Throughline

Strange Fruit

Billie Holiday helped shape American popular music with her voice and unique style. But, her legacy extends way beyond music with one song in particular — "Strange Fruit." The song paints an unflinching picture of racial violence, and it was an unexpected hit. But singing it brought serious consequences. In a special collaboration with NPR Music's <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/07/31/743415843/turning-the-tables-8-women-who-invented-american-popular-music">Turning the Tables Series</a>, how "Strange Fruit" turned Billie Holiday into one of the first victims of the War on Drugs. Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

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