It is inevitable that every account of Billie Holiday's life focuses on the prolonged addiction to drink and drugs that culminated in her premature death at the age of 44 on the 17th July, 1959. This compilation, however, is entitled "Happy Holiday" and thus attempts to concentrate on the upbeat side of her career. Having said that, although many of the songs included here are upbeat musically, lyrically or both, Billie's voice is so plaintive and her phrasing and melodic invention so unique that even seemingly 'happy' songs often sound wistful and melancholic. Several songs whose lyrical content would seem to qualify them as 'happy' have been omitted simply because of Billie's delivery. Nevertheless, Billie handles the bitter-sweet comedy of numbers such as "A Fine Romance", "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off" and "My Sweet Hunk O' Trash" (in a duet with Louis Armstrong) with great style and humour, justifying record producer and talent scout John Hammond's description of her: "She was not a blues singer, but she sang popular songs in a manner that made them completely her own. She had an uncanny ear, an excellent memory for lyrics, and she sang with an exquisite sense of phrasing. She always loved Armstrong's sound and it is not too much to say that she sang the way he played horn. Further, she was absolutely beautiful, with a look and a bearing that were, indeed, Lady-like and never deserted her, even in the degraded final years."

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Disc One
1 LET'S DO IT
2 HAVING MYSELF A TIME
3 T'AIN'T NOBODY'S BUSINESS IF I DO
4 MISS BROWN TO YOU
5 NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT
6 PENNIES FROM HEAVEN
7 LAUGHING AT LIFE
8 GETTING SOME FUN OUT OF LIFE
9 THINGS ARE LOOKING UP
10 ME, MYSELF AND I
11 I'VE GOT A DATE WITH A DREAM
12 MY SWEET HUNK O' TRASH
13 CRAZY HE CALLS ME
14 YANKEE DOODLE NEVER WENT TO TOWN
15 EENY MEENY MINEY MO
16 LET'S CALL THE WHOLE THING OFF
17 I'VE GOT MY LOVE TO KEEP ME WARM
18 THE MOOD THAT I'M IN
19 TENDERLY
20 LIFE BEGINS WHEN YOU'RE IN LOVE
21 THEM THERE EYES
22 I WISHED ON THE MOON
23 THESE 'N' THAT 'N' THOSE
24 IT'S TOO HOT FOR WORDS
25 SWING, BROTHER, SWING
26 SPREADIN' RHYTHM AROUND

Disc Two
1 WHAT A LITTLE MOONLIGHT CAN DO
2 NOW THEY CALL IT SWING
3 ON THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET
4 WHAT A NIGHT, WHAT A MOON, WHAT A GIRL
5 YOU SHOWED ME THE WAY
6 YOURS AND MINE
7 EASY LIVING
8 HE'S FUNNY THAT WAY
9 WHEN YOU'RE SMILING
10 BACK IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD
11 HERE IT IS TOMORROW AGAIN
12 ROMANCE IN THE DARK
13 MANDY IS TWO
14 YOU'RE MY THRILL
15 A FINE ROMANCE
16 ONE, TWO, BUTTON YOUR SHOE
17 WITH THEE I SWING
18 SAY IT WITH A KISS
19 YOU'RE SO DESIRABLE
20 SUGAR
21 OUR LOVE IS DIFFERENT
22 YOU'RE A LUCKY GUY
23 TIME ON MY HANDS
24 I'M PULLING THROUGH
25 PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
26 I HEAR MUSIC