God Bless the Child (Billie Holiday song)

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“God Bless the Child”
Single by Billie Holiday
B-side	"Solitude"
Released	1942
Format	78 rpm
Recorded	Friday, May 9, 1941
Genre	Jazz
Length	2:57
Label	Okeh
Writer(s)	Billie Holiday, Arthur Herzog Jr.
Producer	Edward B. Marks Music Corporation

“God Bless the Child”
Single by The Simpsons from the album The Simpsons Sing the Blues
Released	1991
Format	CD single
Recorded	1990
Genre	Pop
Label	Geffen
Writer(s)	Billie Holiday, Arthur Herzog Jr.
Producer	John Boylan, Bryan Loren, DJ Jazzy Jeff
The Simpsons singles chronology
"Deep, Deep Trouble" (1991) "God Bless the Child" (1991) "The Simpsons Theme" (2007)

"God Bless the Child" is a song written by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr. in 1939, first recorded on May 9, 1941 under the Okeh label.

Holiday's version of the song was honored with the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in (1976).^[1] It was also included in the list of Songs of the Century, by the Recording Industry of America and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Contents 1 Recording session 2 Origin and Interpretation 3 Notable cover versions 4 Appearances in the media 4.1 Film 4.2 Television 4.3 Literature 4.4 Video Games 5 Footnotes 6 External links

[edit] Recording session

Session #44: 799 Seventh Avenue, New York City, May 9, 1941, Eddie Heywood and his Orchestra with Roy Eldridge (trumpet) Jimmy Powell, Lester Boone (alto saxophone), Ernie Powell (trumpet), Eddie Heywood (piano), Paul Chapman (guitar), Grachan Moncur II (bass), Herbert Cowans (drums), Billie Holiday (vocal)^[2]

[edit] Origin and Interpretation

In her autobiography Lady Sings the Blues^[3] Holiday indicated an argument with her mother over money led to the song. She indicated that during the argument she said the line "God bless the child that's got his own." The anger over the incident led her to turn that line into a starting point for a song, which she worked out in conjunction with Herzog. In Jazz Singing Will Friedwald^[4] indicates it 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.^[5] The lyrics refer to a Biblical verse, probably Luke 19:26.^[6]

[edit] Notable cover versions

• Gene Ammons (1958)
• Stanley Turrentine (1960)
• Carmen McRae (1961)
• Anita O'Day (1961)
• Lou Rawls (1962)
• Aretha Franklin (1962)
• Stevie Wonder (1968)
• Fifty Foot Hose (1968)
• Blood, Sweat & Tears (1969)
• Liza Minnelli (1971)
• Diana Ross (1972)
• Ella Fitzgerald (1982)
• Crystal Gayle (1985)
• The Simpsons (Lisa Simpson/voice actor Yeardley Smith) (1990)
• Barbra Streisand (1991)
• Diane Schuur (1992)
• Eva Cassidy (1992)
• Tony Bennett (1995)
• Gladys Knight (2006)
• Jill Scott (2007)
• Moby (2007)
• and others.^[7][8]

It also inspired a children's picture book.^[9] It was included on the The Simpsons Sing the Blues album, performed by Lisa Simpson (Yeardley Smith). Tony Bennett recorded the song as an overdubbed "duet" with Holiday for his 1997 album Tony Bennett on Holiday. Tricky released a version of the song on Angels with Dirty Faces (1998), retitled as "Carriage for Two".

[edit] Appearances in the media

[edit] Film

IMDB database^[10]

• Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
• Two Weeks Notice
• Schindler's List

[edit] Television

• Theme song for the first two seasons of Roc (1991-1992), sung by Jerry Lawson
• Grey's Anatomy (2006): Sung by Chandra Wilson in "Staring at the Sun"^[11]
• American Idol: Sung by Mikalah Gordon for the top 20, Katharine McPhee in her 2006 audition in San Francisco, and also LaKisha Jones on March 13, 2007

[edit] Literature

• Biyi Bandele references the song in his novel The Street

[edit] Video Games

• BioShock soundtrack: The three remixed tracks on the CD include "Beyond the Sea", "God Bless the Child" and "Wild Little Sisters"; the original recordings of these songs are in the game.

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] External links

• God Bless the Child Lyrics

v • d • e The Simpsons discography Albums The Simpsons Sing the Blues (1990) · Songs in the Key of Springfield (1997) · The Yellow Album (1998) · Go Simpsonic with The Simpsons (1999) · The Simpsons Movie: The Music (2007) · The Simpsons: Testify (2007) Singles "Do the Bartman" (1990)  · "Deep, Deep Trouble" (1990/1991)  · "God Bless the Child" (1991)  · "The Simpsons Theme" (2007)  · "Spider-Pig" (2007)