The music produced in the 1930's and 40's reflected events that were going on during the time. For example, in 1939, isolationist songs such as "Let Them Keep it Over There" were produced, but so were anti-isolationist songs, such as "Arms for the Love of America".
After America entered the war, patriotic songs were produced by the dozen. "God Bless America" was written by Irving Berlin in World War I, but was later revised and used in World War II. Easier to sing than the national anthem, the song is still an immense hit today. During the war, artists such as Cole Porter("Anything Goes"), Glenn Miller ("Moonlight Serenade"), and Frank Sinatra were thrown into national attention.
The role of musicians in the United States were different than the roles of those in the Axis or Allied powers. They were in high demand from the federal government and the military, as well as from the citizens. Therefore, music composed during the 1940s was different than music from any other time period, as it emphasized making the listener feel like he or she was in the midst of the war itself.
The desires of the people of the United States were remarkably identical to the desires of the government. The government could count on popular music reflecting the same war desires they had. Music was a reflection of the desires of the nation as well as a binding agent, drawing every person in.
Although America in World War II is most known for its massive outpouring of weapons as the arsenal of democracy, there was a deluge of popular, wartime music. This music would transform the spirit of the war and be a powerful remnant of the 1940's.
Sources:
https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/world-war-ii/essays/forties-and-music-world-war-ii
http://users.dickinson.edu/~history/product/garrity/section2.html
http://www.popmatters.com/feature/172535-sounds-of-war/P1/
It is interesting that music can be used to generalize the attitudes of the people during certain time periods. There is a unique ability for the pop culture of a time period, especially music, to capture what the people believe. This is true for many time periods, for example the song "Blue Skies" during the 1920's portrayed the general euphoria of the era.
ReplyDeleteI never thought about music in this way it was very interesting to think about music as a way for people to understand what is happening in their world and now looking back helping us and others understand what was happening on a first person basis. It was very interesting to know the names of some of the popular songs and learning more about WWII from listening to those songs. Interesting that the government also used popular music as a propganda or commercial aspect to get their citizens to understand.
ReplyDeleteHow much of a role did wartime music play in the cultural hegemony of the US after the war? Would American culture be as widespread without its music?
ReplyDeleteIt's important to note that music and other forms of entertainment were used to boost American morale both at home and abroad. Musicians like Glenn Miller and comedians like Bob Hope traveled with soldiers to entertain them overseas.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.mtholyoke.edu/~knigh20c/classweb/miller.html
I think its interesting how important music was to the people, government, and war effort. Its a big contrast with today because our music today doesn't discuss any political issues or any serious topics at all, which I think is why music is way less vital to our world today. What caused music to start drifting away from issues of the country and focus on butts?
ReplyDeleteI agree that music often changes during times of war, but I'm confused as to why. Is it that because the government contracted top musicians to write propaganda? Also, if the US was the generator of so much popular culture during the war, what effect do you think American music had on postwar society?
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