Key Events/People: FDR, Lend-Lease Act, World War II, attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese internment camps, Nazi Germany, the Holocaust, Adolph Hitler, Benito Mussolini, fascism, Winston Churchill, Normandy, D-Day, Soviet Russia,Harry S Truman, atomic bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Joseph Stalin, communism, founding of the United Nations, Jackie Robinson
Setting the Stage: As you can already tell, a lot of really cool and really not so cool stuff happened in the 1940’s (depending on your interest in history). Hopefully, these terms got you oriented enough to have an idea about what American society was like in the 1940’s such as the generalized growing distaste for anything of German or Japanese origin. The fear of invasion during World War II paired with the already rising racial tensions against the blacks shaped American society. This decade created the generation of young people that would be some of the first to achieve the American dream, after serving in World War II many soldiers returned to settle in developing suburbs outside bustling cities like New York, Pittsburg, Baltimore and Chicago(aided by the popularity and readily accessible passenger train in each major city). This era was also the beginning of women in the workforce, replacing their male counterparts in factories to support the war effort, bringing new liberties and ideals into play.
Changes in Music: The 1940’s welcomed the idea of orchestras paired with America’s favorite Jazz musicians, creating a unique blend of brass and vocals known as big bands, quickly bringing us into the modern style of music. The 40’s also introduced one of the first American pop stars that was nationally adored, Frank Sinatra. During his career, Sinatra produced 17 top 10 singles, and eased the souls of the families of soldiers during wartime. Jazz continues to be prevalent in black culture, allowing them to express their continued struggle in the racially divided country. The strong influence of jazz mixed with 1930’s swing to create an entirely new genre of music: swing jazz. With a change in the public’s taste for movies, musicals and westerns became more popular and in turn influenced the mainstream music.
I really enjoyed this week’s list of songs so I hope you have the time to listen to them, they each resemble parts of the music you listen to today. You have probably noticed every week you are going to start recognizing more and more artists and songs, keep this in mind as the weeks go on because they influence each other in style and lyrics. Also, you may have noticed that there are some artists that appear in more than one decade, this is still happening today but maybe not as much as it had in the past (think Madonna or Britney Spears).
Top Songs of the 1940’s:
- Take The “A” Train (Duke Ellington)
- Swinging On A Star (Bing Crosby)
- You Always Hurt The One You Love (Mills Brothers)
- Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (Andrews Sisters)
- Chattanooga Choo Choo (Glenn Miller)
- Paper Doll (Mills Brothers)
- Sentimental Journey (Les Brown and Doris Day)
- I’ll Never Smile Again (Frank Sinatra)
- Riders In The Sky (Peggy Lee)
- Don’t Fence Me In (Bing Crosby & the Andrews Sisters)
There are several factors that were extremely prevalent in the music realm of the 1940’s, these being racism, love, war, sexism, and the American dream. In Duke Ellington’s “Take the ‘A’ Train”, Ellington refers to an extremely wealthy black neighborhood in 1940’s Harlem when he sings “You must take the A Train/ To go to Sugar Hill way up in Harlem”. This refers to the neighborhood in which the Harlem Renaissance took place, with influence from people such as the civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois, poet Langston Hughes, and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.
During wartime, musicians who sang of love attracted endless attention from wives and girlfriends who were left home and heartbroken. Singers like Sinatra and the Mills Brothers consistently reached the top hits of the times, filling husbandless homes throughout the nation. Others sang of soldiers going to war as well as their homecoming. In “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” the Andrews Sisters sing a pro-war tune about a young boy who became a solider in World War II, showing how quickly the kids in the neighborhood became soldiers who were expected to give their lives for their country. This song supports the war effort, using upbeat tempos and positive lyrics such as “They clap their hands and stamp their feet /Because they know how he plays when someone gives him a beat /He really breaks it up when he plays reveille /He’s boogie woogie bugle boy of Company B ” showing how he was able to bring his love for the trumpet to the troops and make his time more enjoyable.
Even though women begin to make their impression on the American work force, they are still not seen as equals to their male counterparts. In “Paper Doll” the Mills Brothers sing “When I come home at night she will be waiting/She’ll be the truest doll in all this world/I’d rather have a Paper Doll to call my own/Than have a fickle-minded real live girl” meaning they would rather have a woman that says nothing and obeys their every command than one who has an opinion. This is demeaning toward women because it shows that they would rather a girl sit and look pretty than contribute to conversation and speak for themselves.
Another interesting sect of 1940’s was the interest in Cowboy-ism and adventure. This is shown by “Riders in the Sky” and “Don’t Fence Me In” in which they appeal to the idea of big open skies and the wild west. These top hits were brought to fame from the newly introduced classic Western films, which would soon become an American film festival staple.
Madison Bell says
I find this era so interesting! A lot of the events were extremely impactful on US History and important in influencing the development of today’s culture. Music wise I absolutely love Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and that style of music. Every year I watch White Christmas and Holiday Inn. (I’m not sure when they were released but I’m assuming close to this era, but then again I could be completely wrong.)