Bellevue University

The Music of World War 2 Rick Galusha

                                   Hear the music while you read. Click here.

Each generation has its own popular or pop-culture. Former news commentator Tom Brokaw called the young men and women of this era the, ‘Greatest Generation.” Their sacrifices, not only in terms of life and limb in the “theater” of foreign wars but also in terms of forgoing luxury and comforts on the home front is the basis for Brokaw’s comment.

Like the pop-culture of any generation, their hopes, dreams and fears were expressed in the music and film of this era. As know all too well today, technology and cultures mores have an effect on pop culture. By listening to some of the popular music from this era we can catch a glimpse of this generation that helps us better understand our nation’s history and the state of modern American culture. Basically three factors are going to heavily influence the music of this era: the war effort, racism and the lack of amplification of the musical instruments. Before we talk about the war effort, let’s take a look at HOW music was heard. To do this we want understand the technology of this time period.

During this era, instruments were not electric. Therefore the ability to amplify the instruments was uncommon. Singers would use microphones to be heard but the other musicians in the band, those playing instruments, were not amplified: they were acoustic. When the audience was smaller, being heard was not a problem. However, with more popular musical artforms, being heard over the din of the crowd was an issue. Consequently, “big bands” were necessary in order to be heard. Big bands refers not only to a genre of music but also to the number of musicians in the band.

Probably the most famous of the Big Bands was the Glenn Miller Orchestra. By any standard Miller’s music continues to be heard in modern films and television programs. Miller’s “swinging” beat and the use of horn driven chords in the music makes toe-tapping nearly irresistible. Big Bands played dance music – as we can hear with our first track, 'In the Mood.’ Televisions were not yet in houses at this time. Research indicates that about 80% of the households did have radios. Unlike modern America, radio at this time was owned and operated locally. Much like today, these stations played popular records of the day to attract an audience. However, unlike the modern radio industry, the playlists of these radio stations were not “locked down.” Thus, while there were some songs that were popular throughout the nation, local record labels would also get airplay. This creates regional “sounds” which became “pockets” of niched sounds.

During the Second World War the American President was Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR). Prior to the beginning of the war FDR would use the radio to hold a 'Fireside Chat' with the American people. Envision that at the time Americans would gather around their fireplace to keep warm and listen to the President of the United States speak directly to them. Though this miraculous advent of technology, FDR was able to by-pass the traditional conduits of communication and speak directly to the American people inside their home. It was a cozy and meaningful experience. 

Unlike today, there was probably only one radio station. Thus its programming had to appeal to a wide audience of listeners. This created a shared experience: it created a sense of "we." Today, technology allows us to isolate ourselves and we can see the effects in the fractured and divided nature of the American people today. 





Hear an actual recording of FDR's fireside chat as he asks the American Congress to declare war on Japan after the devastating loss of life and military equipment in the surprise attack by the Japanese on the U.S. military stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The power of the radio was evident.

Therefore traveling bands had to play the hits of the day in order to be entertaining to their audience. Subsequently, the catalogue of songs being played was shared among many bands. Vocal as well as instrumental versions of the same songs could also be popular simultaneously. As we hear in this second track, “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree” the singers could be as popular as the band itself. In this case it is the Andrews Sisters. This song captures a reoccurring theme of the World War 2 era – the girlfriend back home. As you might imagine the men and women at war tended to be in their late-teens, 20’s and 30’s. These are the prime years when men and women pick mates and start families. Due to the war this process was delayed. As a result, after the war the men and women in uniform came home and “made up for lost time” in creating families. The result is a demographic “boom” in children being born: the name this generation is known as the “baby boomers” and includes folks born between approximately 1943 – 1964. The ages of these Baby Boomers, as of this writing (2016) would be between 73 and 52.

I’ve included a second song featuring the Andrews Sisters, Run Rabbit Run. Pay close attention to the lyrics. While somewhat nursery rhyme in nature, the song also speaks to a necessity of many Americans and Europeans: hunting in order to eat. 

During the war meat and other foods were in short supply. American foodstocks were being used to feed those in uniform as they fought for liberty. As a result, there was food rationing. In England rationing occurred long after the war ended. My father is 84 years old (2016). He often tells stories of how his father would shoot rabbits, squirrels and other “non-traditional” meat sources in order to feed his family. Americans at this time also grew “liberty gardens” so that they could supplement their food stocks.

Another popular front-man (singer) during this era was Frank Sinatra. In this track, we hear Sinatra inform the audience that the program, being broadcast over the radio, will be interrupted should any news regarding the eminent D-Day Invasion come out. Interesting, his co-star here is movie-star Jane Wyman. Wyman would be Ronald Reagan’s first wife: Reagan was the President of the United States from 1981 – through 1988. Eventually Sinatra would leverage his musical popularity into an interesting film career.

Other singers during this era who would move into film and television include Bing Crosby, Doris Day and Dinah Shore. As a kid, I can remember the Dinah Shore Show airing on tv when there were only three channels. I have included additional tracks from Sinatra, Day and Shore. (Crosby will appear later in the playlist).

During this era, with very few exceptions, Big Bands were wholly segregated. Whites and Blacks did not appear in the same bands. As an example of 1940’s America attitude towards race the lyrics in the popular song, ‘Chattanoog Choo Choo’ features the line, sung by the traveler to a “shoe shine boy.” The shoe shine “boy” would have been an African-American male who earned a living by shining the shoes of travelers. (As an aside, one of the great jobs of this era for blacks was Train Porters – or the men that took care of travelers on trains). This song’s theme also shows us how important train travel was to Americans of this era. As a kid, in the 1960’s the Greyhound Bus had replaced the train.


As examples of popular “white big bands” from this era I have included popular tracks including The Artie Shaw Orchestra’s, ‘Star Dust.’ This is a soft and lulling ballad in which you can envision a couple slowly dancing in the spotlight on a wooden dance floor. Many a kiss has been exchanged while this romantic ballad played. Also included is the ‘Woodchopper’s Ball’ from Woody Herman & His Orchestra. Note how the lead melody line moves from a note-bending clarinet to a swingin’ trombone, saxophone, muted-trumpet, etc… This is an early homage to what we know as jazz.

One of the few integrated bands of the era was Benny Goodman. Born to poor immigrant Russian Jews, Goodman was known as the “King of Swing” and played the African-American artform which originated in New Orleans known as jazz music. Note how Goodman’s song uses a clashing chord structure against a strong drum beat to begin the song. This track, ‘Sing, Sing, Sing’ continues to be a popular song. Goodman was the orchestra leader but also played clarinet or “licorice stick.” He quickly moves in front of the orchestra in this song. Goodman was among the earlier significant Big Bands to integrate black and white players. Among those was Charlie Christian. A magnificent player, as we hear on the song, ‘Swing to Bop’ was among the earliest guitar players to experiment with amplification of an electrified guitar. Christian’s “hectic lifestyle” would lead to tuberculosis and an early death at the age of only 25. Christian’s playing, his role in an integrated band, and his untimely death as a young man made him legendary figure among serious guitar players.


As the amplification of instruments began to take hold, fewer musicians would be necessary to elevate the sound of the band above the din of the audience. Economics of the road also afforded Big Bands to downscale to quartets (4), quintets (5) and septets (7). During this era jazz moved from dance music to recital pieces where audiences would pay to simply sit and listen to the musicians perform. As the bands became smaller, the music became more complex: allowing the musicians to improvise fluidly within the band. At its height, this sound became known as Be Bop. Two figures best exemplify Be Bop including a saxophone player from Kansas City named Charlie’ Yardbird’ Parker and a trumpeter named Dizzy Gillespie.




Among the legendary African-American Big Bands are “Duke” Ellington (Washington D.C.) and “Count” Basie (New Jersey). Primarily dance bands, Ellington and Basie would introduce carefully arranged musical pieces which continue to be studied and influential upon contemporary musicians. 






Ellington employed the openly gay and black songwriter Billy Strayhorn. Legend has it, to demonstrate his songwriting ability, Strayhorn wrote the song, 'Take the ‘A’ Train’ using the actual directions he took to get to the ‘job interview’ with Ellington.









In this example, it is being sung by noted African-American singer Ella Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald used a jazz-based lyrical approach called, ‘scat’ in this song. Using nonsensical syllables, Fitzgerald uses her voice to emulate other instruments in the band. I have included popular songs from Basie and Ellington. Notice how Strayhorn uses the instruments in the band to emulate a train.


While Jazz was a rapidly developing artform during this era, as the song, ‘Goin’ to Chicago Blues’ indicates, this form of music is premised upon the African-American artform known as the blues. 






Here we hear Basie’s piano playing and Jimmy Rushing’s vocals. For a pure delta blues acoustic sound, I have included a track by the highly mythologized “King of the Delta Blues” Robert Johnson. This song, ‘Crossroads Blues’ would later be covered by Classic Rock artist Eric Clapton in his Hall of Fame band, Cream.’ Clapton was one of the most influential guitar players in recorded music history. 

During segregation enlisted blacks were often given service roles and not allowed to fight. In the, ‘Uncle Sam Says,’ Josh White notes diminished roles in a segregated army. 


                                            
  
Airplanes flying 'cross the land and sea,  Everybody flying but a Negro like me. Uncle Sam says, "Your place is on the ground,  When I fly my airplanes, don’t want no Negro 'round.

 The same thing for the Navy, when ships go to sea, 
 All they got is a mess boy’s job for me. 
 Uncle Sam says, "Keep on your apron, son, You know I ain’t          gonna let you shoot my big Navy gun.

 Got my long government letter, my time to go, 
 When I got to the Army found the same old Jim Crow. 
 Uncle Sam says, "Two camps for black and white,

 But when trouble starts, we’ll all be in that same big fight. 
 If you ask me, I think democracy is fine, 
 I mean democracy without the color line. 
 Uncle Sam says, "We’ll live the American way," 
 Let’s get together and kill Jim Crow today."

Jim Crow Laws were the result of the court case, Plessy Versus Ferguson (1896). In this case the Judicial System found that “separate but equal” would become the law of the land. We see examples of this in “white only” water fountains, “black only” restrooms and segregation at lunch counters, hotels, restaurants and concerts. During World War 2, as the lyrics indicate, the troops were segregated. In 1948 President Harry S. Truman, from Independence, Missouri, would begin to integrate the troops. 

Today we are seeing the gender integration of the American military as women can fight in combat zones. The 1954 case Brown versus the Board of Education would end the policy of separate but equal and replace it with integration. The case occurred nearby in Topeka, Kansas. 



Famously, in 1965 The Beatles refused to play a segregated concert which resulted in the integration of the audience. Other performs including James Brown and Otis Redding also refused to adhere to “color lines” in their audiences. I have included a second song by Josh White, ‘Jim Crow Train’ where the singer relates travel in a segregated train. Note how he used the guitar to emulate a train slowly picking up speed.  

As a result of the war, and the need to labor to replace those men in uniform, southern blacks in search of jobs during the war would arrive in northern industrial cities such as Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Chicago’s Chess Records was founded by two Polish Jewish brothers, Phil and Leonard whose last name was Czcy. (They Americanized their name to Chess). Chess Records recorded the blues of blacks coming up from the Mississippi delta cotton regions. This flight to the north is known as the “Blue(s) Highway.” 

When they think of the blues today, most Americans are referencing the electrified sounds of Chess Records. Overtime similar niche sounds would develop including Motown Records in Detroit – a/k/a “The Motor City.” Stax Records in Memphis would become the home of soul music. The sound of Stax can be heard today in numerous popular music acts including Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Leon Bridges, Shaun & Starr, St. Paul & the Broken Bones, and others.

Americans Buddy Holly, a white man, and Chuck Berry, (seen here doing the "duckwalk") a black man on Chess Records, were early performers in the genre of music now known as rock n’ roll. What made them unique in part was that they wrote their own songs. While writing your own material was common in roots music including blues, jazz, folk and country music, within popular music the song writer was usually not the performer.

In wholesale fashion musical acts in the 1960’s began to write and perform their own songs. Today musical artists are expected to write and perform original music. During World War 2 the “American Songbook” was written by non-performers. This includes Broadway Plays and Musicals. Noted names include George & Ira Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Rogers & Hammerstein, Johnny Mercer, Cole Porter, and Irving Berlin. Over the years these songs were written by writers known as ‘Tin Pan Alley.’ In London it is referred to as Denmark Street.

           STAGE & MOVIE MUSIC:

In 1929 the American economy suffered a collapse of our economy. It is known as the Wall Street Crash and signaled the start of the Great Depression. The Great Depression bled into the Second World War. During this era the silver screen (movies) became popular distractions from the harsh realities of life. Many films of this era were musicals that had came from stage productions. The music from this plays and films show up in popular culture and are known for their positive and uplifting messages.

As a young man I lived in England. While there I attend soccer games. Unlike American sports fans, Englishmen sing during the ‘football match.’ A song that was sung then, and continues to be sung to this day by English football fans was a song from the 1945 stage production form the Rogers and Hammerstein stage production, Carousel, “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” As the lyrics indicate, after the war people bore the emotional costs of the death and destruction that war extols.

Of the many examples of noted songwriters of the famed, “American Songbook” include Irving Berlin. For a very long time, ‘White Christmas’ was the best-selling song of all time. It was featured in the stage musical and film of the same name. The song is sung here by the star of the film, Bing Crosby. Berlin would write numerous scores which transferred into pop music including these two famous tracks from the musical, ‘Annie Get Your Gun.’ (‘Anything You Can Do’ and ‘There’s No Business Like Show Business’).

Films were also popular vehicles for music. Included on our list is ‘When You Wish Upon a Star’ from Walt Disney’s 1940 cartoon Pinocchio. Notice how the song reflects a likely deep felt desire for hope and optimism at a time when the United States was moving amid the crushing effects of the Great Depression and being drug into the wars in Europe and Asia.

Also from the same time, (1939), is the very well-known song from the very popular film, ‘The Wizard of Oz’ (written from Frank Baum from South Dakota). If you recall the film, it was quite literally film as motion pictures moved from strictly black and white to colour films. The beginning of the film is shot in black and white (sepia tones) but as the protagonist (Dorothy) finds herself in the Land of Oz the film shifts to color.

An interesting footnote to this genre of music from the World War 2 is the music of noted African-American opera singer Paul Robeson. Heard here performing the song, ‘Ol’ Man River’ from the musical Show Boat – which was written by Great American songwriters Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern. Show Boat featured Mississippi river life in racially segregated America and is considered to be an American Masterpiece. After the conclusion of the Second World War a “cold war” against the USSR replaced the threat of Nazi Germany and Imperialist Japan. As a black man, Robeson supported the policies of Soviet Russia (USSR) and moved there from 1934 – 1941. Robeson’s activism was received with mixed results and he was often ostracized for his pro-Soviet stances as well as for his strong Civil Rights positions including activism against lynching’s of African-Americans during this era.

This era of music includes a genre of “Propaganda Music.” In this instance, Propaganda Music is where popular music is used to connote a message in support of the American War effort and/or against the enemies of the war including Germany, Japan, and Italy. A plain silly sounding song, ‘Der Fuhrer’s Face’ is performed in a comical, British music hall style. “Der Fuhrer” refers to the phase by which German’s referred to Nazi Germany’s leader Adolph Hitler.

Other examples of using music to support or reflect the war effort included here are the Kay Kyser Orchestra’s ‘Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition. ’

Also included is, ‘This is the Army Mister Jones’ as written by Irving Berlin (above) but performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The song, ‘Mairzy Doats’ is a popular nonsensical nursery rhyme song that is still referred to frequently in popular culture (Mares eat oats).

Another example is the Andrew’s Sisters (above) version of the ever popular ‘Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.’ This song ties together the common experience of being in the military and the birth of a new form of post-blues popular music known as boogie woogie. The song would be a hit in the late-20th Century when Bette Midler had a hit with it in 1972. Midler is a Jew whose career began by performing popular songs of the stage and screen in New York City ‘bath houses.’

Country Music has long been a ‘story tellers’ forum. It was in the pre-war Depression that Woody Guthrie began his music career. Perhaps his best known song is, ‘This Land is Your Land’ (Performed here by Bruce Springsteen). 

Originally a protest song, Guthrie wanted to bring focus to the plights of American’s during the “dust bowl” and Great Depression eras. He is clearly engaging in the value of dissent as he argues that the United States belongs as much to the common working man as it does to the wealthy. Today a similar argument in heard in contemporary political discussion and the “one percent” of Americans who are wealthy and who, according to this argument, have interests that are dissimilar to those of the middle and lower working classes. Guthrie’s son, Arlo Guthrie would become a popular protest singer of the 1960’s. Guthrie’s granddaughter, Sarah Guthrie, is an up-and-coming modern singer songwriter and performs regularly in the Omaha area. Woody Guthrie was very influential upon Nobel Prize winner and ‘voice of a generation’ Bob Dylan.

Outlaw songs were a part of Guthrie’s songbook (as well as that of Johnny Cash, Dylan, Merle Haggard, and others). His song ‘Pretty Boy Floyd’ is about a bank robber of the same name. Like ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ Floyd was a bank robber who gained sympathy among desperate Americans living through the Great Depression. Charles Floyd was shot and killed in 1934.

As we wind up our exploration of popular music from World War 2 – we want to very briefly look at classical music. Gershwin’s ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ is often featured in modern advertising. This brilliant piece of music is colorful, expressive and wonderfully textured as the lead instrument shifts from piano to stringed orchestra and back.

Also featured in this segment is Aaron Copeland’s ‘Fanfare for the Common Man.’ Written in 1942 Copland wanted a big piece of music that boldly proclaimed the life and toil of the common or working man. It is an extraordinary piece of music. 

Finally, only somewhat pertinent is the song, ‘Life Every Voice and Sing’ (Sung here by the "Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin).This song is based upon a poem written in the late 19th Century and is considered to the African-American National Anthem. It is also a part of the protestant church hymnal. It is a powerful piece of music and, once again, signals the hopes and dreams of any Americans. 

As we close out this study, we end with two songs from Vera Lynn. Known as, ‘The Forces Sweetheart’ Lynn was an English woman whose catalogue speaks directly to Englishmen and Europeans during the war. As soldiers left England for the European battlefield, The White Cliffs of Dover, was a geographical formation found on the southern short of England that, for many, would be their last glimpse of their homeland. 

Her luscious track, ‘We’ll Meet Again’ is often heard in films and television programs. It is a song of hope, blues skies and a better tomorrow. I can remember hearing this song being sung as social gathering in England when I lived there in 1975. In a typically British fashion, the song quickly opens up to include a sing-a-long that invites everyone to share a common forlorn emotion.





FOOTNOTES:

1 - For example, Sun Records in Memphis brought together the sounds of the white gospel church with the sounds of white Appalachian folk music and the sounds of black delta blues singers. According to most music critics, this amalgamation would birth rock and roll records. Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison were among the stable of stars that began recording on Sun Records. This photo depicts Elvis Presley at the piano surrounded by Jerry Lee "The Killer" Lewis (red), Carl "Blue Suade Shoes" Perkins (blue), and Johnny "The Man in Black" Cash" (green). This is known as the 'Million Dollar Quartet' and they each began their recording careers on Sun Records. Today there is a Broadway musical depicting the Million Dollar quartet.

2 - Parker’s nickname “Yardbird” would become the name of a London band in the 1960’s that became a famous proving ground for the future “guitar Gods” of the Classic Rock Era. These include Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin).

3- In 1980, before walking on stage, the English Classic Rock band, The Rolling Stones would air a recording of this Ellington track. It was unique method for The Stones to introduce many of for those from my generation to one of America’s great jazz bands.

4 - http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-14963752

5 - For a comprehensive list go to: greatamericansongbook.net/pages/misc_pages/songwriters.html

6 - In the late 1950’s and early 1960’s ‘The Brill Building’ sound would include many famous Jewish songwrites; several of whom would later become famous in their own right including: Paul Simon (Simon & Garfunkel), Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Neil Diamond, Neil Sedaka, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, and Al Kooper (Blood, Sweat & Tears, Dylan). Burt Bachrach would also be a significant non-performing songwriter of the 1960’s.

7 - ‘White Christmas’ was replaced as the best-selling song of all time by Elton John’s remake homage to the late Princess Diana of England, ‘Candle in the Wind.’ I was working in the pre-recorded music retail industry at the time. At the time of Diana’s death we were given, for free, “cassingles” cassettes of the song: which we sold for the extraordinary low prices of only ten cents. Other cassignles at that time were being sold for $1.29. Originally ‘Candle in the Wind’ was a tribute to the late film actress Marilyn Monroe. John changed the words to create a tribute to the deceases Princess Diana whose son is Prince William of England. William is now second in line, behind his father Prince Charles, to the throne in England and the United Kingdom.

8 - This is not the film/original version of this song. This version is shot by a Mexican-American named Linda Ronstadt. Ronstadt was a very popular singer in the 1970’s and would eventually record a series a albums in the 1940’s style with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. Ronstadt is also noted in rock history for employing and nurturing the musicians who would later become the Eagles. Although other bands would sell more records globally, no other music act sold more domestic recordings than the Eagles.

9 - http://www.wendyswizardofoz.com/FAQ00037.htm

10 - http://www.npr.org/2003/05/31/1279965/ol-man-river-an-american-masterpiece

11 - A cold war is a state of political hostility between countries characterized by threats, propaganda, and other measures short of open warfare, in particular. This was the state of non-violent, political hostility that existed between the Soviet bloc countries and the US-led Western powers from 1945 to 1990.

12- In 1919 Will Brown was lynched in Omaha, Nebraska. As a 14 year old boy Henry Fonda was a witness to this event. Fonda would go on to become one of America’s greatest male film actors. http://www.nebraskastudies.org/0700/frameset_reset.html?http://www.nebraskastudies.org/0700/stories/0701_0134.html

13 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6p5XKFl_IY

14 - The largest murder of Federal Agents occurred at a railroad station in Kansas City in 1933. Today this site is a children’s museum and is located near the Plaza area in Kansas City. Initially it was through Floyd was responsible for the Kansas City Massacre although he denied any role.

15 - 'Fanfare for the Common Man' would be recorded by the 70’s three-piece English progressive rock band, Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Like ‘Take the ‘A’ Train, Fanfare was the opening signal to the Rolling Stones 1975/76 Tour of the Americas.