Strange Fruit by Billie Holiday

Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit"

Music is a form of media, art, and entertainment that has played an essential role in shaping society throughout time.

Media as a tool to connect with people

Artistic effect of music on the human brain

Music has immeasurable influence and it would be impossible to think about a society similar to ours that does not have music as part of its cultural values.

People's tendency to respond to a combination between music and ideas

Philosophical, psychological, and sociological effects of music

The producers and distributors of music therefore wield this power and influence.

Acknowledging the power coming along with making music

Using this respective power to influence the masses

Musicians have solidly demonstrated that they can use their fame and technology to effectively as well as ineffectively raise awareness and activism regarding issues they perceive to be socially or ethically significant.

Musicians' focus to make change possible through their music

2. The negative effects of music

E. Music influences aspects of society such as culture, perception, and economics.

1. Music's ability to pervade society and shape cultural values

F. Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" is one of the earliest modern examples of an explicitly anti-racist song in which the story of Emmitt Till is not only told, but also commentary on the events of his death, as well as the historical and cultural elements in American culture that set the stage for such an act to occur. (Thesis)

1. Musicians' involvement in bringing social reform

2. Holiday as an individual taking a stance

II. Part II: A History of Social Responsibility & Music

A. The connection between social responsibility and musicians is an old concept and it is safe to say that music is timeless when considering how it has managed to induce intense emotions from the beginning of time.

1. Musicians accept their role as diplomats and concentrate on removing borders.

2. Social responsibility is achievable through music.

B. There is a clear and documentable history of musicians.

1. The history of music in the context of the role in played in changing the world.

2. Music has developed a strong relationship with society through time to the point where individuals gained the ability to use music with the purpose of promoting social welfare.

C. The additional influence that technology allows for with respect to the music industry has the potential to be positive or negative, yet even in Holiday's day, the technology available spread her message very well.

1. The ability to control the effects that music has on the public does not necessarily depend on the technology available to musicians.

2. Society has developed the ability to gain a more complex understanding of ideas during recent centuries and music has not been an exception from the rule.

D. This paper will mostly focus upon the song "Strange Fruit" while offering other examples of songs and artists for context.

1. "Strange Fruit" is an effective example of music that has both discussed social change and influenced others to get involved in this particular debate.

2. Other songs and artists have addressed the idea of social change as a result of comprehending music's ability to make it possible.

E. Chronicle or timeline of a modern history of musicians and their social responsibility.

1. Recent decades and music's development into a tool meant to achieve social responsibility make it possible to observe music's effect on society through time.

2. Timeline

F. There are varying degrees of participation or action of musicians with respect to social issues.

1. A musician comes to acknowledge his or her involvement in social change as he or she sees individuals being directly affected as a consequence of his or her lyrics and music in general. Tendency to avoid topics discussing social change

III. Part 3: Music as a part of the artistic tradition

A. Music is a form of art.

1. Music has a series of artistic aspects and it is important to consider each and every one of them in order to be able to understand it properly.

2. Things that are as apparently simple as sound and silence are effective artistic concepts and have been responsible for triggering a great deal of historic (one can go as far as to say that they have contributed to some of history's greatest artistic movements).

B. All artists have a social responsibility.

1. Being able to discover one's role as an artist in society represents an essential step in a musician's life.

2. Proceeding with using this role to achieve social progress only happens in a number of cases when individuals are actually able control the effects of their artwork.

C. Art serves a specific function in society.

1. Art is generally seen as a means to entertain people.

2. When considering an in-depth analysis, the social and psychological roles of art in society are astonishing.

D. The scale of the influence of 21st century celebrities is nothing like the modern world has seen before.

1. Being a celebrity today is practically similar to being a god, considering the way that the masses respond to the idea of celebrity in general.

2. Difficulty associated with failing to complexly understand one's influence can have negative consequences both on the artist and on the masses.

E. The various impacts of music: on learning, on education, the relationship between music and education, the existence and affirmation of musical intelligence, etc. To make the point that a song such as "Strange Fruit" can and has tangible, measurable effects.

1. The depth to which music can shape cultural values is certainly impressive, considering the numerous positive effects that it has had on the world through time.