you can see how sick she is and can hear the low rasp of her voice. And even thorugh that pain of addiction she pushed through and delivered a stunning perfromance. You were amazing Billie.
Despite how bad and sad she apparently was feeling with the demons of addiction taking her, she smiled, she stood up, she listened, she was alert and with no hesitation she sang that song with class, clarity, poise, passion, eye contact, beauty and was enchanting.
they?? do...explain!! so she was given drugs to build her weird brand of singing and performing from 'the beginning,' then to death once her controllers were through with her? sounds bluesy alright
I was born in the 1962 but I wish I was born sooner to Lady Day perform at her best and worse. She was so beautiful, her facial expressions when she sang were so full of love and some pain. She left a wonderful legacy behind for many generations of people like me to treasure. She is special angel in a special place and I hope she knows how loved she is. Rest in peace Ms. Holiday 😢
Let's hope God let her into heaven; we love who we love and Billie was ideal until drugs took her. I'm a heterosexual musician & love Billie. Racism sucks. Yes, I'm white, race to me means nothing.
Been viewing performances by Billie chronologically, and although her body seems to weaken drastically, her voice and nuance seems to get better every year; she is truly one of a kind
@@akrenwinkle I do and it drives me nuts. The illiteracy is scary. Who really knows though? Maybe Billie did literally haunt some people through her vocals.
I was five then. We had an all male choir at St Margarets in Queens, NY when I first leaned to love classical music. Never underestimate what children are capable of. 'Careful what you say, children will listen (and learn)" both good and bad but always formative.
I was just listening to Mahalia Jackson another of my mother's favorite singers and I thought it was to that you referred. Danny Boy if you want to hear her great voice.
Could she have, at that very moment, while singing this song, could she have imagined that people would be listening and watching her so so many years later?
Every drop of pain I feel inside mixed with love past and present she sings it, like she see's inside of me and is pulling it out, I don't think I ever connected with a singer like that except Lady Day, the gift of empathy and expression she had in song is amazingly out of this world.
Lynn - yes, and Nina Simone. And thru it all, she came up shinin;. On nights like this one, New Year's Eve, 2022, all alone, I hear her pain, and think, if she could do that, I can do this. Stay in your rest, Lady Day.
The way she intreprets her songs with her phrasing is the most unique and haunting ever. She would pass away a year after this and all her amazing qualities still shone through with added fragility.
GREAT SINGER FOR ALL TIMES ....BUT CANT DENY SHE WAS A TORTURED SOUL, WITH LOTS OF DEMONS INSIDE...SHE WAS SO PURE INTERPRETING SAD AND MELLOW SONGS OF LIFE....PEOPLE SAY SHE DIED AS SHE LIVED. REST IN PEACE LADY DAY
+Laura Almonte Art is both a beauty and a beast. That's the way it is. What is human life? Birth, some love and happines, much more sadness and pain, death. Art describes this short path from cradle to grave the best possible way. Billie wasn't an artist, she was art herself.
authentic - Ms Billie Holiday - sings @ the most important thing in the world LOVE - so her voice is a reflection of life - real human experiences - dedicated to her music which gives her a vehicle for her to express her feelings of love - the universally meaningful positive, realness of human interaction - - thanks to the film makers who knew what the treasure Lady Day was to the human race...
The demons of addiction. She was dying around this time, there was nothing Doctors could Do. Heroin and Alcohol will do it. She died the following year after this performance.
She lived as better as she could and she left us ... her beautiful soulful music! We all have demons inside us and fighting ... but what will we leave after our end?
Hush now, don't explain I know you raise cain I'm glad your back, don't explain Quiet, don't explain You're mixed with some dame Skip that lipstick Don't explain You know that I love you And what love endures All my thoughts of you For I'm so completely yours Cry to hear folks chatter And I know you cheat But right and wrong, don't matter When you're with me, sweet Hush now, don't explain You're my joy and pain My life's yours love Don't explain
One of my favourite song by Billie Holiday. She was the first artist I truly fell in love with, her voice was raw and real, and sometimes haunting. She sings with so much emotions.
That very last "Don't Explain." So powerful! To understand all of the greats of the golden era of Jazz, one would have to understand the social/racial climate of that time. They quite literally suffered to make their art. The only truly original American art form - Jazz.
I like the simplicity of this song in terms of what musical instruments are present. They are behind her vocals and compliment her vocals in a way that allows them to shine.
Love this her life was full of pain and misery...she is all I had to listen to...during my first livin man...who was terrible...Lady Day gave me a reason to awake back then...I read everything I could about her...and somehow assimilated my existence to her’s...I’m Grateful that I was able to lift Myself and get away from the TERRIBLENESS and Live again...Thank You Lady Day🌷
Listened to Billie frequently with my father growing up ..she had a way of filing my soul with her voice that has left a lasting feeling..Love you Billie always..
OK ... This song here is one of my all time favorite numbers point blank. I like her delivery here and the way she didn't try to make it an exact copy of her recording. I see the the musicians are in "aww" around her. She was truly one of the best jazz singers of all time.Thanks for uploading this!
I love Billie Holiday (Sarah Vaughan is almost in a tie with her). I sometimes feel that I was alive back then because I'm so captivated by the music and sensitive about the social fabric then. Maybe I was a G.I., but back to Lady Day....so very sorry about her slow demise over time. Though the quality changed, she never lost her style and timing. R.i.p.
This is right around the time she recorded the Lady In Satin album. She was only 43 but obviously sounded and looked much older. That album was my first exposure to her music and I didn't fully appreciate it until later on.
What a beautiful woman, she stood for what was right, despite what people have said, or what they did to this wonderful soul, her strength out lasted them. We are still in the strange fruit times.. I love you RIP.
Another one of my favorite tunes by Billie; this live performance was when she was close to the end. Billie had a way of phrasing her words that would make you pay attention because you could relate to the experiences she was singing about. Truly Lady Day Forever One Of My Favorite Female Vocalist Even After 60 Years She's One Of The Best Of All Time. Love, Honor & Respect You Lady Day Continue To Rest In Peace; Although You're Gone You Will Never Be Forgotten. Love You Lady
Just love her love this song it’s my favorite Billie is deep GOD rest her precious soul. Billie your voice touches my soul. Thank you GOD for making such a beautiful soul. ❤️
Every once in a while the world is gifted with an artist that captures the human condition be it with a song a painting a poem a movie etc etc Lady Day was one of those artists She was and still is the embodiment of our human condition I often see in the comments section here on RU-vid criticism of her lifestyle choices but let us not forget that she was human and made mistakes like all of us Her music is still very relevant She lived loved and laughed and is worth keeping her music and her memory alive
So sad she’s not doing well here. Beautiful soul. Her music is a big part of my life’s soundtrack. Wonder how she would feel if she knew her legacy lasted so many year, and will continue to do do
What an amazing command of phrasing here. Billie Holiday was truly a natural genius. The ravages of drugs and alcohol, did not take away her sharp interpretation of this haunting song "Don't Explain", is how she lived her life, and how she died. We are graced with the music she left us to navigate our own pain in life. Love you Billie Holiday, and feel your pain in my own life struggles
Rest in peace and birthday wishes to Billie Holiday This year marks the 50th anniversary of Lady Sings the blues 💙 we cannot forget you your voice taught us about pain
watchin' Lady Day close up like that gives me the chills and actually felt a tear,! Wow what amazing footage, a treasure to pass on, powerful stage presence even at this time in her life (1958) captivating #LadyDay
