Dominique 🐝 Petersen

6 years ago · 4 min. reading time · ~10 ·

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MUSICAL DECADES - 1940s - War Songs, Part 2

MUSICAL DECADES - 1940s - War Songs, Part 2

FOR U. S.ARMY

NEAREST RECRUITING STATION



This week I'd like to take you back to the 1940s for another look at songs from World War ll. If you missed Part 1, click here.


There are so many great songs from the War years; here's but a sampling of them.

Eleanora Fagan (April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959), professionally known as Billie Holiday, was an American jazz musician and singer-songwriter with a career spanning nearly thirty years. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner Lester Young, Holiday had a major influence on jazz music and pop singing. Her vocal style, strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists, pioneered a new way of manipulating phrasing and tempo. Holiday was known for her vocal delivery and improvisational skills, which made up for her limited range and lack of formal music education. While there were other jazz singers with equal talent, Billie Holiday had a voice that captured the attention of her audience.

"I'll Be Seeing You" is a popular song, with music by Sammy Fain and lyrics by Irving Kahal. The musical theme has emotional power, and was much loved during World War II, when it became an anthem for both British and American soldiers serving overseas.



Benjamin David "Benny" Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America. His concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City on January 16, 1938, is described by critic Bruce Eder as "the single most important jazz or popular music concert in history: jazz's 'coming out' party to the world of 'respectable' music."

Goodman's bands launched the careers of many major names in jazz. During an era of segregation he also led one of the first well-known integrated jazz groups. Goodman continued to perform to nearly the end of his life, while exploring an interest in classical music.

"Bugle Call Rag", also known as "Bugle Call Blues", is a jazz standard written by Jack Pettis, Billy Meyers and Elmer Schoebel.



Marie Magdalene "Marlene" Dietrich (27 December 1901 – 6 May 1992) was a German-American actress and singer. She maintained popularity throughout her unusually long show business career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically. In 1920s Berlin, she acted on the stage and in silent films. Her performance as Lola-Lola in The Blue Angel (1930), directed by Josef von Sternberg, brought her international fame resulting in a contract with Paramount Pictures in the States. Dietrich starred in Hollywood films such as Morocco (1930), Shanghai Express (1932) and Desire (1936). Dietrich successfully traded on her glamorous persona and "exotic" (to Americans) looks, cementing her super-stardom and becoming one of the highest-paid actresses of the era.

"Lili Marleen" (also spelled "Lili Marlen", "Lilli Marlene", "Lily Marlene", "Lili Marlène" among others) is a German love song which became popular during World War II throughout Europe and the Mediterranean among both Axis and Allied troops.



James Kern "Kay" Kyser (June 18, 1905 – July 23, 1985) was an American bandleader and radio personality. He had 11 number one records, including some of the most popular songs of the late 1930s and early 1940s.

Kyser came up with an act combining a quiz with music which became "Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge." The act was broadcast on the Mutual Radio network in 1938 and then moved to NBC Radio from 1939 to 1949. The show rose in the ratings and spawned many imitators. Kyser was also known for singing song titles. When the song began, one of the band's lead singers sang the title phrase, and then the first verse or two of the song was performed instrumentally before the lyrics resumed.

Several of Kyser's recordings spawned catch phrases, such as "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition." His group also had a major hit with the novelty tune, "Three Little Fishes". It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. (See my post about that song here.)

"Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition" is an American patriotic song by Frank Loesser. The song was a response to the attack on Pearl Harbor that marked the United States' involvement in World War II. The song describes a chaplain ("sky pilot") being with some fighting men who are under attack from an enemy. He is asked to say a prayer for the men who were engaged in firing at the oncoming planes. The chaplain puts down his Bible, mans one of the ship's gun turrets and begins firing back, saying, "Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition".



Louis Thomas Jordan (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was a pioneering American musician, songwriter and bandleader who enjoyed his greatest popularity from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as "The King of the Jukebox", he was highly popular with both black and white audiences in the later years of the swing era.

Jordan was one of the most successful African-American musicians of the 20th century, ranking fifth in the list of the all-time most successful black recording artists according to Billboard magazine. Though comprehensive sales figures are not available, he scored at least four million-selling hits during his career. Jordan regularly topped the R&B "race" charts, and was one of the first black recording artists to achieve a significant crossover in popularity into the mainstream (predominantly white) American audience, scoring simultaneous Top Ten hits on the white pop charts on several occasions. After Duke Ellington and Count Basie, Louis Jordan was probably the most popular and successful African-American bandleader of his day.

Jordan made it to number one on both the Harlem Hit Parade and the pop chart with "G.I. Jive". The B-side, "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby", was also a successful release. “G.I. Jive” was the biggest hit of all the songs dealing with soldier life during World War II.



Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby, Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer and actor. His early career coincided with technical recording innovations such as the microphone. This allowed him to develop a laid-back, intimate singing style, rather than having to project his voice to the back row of the theatre. That style influenced many of the popular male singers who followed him.

Crosby's trademark warm bass-baritone voice made him the best-selling recording artist of the 20th century, having sold over one billion records, tapes, compact discs and digital downloads around the world. He was was regarded as "America's Crooner'" from 1929 to 1931.

"I'll Be Home for Christmas", written by lyricist Kim Gannon and composer Walter Kent, is a Christmas song recorded in 1943 by Crosby, who scored a top ten hit with the song. Originally written to honor soldiers overseas who longed to be home at Christmastime, "I'll Be Home for Christmas" has since gone on to become a Christmas standard.





Dominique "Nik" Petersen is an aficionado of old music and the author of Dr. Hook and Me:  A Fan's Journal/Scrapbook. Read about it and her other books at the website:

Comments

Dominique 🐝 Petersen

6 years ago #3

#3
Franci\ud83d\udc1dEugenia Hoffman, beBee Brand Ambassador Thanks, Franci—and a Happy New Year to you!

Dominique 🐝 Petersen

6 years ago #2

#4
Dorothy Cooper Don't forget there's a Part 1 too. ;o)

Dominique 🐝 Petersen

6 years ago #1

Laurent Boscherini Thanks for the share, Laurent! ;o)

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