Track Listing

1. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy - The Andrews Sisters, Vic Schoen
2. I'll Be Seeing You - Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra
3. Don't Get Around Much Anymore - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra
4. Till Then - The Mills Brothers
5. G.I. Jive - Johnny Mercer
6. I'll Walk Alone - Martha Tilton
7. When the Lights Go on Again (All over the World) - Vaughn Monroe & His Orchestra
8. Yours - Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra
9. Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive - Johnny Mercer, Paul Weston & His Orchestra
10. I Don't Want to Walk Without You - Harry James & His Orchestra
11. I Wonder - Jo Stafford, Paul Weston & His Orchestra
12. Long Ago (And Far Away) - Jo Stafford, Paul Weston & His Orchestra
13. I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You) - The Ink Spots
14. (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover - Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra
15. Comin' in on a Wing and a Prayer - Song Spinners
16. Sentimental Journey - Les Brown & His Orchestra
17. Waiting for the Train to Come In - Peggy Lee
18. It's Been a Long, Long Time - Harry James & His Orchestra

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #677 in Music
• Released on: 1990-03-16
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
They may have rationed meat, milk, canned goods, and gasoline, but there was no limit to the musical talent during World War II. Morale-boosting sounds on the home front and "over there" were one of the Allies' most potent weapons. WWII gave birth to many of the 1940s' most popular artists and songs, as well as many of the most important independent record labels. Songs That Got Us Through WWII is the first of a two-volume series collecting the hits that kept the home fires burning and brought a little bit of America to the G.I.s overseas. Compiled and developed by singer/songwriter/music historian Billy Vera, Vol. 1 features many of the era's biggest artists, including The Andrews Sisters, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, The Mills Brothers, The Ink Spots, Harry James, and many more.

Customer Reviews

A classic collection of 1940s gems
This is a lovely, nostalgic assortment of songs from the big-band era. I bought this CD for my parents (my dad is a World War II veteran), and all of us enjoy it -- for my folks, these familiar songs are a poignant reminder of their youth. While the Andrews Sisters and Johnny Mercer tunes are especially memorable, EVERYTHING on this CD is noteworthy. The only song I would add to this collection is Glenn Miller's "In The Mood" -- otherwise, it's a perfect musical representation of the World War II era. Highly recommended!

Rhino does it again with memorable collection!
The mercurial Rhino Records label has done it again with this fabulous compilation of World War II-era songs. All of them are hits, and all of them are legendary. The themes accentuate the mood of the times like they were meant to be together, though quite disparate in places. The Johnny Mercer comic ode to servicemen, "G.I. Jive", ranks up there with "Der Fuehrer's Face" by Spike Jones on the chuckle meter. To make you cry, count on "Long Ago (And Far Away)" (Jo Stafford), "I'll Walk Alone" (Martha Tilton) and the irreplaceable Frank Sinatra oozing out "I'll Be Seeing You", with (who else) the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. The Song Spinners' amazing a cappella "Comin' In On a Wing and a Prayer" is a great tribute to the U.S. Air Force, and the surety of their vocals makes you forget there's no musical accompaniment. Of course, you may want to swing out too. Do so with Mercer's "Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Postive" and (hands down!) The Big One's best hit, "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" by the Andrews Sisters. And there are no better slow-dancing tunes like "I Don't Want to Walk Without You" (Helen Forrest) and "Till Then" (the awesome Mills Brothers). This is a collection that features just the top names in the business during the early '40's. You won't be disappointed in the sound either: Each song has been remastered the best it could be. The accompanying booklet has a paragraph of biographical info about the artists, and there's also listings of chart placements for each track. Rhino keeps giving the goods, and this 1990 entrie is one of their many triumphs.

Well, GOOD NIGHT, NURSE!
My grandma's favourite expression of exasperation for my grandma's favourite music! No, I was not at all exasperated by this music and in fact found the entire collection to be enlightening in ways that are almost inexplicable. But I will try. First of all, the collection evokes nostalgia and sentimentality on the part of those alive during this generation (which I was not). I, however, went on a mad search for Johnny Mercer's "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" several years ago when it was used on the much-missed, brilliant t.v. series Homefront. I found the song-- and many other gems-- on this collection. Definitely worth having the whole thing. (And Volume 2, for that matter). I had never heard many of these songs, and had heard of some only through other pop culture references or through my grandma who frequently walks around her house singing these tunes. Not a single wasted or dull moment on this collection. Highlight include, of course, the well-known "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", "I'll Be Seeing You", the sassy, fun "G.I. Jive", Louis Armstrong's gorgeous "I Wonder", and Jo Stafford's stunning "Long Ago and Far Away" (which inspired me to go find more Stafford stuff. I ended up with a boxset which was fantastic except for some of her last works, remaking songs like "I Am Woman (Hear Me Roar" and "Stayin'Alive"-- believe it or not. Her voice was simply not suited for that sort of garbage)). Another fascinating benefit of owning this album: it is not only a marker of time, documenting a time in history with the music of the period... but it is also an exposure to the social conventions and expectations of time. For example, in "Waitin'for the Train to Come In" Peggy Lee sings about waiting for her man to come home, waiting for her life to begin, implying that her life was nothing, that she in fact did nothing, until her man got home. In this way, the lyrics are dated. This, however, is a bonus not a liability. This is like a time capsule... and overall simply entertaining.