# Sink the Bismarck Song an Oddity? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [February 1, 2022, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sink-the-bismarck-song-an-oddity/958765 "2022-02-01T22:17:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2022, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sink-the-bismarck-song-an-oddity/958765/1 "2022-02-01T22:17:15Z")
Here’s the Johnny Horton song, [_Sink the Bismarck_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLCkkrq417k&list=RDMM&index=37). It’s an American country-western song, but it’s extolling a British victory in WWII. Are there other songs that praise another country’s military wins, or another country’s anything come to that? Well, there probably are some that praise foreign women, but other than that. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2022, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sink-the-bismarck-song-an-oddity/958765/2 "2022-02-01T22:31:59Z")
Well, IIRC, he was hired to do that song for the film’s ad campaign. > **[Sink the Bismark](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sink_the_Bismark)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > "Sink the Bismark" (later "Sink the Bismarck") is a march song by American country music singer Johnny Horton and songwriter Tillman Franks, based on the pursuit and eventual sinking of the German battleship Bismarck in May 1941, during World War II. Horton released this song through Columbia Records in 1960, when it reached #3 on the charts. As originally released, the record label used the common misspelling "Bismark"; this error was corrected f... It was inspired by the 1960 British war movie _[Sink the Bismarck!](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sink_the_Bismarck!)_ and was in fact (with the producer [John Brabourne](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brabourne)’s approval) commissioned from Johnny Horton by [20th Century Fox](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_Century_Fox) who were worried about the subject’s relative obscurity in the United States. For some reason the size comparisons of guns and shells are switched. While the song was used in U.S. theater trailers for the film, it was not used in the film itself. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2022, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sink-the-bismarck-song-an-oddity/958765/3 "2022-02-01T22:32:31Z")
Praising foreign women is easy. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0janfcZ8LUw) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2022, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sink-the-bismarck-song-an-oddity/958765/4 "2022-02-01T22:50:05Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](#): > > Are there other songs that praise another country’s military wins, or another country’s anything come to that? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/nS5_EQgbuLc/maxresdefault.jpg "The Beatles - Back In The U.S.S.R. (2018 Mix / Lyric Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS5_EQgbuLc) ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2022, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sink-the-bismarck-song-an-oddity/958765/5 "2022-02-01T23:57:30Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > It was inspired by the 1960 British war movie Sink the Bismarck! Remember, the movie title had an exclamation point after it. More movies should do that! _West Side Story!_ _Forrest Gump!_ _Dune!_ _House of Gucci!_ _Licorice Pizza!_ _63 Up!_ _The Eyes of Tammy Faye!_ ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sink-the-bismarck-song-an-oddity/958765/6 "2022-02-02T00:01:12Z")
Pretty much the entire output of Swedish heavy metal band Sabaton is praising other countries’ military exploits. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sink-the-bismarck-song-an-oddity/958765/7 "2022-02-02T00:03:23Z")
Now you’re oozing into Clive Cussler territory – I have no idea why so many of his novels have ! in the titles: Raise the Titanic! (-- I’ll let that one slide) Vixen 03! – ?? Several others!! ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sink-the-bismarck-song-an-oddity/958765/8 "2022-02-02T00:07:21Z")
It sells books, that’s why! There should be a _“Sink the Bismarck! Then Raise Her, and Sink Her Again!”_ ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sink-the-bismarck-song-an-oddity/958765/9 "2022-02-02T00:11:10Z")
Another ‘Dirk Pitt’ adventure??!!!?! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sink-the-bismarck-song-an-oddity/958765/10 "2022-02-02T00:26:01Z")
Oddity or not, _Sink the Bismarck!_ is a snappy tune about a historical event. Johnny Horton specialized in them. _The Battle of New Orleans_, _North to Alaska_. Why can’t we have more snappy historical songs? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sink-the-bismarck-song-an-oddity/958765/11 "2022-02-02T00:40:57Z")
There are various songs in _Stop the World I Want to Get Off_ extoling women of several countries. Here’s an example: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/hdy0C_OaFIs/maxresdefault.jpg "Glorious Russia") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdy0C_OaFIs) ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sink-the-bismarck-song-an-oddity/958765/12 "2022-02-02T03:22:14Z")
Indeed, after _The Battle of New Orleans_, Horton was the go-to guy for songs about historic battles. If not for his untimely death, I don’t doubt Horton would have ended up recording _P.T. 109_ instead of Jimmy Dean. > Are there other songs that praise another country’s military wins How about the 1812 Overture? ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sink-the-bismarck-song-an-oddity/958765/13 "2022-02-02T03:27:51Z")
Well no, Tchaikovsky was Russian after all. ---
**Author:** ![UDS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47774/32.png) [@UDS1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS1)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sink-the-bismarck-song-an-oddity/958765/14 "2022-02-02T03:28:25Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > How about the 1812 Overture? By a Russian composer, celebrating a Russian victory. So, no. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sink-the-bismarck-song-an-oddity/958765/15 "2022-02-02T03:34:11Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](#): > > Well, there probably are some that praise foreign women, but other than that. [Don Williams ~ I Recall a Gypsy Woman (HQ) - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyfeshvlZ6k) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sink-the-bismarck-song-an-oddity/958765/16 "2022-02-02T03:40:13Z")
Does Black Country Communion count as an American band? It was formed in the United States and two of its four members were Americans. (The other two were English.) If so, their song _The Battle for Hadrian’s Wall_ is a song about a battle that doesn’t involve any Americans. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sink-the-bismarck-song-an-oddity/958765/17 "2022-02-02T03:48:21Z")
As God is my witness, I thought Napoleon won the Battle of Moscow. 😳 ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sink-the-bismarck-song-an-oddity/958765/18 "2022-02-02T03:49:24Z")
Well Moscow did burn down. ---
**Author:** ![UDS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47774/32.png) [@UDS1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS1)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sink-the-bismarck-song-an-oddity/958765/19 "2022-02-02T05:45:43Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Does Black Country Communion count as an American band? It was formed in the United States and two of its four members were Americans. (The other two were English.) > > If so, their song _The Battle for Hadrian’s Wall_ is a song about a battle that doesn’t involve any Americans. Although it’s a completely fictional battle, which may not be what the OP had in mind. ---
**Author:** ![UDS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47774/32.png) [@UDS1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS1)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sink-the-bismarck-song-an-oddity/958765/20 "2022-02-02T05:59:13Z")
The Irish traditional repertoire includes a couple of songs celebrating the French victory at Fontenoy over a combined force including British, Dutch and Imperial troops in 1745. The Irish connection to the battle is that the French forces included the Irish Brigade, a unit of the French army made up of exiled Irish soldiers or, by 1745, their descendants. This was a French victory, though, not an Irish one. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sink-the-bismarck-song-an-oddity/958765.md?page=2)