"Them There Eyes" (Billie Holiday)

By 1949, Billie Holiday was a big star with even bigger problems.  She was a household name because of her voice, but she also had made a name for herself through two widely-publicized arrests for narcotics possession.  (Yeah, kids.  It's not just rock 'n' rollers who were known for their partying.)
By the late 40s, her addictions to booze and heroin had started to affect her voice in subtle ways: notes wavered where they'd previously soared, ends of consonants were slurred, and her general energy level was lower.
Which is why this recording of "Them There Eyes" stands out.  Her voice and energy are in top form here.  She even sounds like she's having...fun.  There's a playfulness that comes through, especially when she speak-sings lines like My heart is jumpin' / You started somethin', without even a hint of melancholy.  Also, the upbeat Big Band sound provided by her backing band, Sy Oliver & His Orchestra, gives the track an extra kick and swinging feel that keeps things buoyant.
My hunch is that this recording served two purposes: 1) to combat music critics who began grumbling around 1947 that her output was relying too heavily on languid balladry and 2) to serve as a "comeback" of sorts after a high-profile arrest in California.  
Long story short: on January 22, 1949, she and her manager/lover were arrested for opium possession at a hotel in San Francisco, and he'd pinned the whole incident on her.  In June of that year, she was exonerated by a jury, which unanimously believed that he'd framed her, and was back in the recording studio by August, laying down "Them There Eyes."
So while having a sunny, upbeat song surely would have helped to counter critics and any residual negative press, to me, it's a song that says one thing: she was just happy as hell to be free.