Description
Lady Sings the Blues 1972
Pop star Diana Ross portrays legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday in this biographical drama. Beginning with Holiday’s traumatic youth, the film depicts her early attempts at a singing career and her eventual rise to stardom, as well as her difficult relationship with Louis McKay (Billy Dee Williams), her boyfriend and manager. Casting a shadow over even Holiday’s brightest moments is the vocalist’s severe drug addiction, which threatens to end both her career and her life.
Lady Sings the Blues is the soundtrack to the Billie Holiday biopic of the same name, which starred Diana Ross in her screen debut in 1972. The album became Ross’ 4th #1 album (eventually selling over 2,000,000 US copies), though the only one as a solo artist, on the U.S. Top 200 Billboard Albums Chart as a solo act, going to #2 on the U.S. Billboard R&B Album Chart, and #50 on the UK Albums Chart. It was certified gold on the UK for sales of over 100,000 copies. It was also the fourth best-selling R&B album and fifth best-selling Pop album of 1973.
Music writers said Ross emulated Billie Holiday’s voice while retaining her own individual sound. This soundtrack album was the only Motown album to have a special designed label to match the album cover on the vinyl release, rather than Motown’s usual “Map of Detroit” design. This label design would also turn up on the single releases from the soundtrack.
Video: Diana Ross, Lady Sings The Blues 1972
Track listing:
“The Arrest” – 0:15
“Lady Sings the Blues” – 1:03
“Baltimore Brothel” – 0:25
“Billie Sneaks into Dean and Dean’s/Swinging Uptown” – 0:49
“‘Taint Nobody’s Bizness If I Do” – 1:06
“Big Ben/C.C. Rider” – 1:06
“All of Me” – 2:19
“The Man I Love” – 2:27
“Them There Eyes” – 1:03
“Gardenias from Louis” – 2:03
“Cafe Manhattan/Had You Been Around/Love Theme” – 2:03
“Any Happy Home” – 0:37
“I Cried for You” – 0:37
“Billie and Harry/Don’t Explain” – 0:37
“Mean to Me” – 1:18
“Fine and Mellow” – 0:45
“What a Little Moonlight Can Do” – 2:09
“Louis Visits Billie on Tour/Love Theme” – 0:45
“Cafe Manhattan Party” – 1:37
“Persuasion/’Taint Nobody’s Bizness If I Do” – 3:48
“Agent’s Office” – 1:09
“Our Love Is Here to Stay” – 2:01
“Fine and Mellow” – 2:54
“Lover Man” – 3:22
“You’ve Changed” – 2:34
“Gimme a Pigfoot (And a Bottle of Beer)” – 2:06
“Good Morning Heartache” – 2:21
“All of Me” – 2:04
“Love Theme” – 2:53
“My Man” – 2:26
“Don’t Explain” – 2:10
“I Cried for You” – 2:13
“Strange Fruit” – 3:35
“God Bless the Child” – 2:42
“Closing Theme” – 1:08
