God Bless the Child (Billie Holiday song)
| "God Bless the Child" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Billie Holiday | ||||
| B-side | "Solitude" | |||
| Released | 1942 | |||
| Recorded | May 9, 1941[1] | |||
| Studio | Columbia 7th Ave, New York City[1] | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 2:57 | |||
| Label | Okeh | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| Billie Holiday singles chronology | ||||
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"God Bless the Child" is a song written by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr. in 1939. It was first recorded on May 9, 1941, by Billie Holiday and released by the Okeh Records in 1942.
Holiday's version of the song was honored with the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1976.[2] It was also included in the list of Songs of the Century, by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Billie Holiday recording sessions
[edit]Billie Holiday recorded the song three times.
First recording (Session #44, Columbia/Okeh): Columbia Studio A, 799 Seventh Avenue, New York City, May 9, 1941, Eddie Heywood and his Orchestra with Roy Eldridge (trumpet), Jimmy Powell and Lester Boone (alto saxophone), Ernie Powell (trumpet), Eddie Heywood (piano), Johan Robins (guitar), Paul Chapman (guitar), Grachan Moncur II (bass), Herbert Cowans (drums), Billie Holiday (vocal).[1]
Origin and interpretation
[edit]In her autobiography Lady Sings the Blues[3] Holiday indicated that an argument with her mother over money led to the song. She stated that during the argument she said "God bless the child that's got his own." The anger over the incident led her to use that line as the starting point for a song, which she worked out in conjunction with Herzog.[4]
In his 1990 book Jazz Singing, Will Friedwald[5] describes the song as "sacred and profane," as it references the Bible while indicating that religion seems to have no effect in making people treat each other better.[6]
Notable cover versions
[edit]- 1959 – Trombonist J. J. Johnson recorded an emotion-filled instrumental ballad for his Really Livin' album, several weeks before Holiday's death in March 1959.[7]
- 1961 – Saxophonist Eddie Harris recorded the song for his album Mighty Like a Rose; Harris's version received radio airplay.[7]
- 1962 – Saxophonist Sonny Rollins recorded a sparse version for his album The Bridge; guitarist Jim Hall backed him.[7]
- 1968 – The blues rock–jazz fusion band Blood, Sweat & Tears interpreted the song on their double Platinum album Blood, Sweat & Tears, with vocals by David Clayton-Thomas.[7]
- 1972 - Diana Ross performed the song in the 1972 film Lady Sings the Blues. The soundtrack album hit #1 on the Billboard album chart for the weeks of April 7 & 14, 1973.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "A site dedicated to Billie Holiday's Songs and Discography". Billie Holiday Songs. Archived from the original on November 24, 2007. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
- ^ "GRAMMY Hall Of Fame". GRAMMY.org. Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
- ^ Holiday, Billie. Lady Sings the Blues, Hal Leonard Corporation, (1985) – ISBN 0-7935-2445-8
- ^ "The Life of a Song: 'God Bless the Child'". Financial Times. August 29, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ Friedwald, Will. Jazz Singing: America's Great Voices from Bessie Smith to Bebop and Beyond, Da Capo, (1996) – ISBN 0-306-80712-2
- ^ Liner notes pages 6 and 7 in Billie Holiday's Greatest Hits
- ^ a b c d Gioia, Ted (2021). The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire. Oxford University Press. p. 148. ISBN 9780190087203.
- ^ Joel Whitburn, The Billboard Book of Top 40 Albums, revised & enlarged 3rd edition, Billboard Books, 1995, page 393. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
External links
[edit]How Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child" Became a Black Anthem. Jeremy Helligar
