Today driving into work, the magic witchbox (iPhone SE) continued playing all my music in alphabetical order. I am not sure how the music got on that setting, but it led to a very interesting contrast this morning.
The first song was “All Star” from Shrek.
But the next three were versions of “All The Things You Are.”
Look closely at the cover art. It is Frank with a bunch of sailors!
The first two were recorded by a youthful Frank Sinatra when his voice was that sweet baritone, unsullied by age and smoking and drinking. The second Sinatra song came from “The V-Discs: Columbia Years — 1943-1951.” V-disks (Victory disks) were songs which Sinatra recorded during 1942-1944. Sinatra did not earn any money for recording them, but he certainly became well known by the soldiers, because these disks were sent to the American troops overseas.
The third one was recorded by Glenn Miller’s American Band of the Allied Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and Sargeant Johnny Desmond sang — in German.
Du bist der verheißene Kuss des Frühlings
Der den einsamen Winter lang erscheinen lässt
Du bist die atemlose Stille des Abends
Die am Rande eines reizenden Liedes erzittert
I was struck by the juxtaposition of the same song recorded in English to comfort the Allied forces and then recorded in German to broadcast to a German audience — to persuade them that surrendering to the Allies would give them great music — and peace and love.
Who needs to think? 