When wartime finally arrived, new songs were released with fervent support for the war:
Recorded in 1941 by the Andrews Sisters, "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" was incredibly popular at the time. This song is the story of a young musician who was drafted into the army. The quick tempo and cheerful tone represent a pro-war attitude.
Other songs were not so lighthearted. "Remember Pearl Harbor" by Carson Robinson took on a much more sincere tone in remembrance of the attack. With lines such as, "through the blood and tears, keep this battle ringing in our ears," this song glorified the war while also acknowledging the terror and violence of war zones. The message was intensely patriotic, encouraging soldiers to kill the Japanese in defense of America. It offensively referred to the Japanese people, calling them "rats" and "scum of the sea." This was a common sentiment at the time which largely contributed to the incarceration of Japanese Americans.
Some songs showed contempt for the Germans, specifically the Nazi party. Spike Jones used humor in his song, "Der Fuehrer's Face." He comically mocked the Nazi anthem and showed obvious spite for Hitler. This song was originally written for a cartoon but soon became famous all across America.
This time period saw the creation of several patriotic tunes that are still revered today. In 1939, the Army Air Corps Song was born, titled "Off We Go Into the Wild Blue Yonder." Another popular tune was "God Bless America," which was originally written in 1918 but revised in 1938. This song is now a familiar symbol of patriotism. It was once again embraced in the aftermath of 9/11.
https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/world-war-ii/essays/forties-and-music-world-war-ii
https://blog.oup.com/2013/02/music-during-world-war-ii/
http://davinciww2.weebly.com/war-song-analysis-boogie-woogie-bugle-boy-by-the-andrews-sisters.html
https://thecollectiveknowledgeofww2.weebly.com/remember-pearl-harbor.html
I found your article incredibly interesting! I loved how the documentaries that we watch in class include the songs of the era, and how they were used to influence public opinion. In addition to using music as a way to encourage the public to help the federal government in the war effort (ex "I paid my income tax today"), music was also used to help boost morale. I found it especially interesting in how troops were entertained while deployed, even having concerts and plays brought to their camps. Bob Hope, an entertain or that performed for the troops described: “The reason for our overwhelming welcome from troops all over the world...was that we spelled, more than anything else, ‘home’”.
ReplyDeleteFor more about entertainment/music raising the morale of the troops, I'd recommend looking at the following article: https://www.mtholyoke.edu/~knigh20c/classweb/significance.html
Wow, I didn't know that the war had such a significant impact on the popular music of those times. Something I'm particularly interested is the impact of the war on classical music, so I did a bit of research into how composers were affected by WWII. Hitler himself identified with Beethoven as he believed his music represented the heroic German spirit, and thus his music was played often in Nazi Germany. Another composer, one of Hitler's favorites, was Richard Wagner, whose music and political views were similar in taste to Hitler's. His music was serious and similar in style to the Germans, and it was played often at party rallies and functions. In Russia, Shostakovich was a favorite, with his seventh symphony being played across the front line of the siege of Leningrad.
ReplyDeletehttp://fcit.usf.edu/holocaust/arts/musreich.htm
http://holocaustmusic.ort.org/politics-and-propaganda/classical-music-radio-in-wartime-britain/