on the listener and leave a deep impact. What happens when video is combined with a song that is almost too painful to listen to?
Andra Day recently covered and recorded Billie Holiday’s Strange Fruit. The song was originally released in 1939 in response to a photo of three black men unfairly lynched in Indiana. The powerful lyrics reached millions of people at the time and played an important role in the development of the Civil Rights Movement. In 1999 the song was named song of the century by Time magazine and has been incorporated in many popular songs.
Strange Fruit has been performed in honor and remembrance of lynched victims, but few music videos have been made. Putting a video to such an emotionally heavy song is not something many decide to take on. The lyrics are as follows:
Southern trees bear a strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black body swinging in the Southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.
Pastoral scene of the gallant South,
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of magnolia sweet and fresh,
And the sudden smell of burning flesh!
Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
For the sun to rot, for a tree to drop,
Here is a strange and bitter crop.
What makes Andra Day’s video special is the the video combined with sound effects and music. The opening scene of the music video gives a brief history of the lynchings in America and includes a sunset with the outdoor sounds of bugs and wind. This creates a chilling atmosphere and is enhanced by the sound of wood cracking due to the swinging of a rope. It’s almost as if the listener is taken to the night of the Indiana lynchings. As the music starts, the swinging rope effect continues and the sound of gasped breathing is added. Before Andra Day even appears or starts singing the dark lyrics, the listener is able to understand that this is not a light song.
As Andra Day starts singing, the sunset turns into a spotlight and the viewer almost feels as if they are in the vocalist’s shoes.
This spotlight may reference Billie Holiday’s performances of this song in the 1940s, as a single spotlight always shown or her face throughout each performance of Strange Fruit. One source stated the following, “Because of the poignancy of the song, Josephson drew up some rules: Holiday would close with it; the waiters would stop all service in advance; the room would be in darkness except for a spotlight on Holiday’s face; and there would be no encore. During the musical introduction, Holiday would stand with her eyes closed, as if she were evoking a prayer.”
The constant change between the spotlight on Andra and the sun shining through the leaves gives tribute not only to the lynching victims but also to Billie Holiday and the difficulties she faced as an African American throughout the Civil Rights Movement.
As the video continues the listener is able to see that Andra Day is wearing broken handcuffs. This is significant as we see a symbol of the injustice African Americans faced and are reminded that racism in America is still an issue.
Finally, the viewer is able to see images of the camera angle pointed up at branches and Andra Day looking into the air, almost as if she is painfully looking up as she is remembering the victims of the lynching.
This video has the ability to speak to anyone that watches it. The comments listed below show that the filming and performance of this song have an emotional depth that cannot be felt with video or music alone.
When music and video are put together, both create a visual and emotional experience that is essential to the understanding of this song. Because of the heart-wrenching shots combined with Andra Day’s chilling voice, this music video gave “Strange Fruit” the depth and meaning it deserves.
https://www.npr.org/2012/09/05/158933012/the-strange-story-of-the-man-behind-strange-fruit
http://www.billieholiday.com/portfolio/strange-fruit/