"Strange Fruit" was written by Abel Meeropol in 1937 first as a poem, then set as lyrics to music as an anti-lynching protest song sung by his wife before it was recorded by Billie Holiday in 1939. Her version, along with her last studio recording of it near the end of her life in 1956, is on this mix along with versions by The Twilight Singers, Nina Simone, Carmen McRae and Bettye Lavette. Kayne West's "Blood On The Leaves" samples both Holiday and Simone.
One other song repeats: Lonnie Mack's 1971 version of Don Nix's "Three Angels" along with Nix's version from the same year.
The rest: The DJ Premier-produced "The 6th Sense" by Common with Bilal, Argent's optimistic "Hold Your Head Up", an alternate mix of Iggy Pop's "China Girl", the recently unearthed mid 70s Neil Young track "Separate Ways", the jazzy opening track to Digable Planets' 1994 album Blowout Comb called "The May 4th Movement Starring Doodlebug", The Human League's wry "The Things That Dreams Are Made Of", the pulsating "This Could Be Love" by The Cars, Norma Tanega's philosophic "Illusion", the bittersweet "Visions" by Stevie Wonder and the stirring "Evening Breeze" by blind Ethiopian nun Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou.
Strange Fruit (1939 ver) Billie Holiday
The 6th Sense (my edit) Common & Bilal
Hold Your Head Up Argent
Strange Fruit The Twilight Singers
China Girl (alt ver) Iggy Pop
Blood On The Leaves Kanye West
Strange Fruit Nina Simone
Three Angels Lonnie Mack
Separate Ways Neil Young
Strange Fruit Carmen McRae
The May 4th Movement Starring Doodlebug Digable Planets
The Things That Dreams Are Made Of The Human League
This Could Be Love The Cars
Illusion Norma Tanega
Visions Stevie Wonder
Strange Fruit Bettye Lavette
Three Angels Don Nix
Evening Breeze Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou
Strange Fruit (1956 ver) Billie Holiday
