"Strange Fruit" is a song written and composed by Abel Meeropol and recorded by Billie Holiday in 1939. The lyrics were drawn from a poem by Meeropol published in 1937. The song protests the lynching of Black Americans with lyrics that compare the victims to the fruit of trees.

When did Lewis Allen write Strange Fruit?

It was in late 1938 or early 1939, that teacher/poet Lewis Allan brought “Strange Fruit” to Billie Holiday. Though it would go on to become her most renowned song, at first, Holiday was reluctant to sing or record it.

When did Billie Holiday first record Strange Fruit?

Holiday went on to record “Strange Fruit” with the Commodore Records jazz label on April 20, 1939. The song helped raise Holiday to national prominence—at just age 23. Not all audiences appreciated Holiday's performance of the song. Among them was the director of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, Harry Anslinger.