Monday, December 7, 2020

Christmas World War II Songs #MusicMovesMe

Hello, fellow music lovers, and welcome to another episode of Music Moves Me!  

 

Who are the #MusicMovesMe bloggers? We are bloggers who blog about music each Monday and if you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join!  First, there is XmasDolly,   Her co-conductors are:  Cathy from Curious as a Cathy, Stacy of Stacy Uncorked   and, finally, me.  

We'd love you to join us every Monday and share your music with us.  But please note this is is a music blog only - please post at least one You Tube or Vimeo video so we can dance with you. 

Each month we have a guest conductor except for December, when it is all holiday music, all the time.  You'll note I said holiday music, not Christmas music, because I may include some Hanukkah flavored music during Hanukkah, which begins later this week (the evening of December 10).

For now, today is the anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day, so I'd like to dedicate this post to those who have fought in all wars and those who died on December 7, 1941.  May your sacrifices not be forgotten.


Let's start the festivities off with Ginger Rogers and a World War II Christmas Radio.  Enjoy the slideshow, too, if you are a 40's fan.


I'll Be Home for Christmas (If Only In My Dreams) was recorded by Bing Crosby in  October of 1943 to honor the troops serving abroad,  and it's become a standard of the Christmas season.  It's also one of my all-time favorite holiday songs.  Speaking of this song, this story may interest you.


Here's a medley of songs from the movie Holiday Inn, which included the debut of Irving Berlin's White Christmas. This was a Kraft Music Hall live broadcast based on this movie, an Irving Berlin musical.  This takes us through a year, starting with the characters Starting the New Year Right. So OK, it's not all Christmas, but you can hear White Christmas at about 6:40 into the video.  But I could swoon through this entire video listening to Bing Crosby.

Let's get more in the swing of things with Benny Goodman and His Orchestra with Santa Claus Came in the Spring.

And it's not Christmas, but I couldn't help but include this video of Maria Von Trapp trying to teach Julie Andrews to yodel.  Sorry, getting distracted!


So I'd better close now.  Dame Vera Lynn passed away in June, aged 103.  This is one of her World War II era songs, from 1939. Enjoy Vera Lynn and "I'm Sending a Letter to Santa Claus".  What a voice Vera Lynn had.  I've featured her on several of my blog posts.

I hope you had a wonderful trip down Memory Lane.  Same time, same place, next Monday?

 

11 comments:

  1. These were all great fun to listen to. Some real classics here!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great tribute to a kinder simpler time in this country, even when at war. Thanks for sharing the music of The Greatest Generation.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Alana,

    Even if the rest of the world forgets the greatest generation of all times, I will not! That fateful day in Pearl Harbor was the tide turner of WWII. America was destine to be called on to help bring an end to the evil our world faced. God bless the families of those who lost much but giving so much to others!

    I love the video of Maria von Trapp and Julie Andrews! How amazing that opportunity must have been for Julie!! If we manage to go to New England next year, we hope to visit the Von Trapp Lodge in Vermont. That would be super cool! Who knows, maybe we can stay in the lodge. :) Benny Goodman was a great sound from the WWII era. Thanks for sharing your delightful picks today on the dance floor. Enjoy the holiday season, dear friend! {{hugs}}

    ReplyDelete
  4. Some great classic songs here. Very nice.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love the way you tied your choices into Pearl Harbor Day.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Makes me think of my dear mother who could sing every carol and sing it beautifully.

    ReplyDelete
  7. ...I'm the result of what happened after the war, keep the music playing.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Songs I was raised on! And the tears just flowed with that last one!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh my gosh, these are wonderful tunes of Christmases gone by. I love to listen that type of music just to see what I missed. Great job honey. These are sooooooooooo awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I waited to make comments...
    One- Bing Crosby was such a virulent anti-Semite, I cannot fathom listening to a note or a letter he utters EVER.
    Two- I was shocked- and then realized that it was the wrong impression- that Ginger Rogers would sing (and not narrate)
    Three- Yodeling was the first scat singing.
    Four- thanks for introducing me to that Bennie Goodman tune. I never previously heard it!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting! Your comments mean a lot to me, and I appreciate your comment and your visit. These comments are moderated, so they may not post for several hours. If you are spam, you will find your comments in my compost heap. I do not respond to comments similar to "nice blog! Please visit my blog" generally ignore these.