Popular Patriotic Music, 1905 - 1919 - Music at the Weston Historical Society
The following musical selections were recorded over 100 years ago. Through the crackles and pops of these worn lp’s, patriotic music is presented with passion, as well as sardonic wit. Beginning with tunes penned by Broadway impresario George M. Cohan, the music transitions from tongue in cheek wit, to the patriotic zeal of “Over There”, then to James Reese Europe and Noble Sissle’s satirical depiction of what it was like to serve in the trenches. Finally, our last song “How Ya gonna Keep Em Down on the Farm” mirrors the shift in the national zeitgeist.
This music is representative of a time when the world was rapidly changing, whether music was played on phonographs or in pavilions, the following tunes will transport you through the Progressive Era into the Roaring Twenties.
Popular Patriotic Music, 1905 - 1919
July 3, 2020
Popular Patriotic Music from 1905 - 1919
Song List & Song History
1905 - Yankee Doodle Boy, Composed by: George M Cohan Performed by: Billy Murray One of many renditions of the American classic that was originally meant as an insult by the British during the American Revolution. The Patriots embraced the song and made it their own.
1906 - You’re a Grand Old Rag, Composed by: George M. Cohan Performed by: Billy Murray Written for the hit Broadway musical “George Washington, Jr.”, audiences loved it, but Cohan had to change “rag” to “flag”, since critics (and only critics) lambasted him for using the word rag. Cohan would later say that the song was inspired by a Gettysburg battle veteran he met years earlier. The Civil War veteran purportedly and wistfully referred to Old Glory as a “grand old rag”.
1915 - Booster Box Trot (An American Absurdity) Composed by: M.L. Lake Performed by Victor Military Band Named after Harry Fox, this 1914 ballroom dance sensation was considered uniquely and quintessentially American. Originally called Fox’s Trot, the dance quickly became known as the Fox Trot. It is said that the dance “put everybody in a good mood.
1917 - Over There, Composed by: George M. Cohan, Performed by Nora Bayes "George M. Cohan, a successful Broadway producer, playwright, performer, lyricist and composer, wrote "Over There" on his way into work. The headlines that inspired him the morning of April 6, 1917, were not ordinary. They announced that the U.S. had abandoned its isolationist policy and entered World War I on the side of the Allied Powers against the Central Powers (Germany, Austro-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire)...President Wilson described 'Over There' as 'a genuine inspiration to all American manhood' and Cohan remained unwavering in his patriotic fervor.” - Library of Congress
1919 - On Patrol in No Man’s Land, Composed by: James Reese Europe and Noble Sissle, Performed by: Lieut. Noble Sissle Accompanied by Lieut. Jim Europe’s 369th U.S. Inf. (“Hell Fighters”) Band “...a significant number of artists and performers grew increasingly disillusioned with a war {World War I} in which 9,000,000 individuals lost their lives (117,000 of whom were Americans). Thus Cohan’s work was contrapuntal to the edgier music produced by performers such as James Reese Europe and Noble Sissle who drew on their direct experience of war’s brutality to develop works such as 'On Patrol in No Man's Land' recorded for Pathe in March, 1919." - Library of Congress
1919 - How Ya Gonna Keep ‘Em Down on the Farm? (After They’ve seen Paree) Composed by: Lewis, Young and Donaldson, Performed by: Arthur Fields “The deceptively upbeat song examines the culture shock that American soldiers would certainly face when they return from the bright lights and big cities overseas - like the glitzy provocative Paris - to their homespun lives down on the farm.” - Songfacts