Favorite WWII song? Lili Marleen.

[Joe50's]

Deanna did this to show support for her English side of the family and aparantly hitler being a fan of hers wrote her asking her to tell the American government to stay out of the war which she refused

 

[LizzieMaine]

"Big Hearted Arthur" Askey, and "Get In Your Shelter," the definitive Blitz-era Air Raid Precautions propaganda song. Askey was hugely popular on the BBC in the years just before the war as a hyperactive little singing comedian -- probably the closest equivalent for Americans would be Eddie Cantor. Askey was notable as the first British radio comic to directly take on Hitler, giving him the indelible nickname of "Old Nasty" in 1939. Here he is again just a few days after the outbreak of the war:

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

And here's my favorite "Lilli" song.

And going back to Lilli Marlene, there was this sequel.

 

[Joe50's]

 

[2jakes]

 

[GHT]

Many years ago, when my wife was still in training in the ambulance service, she had to do her share of non emergency work. This would mean taking patients to and from their out-patients appointments. One elderly lady, who was one of her 'regulars' would always sing the chorus of Cole Porter's "Don't Fence Me In," when the ambulance passed by a grand house with a large fence out the front.
On this particular day, my wife's partner was driving whilst she was in the back keeping an eye on her charges. The ambulance went by the grand house and the lady started singing. It came as something as a surprise when my wife joined in and they sang it together, word for word, all the way through. "How come a young thing like you knows a song like that?" The lady asked. "The best songs are the classics," she answered smiling.
There's a touching post script. The old lady passed away some months later, my wife and a couple of her other regular ambulance crew members went to her funeral. They played "Don't Fence Me In," as the finale.
(By the way, I do know that Robert Fletcher wrote the song.)

 

[2jakes]

It was a documentary from actual footage prior to WW2.
Opening visuals were of the AVG pilots running in the airfield.
Nearby were their Curtis Warhawk P-40s.

And this was the tune that was playing which forever will remind me
of those heroes. I met one of them many years later.

 

[Tiki Tom]

"Nazis. I hate those guys." ---Indiana Jones

 

[alsendk]

I am not speculating about this song being german, and not even about the lyrics. I just like the melody, and the way Lale Andersong are singing it.

 

[Tiki Tom]

The White Cliffs of Dover, one version only need apply:

Happy 100th birthday to Vera Lynn!

http://www.9news.com.au/entertainme...0-with-stunning-white-cliffs-of-dover-tribute

She is an icon. Besides "White Cliffs of Dover" she also did "We'll meet again" (reposted from above) which was so emblematic of WWII. This vid is worth it for the photos too.

Again, happy 100th to a living legend.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

"Nazis. I hate those guys." ---Indiana Jones

View attachment 51874

Lutz Templin Orchester -- Immer Wieder Tanzen (1942)
(Always Dancing Again)

Lutz Templin also recorded propaganda song parodies under the pseudonym Charlie and his Orchestra. This is one of the milder ones as it doesn't have the heavily antisemitic lyrics of many of the other Charlie recordings.

 

[MisterCairo]

"Nazis. I hate those guys." ---Indiana Jones

View attachment 51874

Elwood Blues: "Illinois Nazis!"
Jake Blues: "I hate Illinois Nazis..."

Splash...

 

[Tiki Tom]

My daughters got me a Spotify account for Christmas. So I've been putting together a WWII playlist over the last few days. Used this old thread to get me started. Very fun project.
I recently added "Coming in on a wing and a prayer" to the playlist:

 

[Tiki Tom]

A hot time in the town of Berlin.

 

[HistoryCopper]

Hmmm. Tough to pick just one. Can I have three?

1. Lili Marlene (the original version by Lale Anderson
2. We'll Meet Again by Vera Lynn
3. Wish Me Luck As You Wave Me Goodbye

Honorable Mention:

Not a period song, but a song done in period style: Mein Kleines Herz from the miniseries Generation War.

My wife is German and she absolutely LOVES Der Fuehrer's Face! She laughs every time she hears it.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

 

[Edward]

We'll meet again is one I associate with Dr Strangelove now, but it certainly came to have a lot of meaning for the war generation. Some years before we met, Herself had a part time job behind the bar of a social club. During the old folks' tea dances, they would often play that record, and a lot of the ladies would get quite teary as many of them had lost their young men during the war.

I like Glen Miller a lot. Got to see the John Miller Orchestra a couple of times t events where there was a large dancefloor - lovely to hear it and see people dance, very much more the sort of environment it would have been performed in originally as opposed to the seated concert halls that acts mostly play now. Listening to a lot of that sort of big beat swing, it's not hard to spot the roots of rock 'n'roll in it.

 

[GHT]

"Big Hearted Arthur" Askey, and "Get In Your Shelter," the definitive Blitz-era Air Raid Precautions propaganda song. Askey was hugely popular on the BBC in the years just before the war as a hyperactive little singing comedian -- probably the closest equivalent for Americans would be Eddie Cantor. Askey was notable as the first British radio comic to directly take on Hitler, giving him the indelible nickname of "Old Nasty" in 1939. Here he is again just a few days after the outbreak of the war:

Askey often gets overlooked when popular songs of WW2 are compiled. Here he is again with the Art Noel and Don Pelosi novelty song:
Kiss Me Goodnight Sgt. Major.

Like Askey, Flanagan & Allen were popular music hall artistes. Their version of Run Rabbit Run was often sung in places like the air raid shelters.
What I particularly like about Noel Gay and Ralph Butler's song is the intentional/unintenional puns. That and the fact that Flanagan & Allen
were Jewish, made it all the more poignant.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

George Formby -- Our Sergeant-Major

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Our Fanny's Gone All Yankee