Take Two Records

According to one authority, some 36,000 patriotic and war songs were written in America during the 52 months of that WWI. A mere 40 of them are included in this compilation. Some became international hits and are still familiar to many, including It's A Long Way To Tipperary, and Over There, and Oh! How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning.

Probably no other major conflict has been so celebrated in song. However, the war itself stood in stark contrast to the many appealing tunes it inspired. In addition to the sheer size of this conflict, the introduction of new weapons of mass destruction ensured high causalities. Many who survived the hazards of trench warfare and hand-to-hand combat were taken by the flu epidemic. By Armistice, nearly a whole generation of young men were injured or lost to some countries.

These selections comment on a variety of wartime experiences such as leaving for war Goodbye Broadway, Hello France, the sadness of parting Till We Meet Again, a child longing for a father Just A Baby's Prayer At Twilight and returning home I've Got My Captain Working For Me Now. But a more sober perspective is provided in My Dream Of The Big Parade recorded some years after the Armistice.