# Recommend some good WWII music, please **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 4, 2005, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-wwii-music-please/302367 "2005-05-04T13:43:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-wwii-music-please/302367/1 "2005-05-04T13:43:28Z")
This summer, I’m going to have some time on my hands. I’ve decided to do some radio programs on music that didn’t come from the 1980s. Since this is the 60th anniversary of the end of WWII, I thought it would be a good idea to do a show on music from that period. This is what I have so far: [ul] [li]Andrews Sisters: Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy[/li][li]Bing Crosby: Swinging on a Star[/li][li]Johnny Mercer: Accentuate the Positive[/li][li]Glenn Miller: String of Pearls[/li][li]Glenn Miller: Pennsylvania 6-5000[/li][li]Glenn Miller: In the Mood[/li][/ul] Any suggestions? Robin ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-wwii-music-please/302367/2 "2005-05-04T13:59:51Z")
Duke Ellington’s _Take The A Train_ is the essential theme music for the American Homefront in WW2. Also, look up all his other stuff, & then get on your knees & kow-tow to his greatness. Duke Ellington is on a par with Holy Cecil, in my book. 🆒🆒🆒🆒🆒🆒🆒🆒🆒🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-wwii-music-please/302367/3 "2005-05-04T14:02:50Z")
You could try some of the tunes on this album: [http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00080NI2O/026-0881993-1671628](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00080NI2O/026-0881993-1671628) Specially released in the UK for VE day - might be more Britain focused, but may have some worth looking at. > [@](#): > > Disc: 1 > > 1. We’ll Meet Again / When The Lights Go On Again / I’ll Pray For You-Vera Lynn > 2. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy-Andrews Sisters > 3. That Lovely Weekend-Dorothy Carless With Geraldo & His Orchestra > 4. In The Mood-Joe Loss & His Band > 5. You’ll Never Know-Vera Lynn > 6. I’m Nobody’s Baby-Nat Gonella & His Georgians > 7. You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To-Hutch > 8. Shoo Shoo Baby-Andrews Sisters > 9. A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square-Vera Lynn > 10. You Are My Sunshine-Harry Roy & His Band / Vocal Marjorie Kingsley > 11. Put Your Arms Around Me Honey-Joe Loss & His Orchestra / Vocal Elizabeth Batey > 12. Pennsylvania 65000-Harry Roy & His Band / Vocal The Roylets > 13. Don’t Sit Under The Apple Tree-Andrews Sisters > 14. Yours-Vera Lynn > 15. As Time Goes By-Turner Layton > 16. I’ve Got A Girl In Kalamazoo-Geraldo & His Orchestra / Vocal George Evans > 17. Who’s Taking You Home Tonight / Wishing / Wish Me Luck-Vera Lynn > 18. Chatanooga Choo Choo-Johnny Claes & His Band / Vocals Irene King & Benny Lee > 19. Be Careful It’s My Heart-Harry Roy & His Band Vocal Marjorie Kingsley > 20. Chick Henderson With Joe Loss & His Band-My Prayer > 21. Beer Barrel Polka-Andrews Sisters > 22. I Don’t Want To Set The World On Fire / Maybe / Coming Home-Vera Lynn > > Disc: 2 > > 1. This Is The Army Mister Jones / I Left My Heart At The Stage Door Canteen / It’s A Lovely Day Tomorrow-Vera Lynn > 2. This Is No Laughing Matter-Matter Geraldo & His Orchestra / Vocal Dorothy Carless > 3. Beat Me Daddy Eight To A Bar-Andrews Sisters > 4. I’ll Be Seeing You-Vera Lynn > 5. Someday Monday Always-Harry Roy & His Band / Vocal Marjorie Kingsley > 6. Moonlight Cocktail-Joe Loss & His Orchestra / Vocal Harry Kaye > 7. Aurora-Andrews Sisters > 8. Lili Marlene-Vera Lynn > 9. Lamplighters Serenade-Geraldo & His Orchestra / Vocal George Evans > 10. Sand In My Shoes-Hutch > 11. Ma, I Miss Your Apple Pie-Geraldo & His Orchestra / Vocal Three Boys & A Girl > 12. Run Rabbit Run-Harry Roy & His Band / Vocal The Roylets > 13. The White Cliffs Of Dover-Vera Lynn > 14. Don’t Get Around Much Any More-Harry Roy & His Band / Vocal Marjorie Kingsley > 15. Ferry Boat Serenade-Andrews Sisters > 16. At Last-Geraldo & His Orchestra / Vocal Beryl Davis & Len Camber > 17. Bless ‘Em All / The Washing On The Siegfried Line / Kiss Me Goodnight Sergeant Major-Vera Lynn > 18. Why Don’t You Fall In Love With Me-Harry Roy & His Band / Vocal Marjorie Kingsley > 19. I’m Sending My Blessings-Dorothy Carless With Geraldo & His Orchestra > 20. I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles-Nat Gonella & His Georgians Vocal Stella Moya > 21. I’ll Never Smile Again-Joe Loss & His Orchestra / Vocal Sam Browne > 22. Don’t Fence Me In / If I Had My Way / Deep In The Heart Of Texas-Vera Lynn > 23. Sentimental Journey-Cliff Richard > > Disc: 3 > > 1. Blood Toil Tears And Sweat (Taken from Sir Winston Churchill’s Famous Wartime Speeches) > 2. In A Solemn Hour (Taken from Sir Winston Churchill’s Famous Wartime Speeches) > 3. We Shall Fight On The Beaches (Taken from Sir Winston Churchill’s Famous Wartime Speeches) > 4. The War Of The Unknown Warriors (Taken from Sir Winston Churchill’s Famous Wartime Speeches) > 5. End Of The War In Europe (Taken from Sir Winston Churchill’s Famous Wartime Speeches) ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-wwii-music-please/302367/4 "2005-05-04T14:03:11Z")
I Left My Heart at the Stage Door Canteen Arthur Murray Taught Me Dancing in a Hurry So Long, Mama, I’m Off to Yokahama\* There’ll Be Bluebirds Over (The White Cliffs of Dover) We’ll Meet Again Lili Marlene Der Fuerher’s Face - Contain the deathless lyric: “A million fightinm’ sons of Uncle Sam, if you please Will soon have all those Japs right down on their Jap-a-knees” ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-wwii-music-please/302367/5 "2005-05-04T14:18:46Z")
Artie Shaw’s band: Begin the Beguine ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-wwii-music-please/302367/6 "2005-05-04T15:17:43Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Artie Shaw’s band: Begin the Beguine Which, btw, you have on that CD I gave you. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-wwii-music-please/302367/7 "2005-05-04T15:27:58Z")
Benny Goodman Orchestra: “Sing Sing Sing” The Andrews Sisters: “Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen” (although I prefer a modern recording of it by Janis Siegel, from the _Swing Kids_ soundtrack.) And I agree on anything by Duke Ellington. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-wwii-music-please/302367/8 "2005-05-04T15:42:13Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Which, btw, you have on that CD I gave you. :dubious: I know. I was going by what I had on my computer, and I haven’t ripped the CD yet. Robin ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-wwii-music-please/302367/9 "2005-05-04T17:30:10Z")
Does anybody here remember Vera Lynn? She a popular singer in England during the war. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-wwii-music-please/302367/10 "2005-05-04T17:36:35Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Does anybody here remember Vera Lynn? Remember how she used to say, ‘We’ll meet again some sunny day.’? What has become of her? ---
**Author:** ![mailman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@mailman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mailman)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-wwii-music-please/302367/11 "2005-05-04T17:39:51Z")
Andrew sisters–Rum and Coca-Cola Anything by Bix–I’m Coming Virginia Duke Ellington–Loose Lips Sink Ships It Had to Be You–numerous versions Sentimental Journey–Peggy Lee I think, Dinah Shore? Benny Goodman–Sing, Sing, Sing I Don’t Want to Walk Without You–Bing Crosby ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-wwii-music-please/302367/12 "2005-05-04T21:42:45Z")
Check out the Smithsonian’s 2-CD compilation **We’ll Meet Again**. It doesn’t have some of the big obvious choices (“Rum and Coca-Cola” for instance), but it’s a terrific collection all the same. Marlene Deitrich’s English-language “Lili Marlene” (a big hit with the troops) by itself is almost worth the price. _“We will cweate … a world fow two …”_ ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-wwii-music-please/302367/13 "2005-05-04T21:51:25Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > I Left My Heart at the Stage Door Canteen > > Arthur Murray Taught Me Dancing in a Hurry > > So Long, Mama, I’m Off to Yokahama\* > > - Contain the deathless lyric: > “A million fightinm’ sons of Uncle Sam, if you please > Will soon have all those Japs right down on their Jap-a-knees” 😃 Priceless! LOL ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-wwii-music-please/302367/14 "2005-05-04T23:16:33Z")
Well the song is not from WWII, but it is about it : [Roads to Moscow](http://www.alstewart.com/lyrics/roadstomoscow.htm) by Al Stewart or Supertramp’s [Fool’s Overture](http://www.lyricsfreak.com/s/supertramp/133878.html). Woodie Guthrie’s [Sinking of the Reuben James](http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Sinking-of-the-Reuben-James-lyrics-Kingston-Trio/55077CED6062546948256BF00023829A) is from WWII though. - Praise the loird and pass the ammunition and we’ll all stay free\* ---
**Author:** ![gaucho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c67d28/32.png) [@gaucho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaucho)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-wwii-music-please/302367/15 "2005-05-04T23:26:55Z")
Edith Piaf- La Vie en Rose ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-wwii-music-please/302367/16 "2005-05-04T23:38:47Z")
:smack: How could I forget these songs : Blue Oyster Cult [Me-262](http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/blue-oyster-cult/20555.html) and Mel Brooks’ [Springtime for Hitler](http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/theproducers/springtimeforhitler.htm) ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-wwii-music-please/302367/17 "2005-05-04T23:41:12Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > What has become of her? Vera Lynn is still alive, though her public appearances have become few and far between in recent years on account of her age. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-wwii-music-please/302367/18 "2005-05-05T01:22:06Z")
“Stardust”-my personal favorite version is by Glenn Miller from the WWII broadcasts. Since I’m partial to Mr. Miller, here are some other favorites: “I’ve Got a Gal in Kalamazoo” “Chatanooga Choo Choo” “St. Louis Blues” “Anville Chorus” “I Know Why And So Do You” “Moonlight Serenade” “American Patrol” “Song of the Volga Boatmen” “My Blue Heaven” “Sunrise Serenade” Let’s see, others, (gotta think of some of the songs they play on the digital stations) “Mood Indigo”-Duke Ellington “Cream Puff”-Artie Shaw “Beat Daddy, Eight to the Bar”-Ray McKinley and someone else I can’t remember ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-wwii-music-please/302367/19 "2005-05-05T01:41:26Z")
Reading all those songs, wow, the nostalgia! To answer the OP’s question, almost **all** the 40s songs were great. Well, perhaps excepting such as _Mairzy Doats_ or _Three Little Fishes_ ---
**Author:** ![Balle\_M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/13edae/32.png) [@Balle\_M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balle_M)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-wwii-music-please/302367/20 "2005-05-05T01:55:52Z")
Louis Jordan’s _G. I. Jive_ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-wwii-music-please/302367.md?page=2)