That haunted voice we hear today belongs to Billie Holiday. More than six decades after her death, the legendary singer is experiencing a moment in culture: she is the subject of a recent documentary (film by director James Erskine Billie) and a biopic to be released soon (director Lee Daniels’ United States x Billie Holiday, starring Andra Day, released later this month), and “Strange Fruit”, the anti-lynching protest song she popularized in the late 1930s, has been remade, tried and revived. One of his songs even appeared on HBO’s watchmakers.
Perhaps Holiday’s most unexpected nod, however, comes from veteran indie rocker M. Ward. Ward has covered Holiday before, but his newly released Think about spring takes appreciation a step further. An almost complete remake of Holiday Satin lady, the last album she released during her life (and number 317 in the LOLlist of the 500 best recent albums by), Think about spring take away the holiday music. Instead of the small jazz or orchestral bands she trusted, M. Ward shares the songs with just her voice and guitars, making them even clearer than before.
As he says LOL, Ward had been working hard on the album for years, but, as with many musicians, he found himself with a lot of time available last year in the midst of a pandemic. A planned world tour was canceled and he ended up Think about spring at home in his longtime home in Portland and Los Angeles, where he lives part time. Whenever he can tour again, he hopes to play some of the holiday music live.
When you were making this album, did you know that Holiday was in the midst of a new appreciation?
It’s a complete coincidence [laughs]. I can’t understand how it all happened. The stars are aligned with my record, I think. I’m excited about it [Daniels] movie coming out.
Why do you think people are recently attracted to her?
What she achieved as a woman, let alone an African American woman, is infinitely inspiring for any generation you belong to. And add, in addition, a controversial song like “Strange Fruit” – it makes sense to me that it is so inspiring for this generation and future ones.
Yes, “Strange Fruit” is suddenly and sadly relevant.
I don’t believe it even existed. And to think that people went out and bought [in the Thirties] it’s an incredible story. I can not believe.
It was even released on an independent record label owned by Billy Crystal’s uncle after his record label, Columbia, became nervous.
Oh, yes, it’s kind of crazy. The plot gets complicated!
When did you first hear her music?
It bothered me very early, at a very impressionable time when I was thinking about making records. When I was about 15 years old, I started playing the guitar. I thought she just made records with these little jazz combos, and that it was quite, you know, “happy” music. And then, about five or six years later, I heard Satin lady in a mall. I had no idea what it was. His voice sounded like a distorted electric guitar combined with these beautiful string arrangements. It was like something I had never heard. The whole experience was like a dream. But that’s what really got me hooked on her.
What most attracted you to this album?
At the time, I was learning Beatles songs and just starting to like John Fahey and discovering Joni Mitchell and Sonic Youth and alternative tunings. So, I had a very open mind. But I think what really hooked me was that there was something that seemed broken in the production, in the music, in the voice. His voice was like no other. She broke the rules every time she interpreted these melodies. The way she played with the rhythm and the way she played with the song keys is not something that anyone was really able to do. Folding notes is very difficult to do while sounding believable and emotional. I know she was very inspired by Louis Armstrong’s trumpet, and he’s another one of my idols, so maybe it was an extension of all those things that attracted me. I love to think of her as a child, imitating some of the soils.
Have you seen Diana Ross’s film Lady Sings the Blues?
I read the book that Billie Holiday wrote, but I didn’t see the full movie. I wasn’t really interested in that. Sometimes, when you watch a movie, you take some of the magic out of the record. From time to time, it increases your interest in music rather than erasing it, which is what Tina Turner’s film did. I’m not usually a great bio-cinema guy, but I would love to see this new one.
You first covered one of your songs, “I’m a Fool to Want You”, as instrumental on your album Waiting time in 2009.
When I heard her version of that song, I wanted to try to record a version where you thought of the distorted electric guitar as the vocal. It ended up being one of our favorite songs to play live. The crowd’s response to that was very interesting. So I decided to sit down and organize all the songs on this album [Lady in Satin] that I had heard hundreds of times. And because of the situation of the year and not the tour, I was able to finish the arrangements and all the recordings and put everything together to release.
Considering that you already released a new album last spring, I had a feeling this was done during the block.
Yes, I have been making arrangements for these songs for 10 years, recording them for a few years. I was experimenting with different tunings to get the right songs for my voice. I was just trying my best to get my favorite elements from Ray Ellis’ arrangements and it took a long time. There is a song called “For Heaven’s Sake” that kept falling in line with other versions that I heard. So I tried an alternative tuning and it was much easier to deconstruct and build from scratch. So I finished it all, and then the art, the mastering and everything that was done this year.
Have you thought about getting a full band?
I knew that I wanted to eliminate it from the beginning. I’ve been doing this since I started making records, whether it’s David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” or Christmas carols. And it fits well with 2020, because you can do it at home.
What did you learn about Billie Holiday and your music while immersing yourself in it?
I realized how experimental she was as a vocalist. When you sit down and try to play her vocal parts on the piano or guitar, there are small intentional or unintended journeys in and out of the tone of the song. This, for me, is an endless education on how she can do this. For her, everything came from a place of emotion. It is impossible to copy this, but very easy to be inspired by it.
How much of your fascination is attributed to your tragic life?
For me, it only broadens the interest, just learning about it. The more you hear about her story, it is, you know, similar to Robert Johnson’s story to me. Talent and emotion are the hook that attracts you, and once you get into the mystery and drama of your lives, you will be there for the long term.