Billie Holiday – ”Strange Fruit”
”Strange Fruit” is without a doubt Bille Holidays most iconic and famous songs. It was released in April 1939 with a strong message against the inhumane cruelty of racism. It still remains one of the most popular jazz songs in the present day. Billie Holiday was an American singer who won four Grammy Awards. She’s arguably one of the most recognisable voice in jazz history. She had many jazz top hits so it is impossible to be a jazz fan and to not of heard of this incredible jazz artist.
Ray Charles – ”Georgia On My Mind”
Ray Charles released the song ”Georgia On My Mind” in September 1960. Charles was an American singer and labelled as a ”genius” and ”leader” in the jazz industry as he released some chart-topping hits. This song was written after a car journey, Charles was singing about the state of Georgia and his driver loved it. He suggested to publish it and convinced him the world would love it, so that’s exactly what he did. His music is still incredibly well-known and popular in present-day and he is undoubtedly an icon.
Frank Sinatra – ”Fly Me to the Moon”
Frank Sinatra’s ”Fly Me to the Moon” was released in 1962 as a single. It was originally written by Bart Howard in 1954 and called ”In Other Words”, the name change occurred due to a large number of people referring the song to ”Fly Me to the Moon” so it seemed fitting. It wasn’t long before this song stole the top place in the charts and it remained there for 13 long weeks. This song is inspired by love and the title acts as a metaphor for pursuing his love.
Nina Simone – ”My Baby Just Cares For Me”
”My Baby Just Cares for Me” is an iconic jazz song that was originally written by American songwriter Gus Kahn and composed by his fellow American songwriter Walter Donaldson. It was written for a film called Whoopee (1930) with a musical/ comedy genre that became hugely popular around the world. However, it was the American singer/songwriter Nina Simone’s incredible voice that made this song a hit single in the U.K. She released her single in 1959 unknown until a Chanel perfume advert used it. After this, it hit the charts and stayed there for weeks.
Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra – ”It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)”
“It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” was released in 1931. The confirmation of this song was created by the American Duke Ellington who was the greatest jazz composers of all time. Every jazz lover will know his name as he had the talent for bringing together the most talented jazz orchestras. And the lyrics were written by Irving Mills, a talented American music publisher. Mills stated that he wrote this song because of an evening out when people weren’t dancing to the music. He joked with this phrase to Ellington and it became the title.