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evil songs


pogo97

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Our next gig is in honour of the start of WWI. It's a bit like celebrating the world's biggest and most utterly pointless cluster-phuck. Unnecessary and truly dreadful.

 

Never mind, we're doing the gig as though we were performing in 1919, so that will allow some lovely pre-war songs and some good non-war songs from the period. And at least one anti-war song ("I Didn't Raise My Boy to be a Soldier") and a few good "griping about the army" songs.

 

But some of the recruiting songs are truly evil in their depiction of the simplicity of warfare, while being very catchy songs with chorusses that people still remember.

 

From K-K-K-Katie, which was really just a novelty song but with verses set in and enthusiastic about the war:

 

No one ever looked so nice and neat, No one could be just as cute and sweet,

That’s what Jimmy thought, When the wedding ring he bought,

Soon he’ll go to France, the foe to meet.

Jimmy thought he’d like to take a chance, See if he could make the Kaiser dance,

Stepping to a tune, All about the silv’ry moon,

This is what they’ll hear in far off France.

 

or these ultra-patriotic verses from the otherwise-lovely "Keep the Home Fires Burning"

"we gave our glorious laddies" = "we drafted the peasants"

 

They were summoned from the hillside they were called in from the glen,

And the country found them ready at the stirring call for men.

Let no tears add to their hardships as the soldiers pass along,

And although your heart is breaking make it sing this cheery song

 

Keep the Home Fires Burning, while your hearts are yearning,

Though your lads are far away they dream of home.

There’s a silver lining through the dark clouds shining,

Turn the dark cloud inside out ‘til the boys come home.

 

Overseas there came a pleading, “Help a nation in distress.”

And we gave our glorious laddies, honour bade us do no less,

For no gallant son of freedom to a tyrant’s yoke should bend,

And a noble heart must answer to the sacred call of “Friend.”

 

 

But the most truly awful (not unskilled, but awful) for its cynicism, is probably "Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag."

 

Private Perks is a funny little codger with a smile a funny smile.

Five feet none, he’s and artful little dodger with a smile a funny smile.

Flush or broke he’ll have his little joke, he can’t be suppressed.

All the other fellows have to grin when he gets this off his chest, Hi!

 

Pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag, And smile, smile, smile,

While you’ve a lucifer to light your fag, smile, boys, that’s the style.

What’s the use of worrying? It never was worth while, so

Pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag, and smile, smile, smile

 

Private Perks went a-marching into Flanders with his smile his funny smile.

He was lov’d by the privates and commanders for his smile his funny smile.

When a throng of Bosches came along with a mighty swing,

Perks yell’d out, “This little bunch is mine! Keep your heads down, boys and sing, Hi!

 

chorus

 

Private Perks he came back from Bosche-shooting with his smile his funny smile.

Round his home he then set about recruiting with his smile his funny smile.

He told all his pals, the short, the tall, what a time he’d had;

And as each enlisted like a man Private Perks said ‘Now my lad,’ Hi!

 

chorus

 

And I'll sing these bastards just as though I believed them right down to my soul, because that's how they should be sung. Weird world.

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The lyrics simply represent culture at the time. As odd or offensive as they may seem now, it was the period. Just me but if I was hired to do this, I'd perform the songs of the times because you're honoring a time. If they bother you too much............walk.

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They do represent an aspect of the culture of the time; an aspect that may have been more-or-less invisible to contemporaries. But so do the anti-war songs and the songs about conditions at the front ("Oh What a Lovely War!") and the usual run of moon/spoon/June songs they coexisted with. I sing the propaganda songs not to honour but more to expose them to our own time. They don't bother or offend me -- they are just echos of a time long past, same as the hundreds of coon songs from the period.

 

I think it's useful to see the powerful propaganda machine that was fired up to promote "the great war" (is always fired up to promote any war, no matter how unjust or pointless). Do I think this will change anything? No. Do I think it's a valid pursuit? Yes.

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However, the era is set at 1919? So it is post-war...beginning of the Jazz Age..ragtime...

But indeed, there was a definitely jingoistic tone to the war years songs, like 'Over There...', (George M got the Medal of Honor for that song, from FDR, btw]

Do you do 'It's a Long Way to Tipperary'? Mademoiselle from Armentières is another great one from the WWI era...

 

but you also have all the other Cohan material, Irving Berlin...[Alexander's Ragtime Band]

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I've been thinking about "Over There." Haven't hauled it up yet. Already have more songs than we need. We certainly do Tipperary. M from A is a good one too (but not "Three German Soldiers Crossed the Rhine"). Hmm. Hmm.

 

Just finished up a first draft of the poster. I'm pretty pleased with it. The event has been named "Keep the Home Fires Burning."

 

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Songs also take on different meanings over time. I've heard "Pack Up Your Troubles" a million times over the years, but always performed as simply a "buck up and smile!" song rather than any particular war reference. I had no idea what the words to the verses actually were.

 

. I'm sure none of your audience will either. It's just a happy old song now. And good for that occasion. Similar to how nobody really understands or sings or listens to Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas with the melancholy tone for which it was originally intended. And some of the lyrics have actually been altered over the years.

 

I'm not sure art can truly exist if it can't be flexible with its messages and interpretations over time and from person to person.

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Pogo, I think the '1919' theme should actually downplay the Doughboy thing and focus more on the post-war elation/euphoria that led to the 'roaring 20s'...but that's just my opinion.

 

I think it's more complex than that. Some of the "euphoria" of the 20s was driven by nihilism brought on by disillusionment with the "old" world order. But I've really not gotten into that yet and I'm not a social historian so YMMV.

 

I've begun some preliminary sketches of a play/revue called "Gananoque 1919" that will chronicle setting up for (act 1) and the performance of (act 2) a show on Dominion Day (July 1) in 1919. Characters include a young veteran with an "upper leg" injury and his fiancee and sundry others with varying takes on the end of the "war to end all wars." I cried at some points while imagining it -- usually a good sign. Time will tell.

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I'm a little confused. What sort of function celebrates the start of WWI? I'm not saying they can't, I'm just wondering why they're celebrating the start, and not the end.

 

Anyway, the two biggest WWI war songs I can recall are Over There and Lili Marlene. I guess Lili Marlene was more popular in WWII, but it was apparently written during WWI.

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They are, in fact, careful to avoid using the word "celebrate." As I recall, it's "commemorate." But there's still lots of government money floating around. Our current Canadian government is rather fond of old wars and I sometimes think they feel a bit left out in these locally-peaceful times. Not like anybody will be celebrating or commemorating the beginning of our involvement in Afghanistan in 2101.

 

At any rate, we're trying to come up with an event that touches on the "war spirit" and the "anti-war spirit" and also the "peace spirit" without getting all mawkish and weird about it.

 

Guido, I get your poke in the ribs about dates, but these presentations in general are about the war rather than the lead-up to it. We only do one song from 1919 -- "Let the Rest of the World Go By." I was tempted to include the 1926 song "My Dream �of the Big Parade" but ultimately dropped it because we don't have the prep time or resources to do it justice.

 

 

 

Last night I was dreaming of days that are gone,

Of days that you might recall,

And just like a photoplay upon my wall,

Once more I saw it all;

It was just a dream you see,

But how real it seemed to be.

 

Chorus

I saw buddies true,

Marching two by two,

In my dream of the Big Parade,

I saw angels fair

With the Red Cross there,

In my dream of the Big Parade.

I saw Gold Star Mothers, sisters and brothers,

What a sacrifice they made;

I saw one-legged pals coming home to their gals,

In my dream of the Big Parade.

 

I saw Chateau-Thierry all filled with marines,

I strolled by the river Seine,

I saw all the villages 'mid fields of green,

In old Alsace Lorraine;

And the mem'ry lingers yet,

They were scenes I can't forget.

(Chorus)

 

Spoken:

Millions of soldiers, millions of men

All going over--I see them again.

Oceans of water, submarines, too:

Millions of sailors helping them through.

Millions of doughboys landing in Brest,

Marching, marching, never a rest.

Millions of bullets thundering past.

Millions of bodies, wounded and gashed.

Valleys of ruins, mountains of mud,

Beautiful rivers and rivers of blood.

Airplanes flying, bombs coming down.

Millions of cooties crawling around.

Pieces of shrapnel, pieces of shell,

Many a cross where somebody fell.

Fighting and fighting a horrible war,

And God only knows what you're fighting it for.

Then came November, that Armistice Day;

Out of a trench, into a cafe.

Patty, Abie, Jimmy, and Jack,

Over their bottles of wine and cognac,

Telling their love tales to Jeanne and Georgette,

Little French girls they had to forget.

Ah, then came the journey over the foam,

But all that went over didn't come home

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WWI started 100 years ago yesterday, so I imagine that's the reason they are celebrating the start of it. But then if you're going to be strictly authentic, why play songs as late as 1919? Shouldn't they be playing nothing written after 7/28/1914? ;)

 

Yes I suppose so, but in a way I stand by my original question - why the start and not the end? Let's just wait a few years. However, perhaps for Pogo97's sake, he'll get a couple of gigs out of this = 100 years from the start and 100 years from the end.

 

I just heard "the whole" story of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Apparently on that fateful day, he had just dodged an attempt on his life. His car drove to the hospital (other members of his party were injured in the first attack) but incredibly, the Archduke and his wife left the hospital and decided to brave the parade crowds again. To make matters worse, his driver was misinformed of the proper route, and drove straight into the assasins - who had all but given up hope of getting their man. Yep, somebody went oops big time.

 

 

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Yeah, they'll probably celebrate both dates. Especially for this war, which has a more memorable end date than a start date. But usually it's the other way around. What do you think will be the bigger celebration? The 100th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor? Or the 100th anniversary of whenever the heck VJ and VE Days were? I say celebrate 'em all. The more drinks to sell the merrier!

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However, perhaps for Pogo97's sake, he'll get a couple of gigs out of this = 100 years from the start and 100 years from the end.

 

 

Couple of gigs?! A ten-year career! Heck, a hundred-year career!!

 

The United States did not formally end its involvement in the war until the Knox–Porter Resolution was signed on 2 July 1921 by President Warren G. Harding.[165] For the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the state of war ceased under the provisions of the Termination of the Present War (Definition) Act 1918 with respect to:

  • Germany on 10 January 1920.[166]
  • Austria on 16 July 1920.[167]
  • Bulgaria on 9 August 1920.[168]
  • Hungary on 26 July 1921.[169]
  • Turkey on 6 August 1924.[170]

After the Treaty of Versailles, treaties with Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire were signed. However, the negotiation of the latter treaty with the Ottoman Empire was followed by strife (the Turkish War of Independence), and a final peace treaty between the Allied Powers and the country that would shortly become the Republic of Turkey was not signed until 24 July 1923, at Lausanne.

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[resolution of cognitive dissonance] Well, at least I learned a bunch of great songs!! [/resolution of cognitive dissonance]

 

We're now a full-service antiquary band. We have songs for all your era-themed parties.

pre-1910 : 35

1910 to 1919 : 33

1920 to 1929 : 57

1930 to 1939 : 78

1940 to 1949 : 35

1950 to 1959 : 24

I can play quite a few songs post 1960 but don't encourage it for the duo.

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And after all this, the gig got cancelled yesterday. Poor ticket sales.

 

That sucks. Sounds like it would have been a cool event. Tough to whip up much nostalgia for events for which no one is living to remember,

I suppose.

 

Civil War re-creations notwithstanding, of course.

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