Anne Greene
here. I’ve written about what Scottish men
wore under their kilts, and what happened to their kilts. I told you that you
would find more spectacular information about what changed the Scottish
Highlanders and their way of life in my book Masquerade Marriage.
And overseas, American troops had regular access to radio in all but the
most difficult combat situations. American troops listened to popular music on
Armed Forces Radio between bouts of combat.
Popular songs like Sentimental Journey, I’ll be Seeing You, Moonlight Serenade, and I’ll be Home for Christmas, all
spoke of women’s longings for loved ones overseas and the troops yearning to be
home. Those songs gave society’s blessing that it was okay to miss your man
because he fought for the good of Americans everywhere. And the many patriotic
songs brought smiles to faces and pride to the hearts of Americans on the home
front and abroad.
This unity gave the USA an enormous energy
that allowed the nation to accomplish far more, at less human cost, than the
other major powers in the war. So during the dark years of the war where almost every
citizen lost a loved one, music kept
spirits high.
And the story
continues in my long awaited book, Marriage
By Arrangement, which releases on the 6th of next month,
December 6, 2013.
This 14th
day of November, I’m writing once again about events during World War II.
During World War II
the American people kept their spirits and hopes high with the many new songs
that blossomed during the first dark years of the war when America was losing
the battle to Hitler’s Germany and Japan’s Hirohito.
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World War II was the first conflict to take place in the age when almost
ninety percent of American households had radio. Never before had it been
possible for songs to be so widely distributed to the population. Never
before had the number of listeners been so high.
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The song, They’re Either Too Young or Too Old took a light-hearted look
at the men left for the women on the home front while American Troops were off
fighting the war.
Popular songs like Sentimental Journey, I’ll be Seeing You, Moonlight Serenade, and I’ll be Home for Christmas, all
spoke of women’s longings for loved ones overseas and the troops yearning to be
home. Those songs gave society’s blessing that it was okay to miss your man
because he fought for the good of Americans everywhere. And the many patriotic
songs brought smiles to faces and pride to the hearts of Americans on the home
front and abroad.
Earlier in the century big band music had grown wildly popular and still
was in the 1940s. Some of the more popular war songs were:
There’ll Be Bluebirds Over The White Cliffs of Dover by Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra.
Be Careful It’s My Heart
by Irving Berlin. 1942
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
by the Andrews Sisters 1941
Comin’ In On A Wing and A Prayer by The Song Spinners
Don’t Get Around Much Anymore by Duke Ellington & His Orchestra
Don’t Sit Under The Apple Tree With Anyone Else But Me by 1942 by Stept, Brown, and Tobias.
Every Time We Say Goodbye by Cole Porter 1944
GI Jive by Johnny Mercer
I Don’t Want To Walk Without You by Harry James& His Orchestra 1942
I’ll Be Seeing You
by Bing Crosby
It’s Been A Long Long Time by Harry James
I’ll Get By As Long As I Have You by Harry James& His Orchestra
Kiss The Boys Goodbye by Frank Loesser 1941
Praise The Lord and Pass The Ammunition by Frank Loesser 1942
People in the USA held the same desires as
their leaders, and the government counted on popular music to reflect the same
war aims that Franklin Delano Roosevelt wanted. Everyone hoped for a quick
final victory over the Axis, and the songs about a world after the war with the
boys coming home met those wishes.
This unity gave the USA an enormous energy
that allowed the nation to accomplish far more, at less human cost, than the
other major powers in the war. So during the dark years of the war where almost every
citizen lost a loved one, music kept
spirits high.
Have you heard any of these popular songs, and if so, which is your
favorite?
Leave a comment and one lucky winner will win my book, A Texas Christmas Mystery. Please leave your email
address so I can contact you for your address.
ANNE GREENE delights in writing about wounded heroes and
gutsy heroines. Her second novel, a Scottish historical, Masquerade Marriage, won
the New England Reader Choice award, the Laurel Wreath Award, and the Heart of
Excellence Award. The sequel Marriage By
Arrangement releases December 6, 2013.
A Texas Christmas Mystery also
won awards. Anne makes her home in McKinney, Texas. She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree
in Literary Studies from the University of Texas. Tim LaHaye led her to the
Lord when she was twenty-one, and Chuck Swindoll is her Pastor. View Anne’s
other books, her blog, travel pictures, and art work at http://www.AnneGreeneAuthor.com. Her highest hope is
that her stories transport the reader to an awesome new world and touch hearts
to seek a deeper spiritual relationship with the Lord Jesus.
Join Anne for
excellent writing tips on her blog,
Don’t forget to leave
a comment. Anne loves to talk with her fans.
