Billie Holiday Popular Song Rankings [2026]

All Of MeBillie Holiday6rank/position

All of me

This song is best known for Billie Holiday’s version.

It’s a poignant breakup song from the perspective of a woman who’s been left.

Jazz tunes often have altered melodies (fakes) or different lengths due to record time constraints, so knowing which version the karaoke track follows will help you sing it well!

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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YesterdaysBillie Holiday7rank/position

Billie Holiday – Yesterdays (1939)

Just from the title alone, you might be reminded of that famous Beatles song, but this is actually a different piece—composed in 1933 by Jerome Kern and cherished as a jazz standard.

It’s in a minor key that tends to appeal to Japanese listeners, yet the end of the song loops back to the beginning, creating a curious, trompe-l’oeil-like sensation.

The lyrics aren’t very extensive, so it’s a relatively easy song to memorize.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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I’m a fool to want youBillie Holiday8rank/position

Billie Holiday – I’m a Fool to Want You (Official Audio)

A heart-pounding visual piece portraying the romance between a man and a woman who pass each other on a night train.

The commercial features Audrey Tautou, one of France’s most iconic actresses, famous for the film Amélie.

The song playing is a version of a Frank Sinatra classic covered by Billie Holiday, one of the “Big Three” female jazz vocalists.

It is highly regarded as a masterpiece of torch songs—ballads about lost love and unrequited feelings—and the commercial’s imagery, together with the allure of fragrance, is beautifully expressed through Holiday’s deeply evocative voice.

The human tendency to seek love, even when it isn’t with one’s true match…perhaps that never changes, no matter the era.

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KEI

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Some Other SpringBillie Holiday9rank/position

Some Other Spring

Billie Holiday has produced many classic songs about love and parting, and among them, one that especially symbolizes spring is “Some Other Spring.” Recorded in 1939, this piece showcases Billie’s delicate yet profound expressiveness.

Like spring flowers coming to life, the concept of entrusting the longing and hope for a lost love to a new spring captures the hearts of many listeners.

At the same time, it harbors an icy coldness deep within, where Billie’s true artistry shines.

As spring arrives and one tries to find love again, the past romance remains unforgettable—many listeners surely feel that poignant ache resonating through Billie’s voice.

This work is a masterpiece that brilliantly captures the complex emotions of longing for the fresh beginnings spring brings while still being haunted by a lost love.

When you’re smilingBillie Holiday10rank/position

Billie Holiday – When you’re smiling

It was used as the song in SoftBank’s iPhone 4 commercial.

Since it was recorded in 1929 by Louis Armstrong—affectionately known as “Satchmo,” a jazz trumpeter and vocalist—it has become a jazz standard.