Status - John Skinner - USS Fullam:
Music of 1942
Dances and other events sponsored by the USO would have featured the popular music of the time. Below is a Wikipedia page listing some of the popular music in 1942:
Glenn Miller, who was at the height of his popularity, has 5 songs on the list, and most of the popular songs were from the noted swing bands; Kay Kyser, Harry James, Jimmy Dorsey, and Benny Goodman also feature prominently. Glenn Miller in 1942 had joined the Army Air Corps and began an orchestra and marching band associated with the Army.
Bing Crosby had performed White Christmas on Christmas Day in 1941, and the single had been released in May. It had been written for the musical picture Holiday Inn that was released in August. It remained popular throughout 1942 and has remained so to this day.
Der Fuehrer's Face, a comical song from Spike Jones mocking Nazi leadership, was also popular in late 1942 and early 1943. There was also a short film of the same name featuring Donald Duck. This treatment of the Nazis was understandable, especially with the war fully on, but shows that the world knew very little of the horror that was happening in the concentration camps.
More Information:
- Official Navy Chronology, pp. 298-300.
- The Struggle for Guadalcanal, Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 316-337.
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