Music in World War II - World War II songs
34 videos • 204 views • by André Wils In navolging over 80 jaar Vrijheid, gaat André Liedjes van de Tweede Wereld Oorlog plaatsen. Following on from 80 years of Freedom, André will post Songs of the Second World War. World War II was the first conflict to take place in the age of electronically distributed music. Many people in the war had a pressing need to be able to listen to the radio and 78-rpm shellac records en masse. By 1940, 96.2% of Northeastern American urban households had radio. The lowest American demographic to embrace mass-distributed music, Southern rural families, still had one radio for every two households. Similar adoption rates and mass distribution of music occurred in Europe. During Nazi rule, radio ownership in Germany rose from 4 to 16 million households. As the major powers entered the war, millions of citizens had home radio devices that did not exist in the First World War. Therefore, World War II was a unique situation for music and its relationship to warfare. Never before was it possible for not only single songs, but also single recordings of songs to be so widely distributed to the population. Never before had the number of listeners to a single performance (a recording or broadcast production) been so high. Along with that, never before had states had so much power to determine not only what songs were performed and listened to, but also to control the recordings, not allowing local people to alter the songs in their own performances. Though local people still sang and produced songs, this form of music faced serious new competition from centralized electronic music. German-English song "Lili Marlene" was the most popular song of World War II with both German and British forces. Based on a German poem, the song was recorded in both English and German. The poem was set to music in 1938 and was a hit with troops in the Afrika Korps. Mobile desert combat required a large number of radio units, and the British troops in the North African Campaign started to enjoy the song so much that it was quickly translated into English. The song was used throughout the war as a propaganda tool. American music American troops had regular access to radio in all but the most difficult combat situations, and not only did soldiers know specific songs but also specific recordings. This gave a nature to American troops' music during WWII: not as many songs were sung around a fire or while marching, but instead were listened to between combat on Armed Forces Radio. British popular music and the BBC During the war, the BBC was forced to adapt, if only because British soldiers were listening to German radio stations to hear dance music. This adaptation did not commence without conflict. The BBC increased the amount of dance music played, but censorship was severe. The American hit "Coming in on a Wing and a Prayer," for example, was censored because of its almost blasphemous mix of religious words and a foxtrot melody. BBC heads were also worried about American-style crooners undermining the virility of British men. The BBC tried hard to stick to the jaunty tone which they felt had helped to win the first world war - so George Formby and Gracie Fields were regularly played. Britain did have a mass media which played popular music, much enjoyed by the Germans stationed in France and the Low Countries or flying over Britain. The most famous single performer was Vera Lynn who became known as "the forces' sweetheart". Popular concert songs in Britain during the war included: • Run, Rabbit, Run - Sung by Flanagan and Allen (1939) Words by Noel Gay & Ralph Butler. Music by Noel Gay. • There'll Always Be An England (1939–40) Words by Hughie Charles. Music by Ross Parker. Sung by Vera Lynn. • We'll Meet Again Words and Music by Ross Parker and Hughie Charles (1939) This is perhaps the most famous wartime song with the lines: We'll meet again Don't know where Don't know when But I know we'll meet again some sunny day Vera Lynn's recording was memorably played during an apocalyptic scene in Dr. Strangelove; the Byrds covered it (to similarly ironic effect) on their first album. • Kiss Me Goodnight, Sergeant-Major (1939), words by Don Pelosi, music by Art Noel • We're Going to Hang out the Washing on the Siegfried Line (1939), words by Jimmy Kennedy, music by Michael Carr • (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover Words by Nat Burton and Music by Walter Kent (1941–42) • When the Lights Go on Again Written by Eddie Seller, Sol Marcus, and Bennie Benjamin The theme tune of the TV series Dad's Army, "Who do you think you are kidding, Mr Hitler?" does not date from the war, although it was intended as a gentle pastiche of wartime songs. With lyrics by Jimmy Perry and music by Perry and Derek Taverner, it was sung by one of Perry's childhood idols, wartime entertainer Bud Flanagan who died in 1968, soon after the first episode played.