Songs of the Great War- An Exhibition
Archived Online Exhibit
Originally displayed at the Thomas Cooper Library, University of South Carolina
Archived September 27, 2013
Table of Contents
Archived Online Exhibit 1
Introduction 2
Island One 3
Island two 5
Island Three 7
Introduction
These are some of the songs that sent men to die in the Great War. The items in the exhibition are mainly American and document America's responses to "The War to End All Wars" or "The War to Make the World Safe for Democracy"—from pacifism ("I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier") to bellicose confidence ("We Don't Want the Bacon—What We Want Is a Piece of the Rhine").
The recognizably American quality of the songs is the irreverent humor. One example is "Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning" by Russian-born immigrant Israel Balin. Some of the most popular songs were inspired by the American Expeditionary Force's exposure to France, as in "Goodbye Broadway, Hello France," "Wee, Wee, Marie," and "How Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Farm (After They've Seen Paree?)"
This exhibition draws upon the Joseph M. Bruccoli Great War Collection at the Thomas Cooper Library, University of South Carolina.
Arlyn and Matthew J. Bruccoli founded the Joseph M. Bruccoli Great War Collection in 1997. It is an in-progress research archive for the literary, historical, and cultural aspects of World War I. Its fields of specialization are the literature of the AEF, British literature and poetry of the war, the air war, and trench warfare. The collection includes posters, original art, manuscripts, correspondence, photo albums, scrapbooks, and glass slides. There are now more than 300 pieces of sheet music.
The Joseph M. Bruccoli Great War Collection catalogue can be accessed onUSCAN, the University of South Carolina online catalogue, through www.sc.edu/library by conducting an author search with the term: joseph m bruccoli.
M.J.B.
Island One
"It's A Long Way to Tipperary."
By Jack Judge and Harry Williams.
London: B. Feldman, 1912.
Gift of Fred Zentner.
The best-known British song of the Great War was written before the war.
New York: Chappell, 1912.
Gift of the Lilly Library, Indiana University.
Musical hall joke: What are the two greatest fighting songs ever written? "It's a Long, Long Way to Tipperary" and "Here Comes the Bride."
"There's a Long, Long Trail."
Lyric Stoddard King.
Music by Zo Elliott.
New York: M. Witmark and Son, 1914.
Composed for a college fraternity and later adopted as a war ballad.
"I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier."
Lyric by Alfred Bryan.
Music by Al Piantadosi.
New York: Feist, 1915.
"Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag and Smile Smile Smile"
Lyric by George Asaf.
Music by Felix Powell.
New York: Francis, Day and Hunter, 1915.
"Roses of Picardy."
Lyric by Fred E. Weatherly.
Music by Haydn Wood.
New York: Chappell-Harris, 1916.
Island two
"Good-Bye Broadway, Hello France."
Lyric by C. Francis Reisner and Benny Davis.
Music by Billy Baskette.
New York: Leo Feist, 1917.
"Good-Bye Broadway, Hello France."
Lyric by C. Francis Reisner and Benny Davis.
Music by Billy Baskette.
Paris: Francis Salabert, 1917.
"Le Tipperary American."
"Let's All Be Americans Now."
By Irving Berlin, Edgar Leslie, and Geo. W. Meyer.
New York: Waterson, Berlin and Snyder, 1917.
"Long Boy."
Lyric by William Herschell.
Music by Barclay Walker.
New York: Shapiro, Bernstein, 1917.
"Good-by, Ma! Good-by, Pa! Good-by, Mule, with Yer Old Hee-haw!"
"My Word, Ain't We Carrying On."
Lyric and music by James Heard, Melville Gideon, Herman Darewski, and Percival Knight.
New York: Leo Feist, 1917.
"From The Better 'Ole" by Capt. Bruce Bairnsfather and Arthur Eliot": "If yer knows of a better 'ole, go to it!"
"Over There."
By George M. Cohan.
New York: Leo Feist, 1917.
Cover art by Norman Rockwell.
Island Three
"Hello Central! Give Me No Man's Land."
Lyric by Sam. M. Lewis and Joe Young.
Music by Jean Schuartz..
New York: Waterson, Berlin and Snyder, 1918.
"Just a Baby's Prayer at Twilight (For Her Daddy Over There)."
Lyric by Sam M. Lewis and Joe Young.
Music by M.K. Jerome.
New York: Waterson, Berlin and Snyder, 1918.
.
"K-K-K-Katy."
Lyric and music by Geoffrey O'Hara.
New York: Leo Feist, 1918.
"Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning."
By Irving Berlin.
New York: Waterson, Berlin and Snyder, 1918.
FromYip-Yip-Yaphank.
"Wee, Wee, Marie."
Lyric by Alfred Bryan and Joe McCarthy.
Music by Fred Fisher.
New York: McCarthy and Fisher, 1918.
"How Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Farm (After They've Seen Paree?)."
Lyric by Joe Young and Sam. M Lewis.
Music by Walter Donaldson.
New York: Waterson, Berlin and Snyder, 1919.