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- Title
Singing Warriors: Popular Songs in Wartime.
- Authors
Cleveland, Les
- Abstract
This article focuses on popular music and occupational songs of U.S. and British soldiers in 20th-century wars. Popular culture is important in wartime for its morale-building and mass-mobilizing capabilities. It asserts the values of patriotism and nationhood, expresses people's emotional feelings and helps socialize them in new roles. The civilian labor force, when directed to unfamiliar and uncongenial industrial occupations, can be enthused with a sense of individual worth and national urgency. People called upon to help with patriotic fund raising or with the entertainment and welfare of troops can experience the integrative gratification of community service. But most in need of reassurance are draftees who have to adapt to communal arrangements for sleeping, eating, training, recreation and amusement as well as having to accept the disquieting possibilities of physical combat and injury or even loss of life. Popular songs are an important part of everyday culture especially in wartime. When large numbers of civilians are inducted into military service their compliance is obtainable by means of indoctrination and discipline. However, such is usually reinforced in wartime by a homeland culture production of patriotic sentiment and exhortation that awards social approval to dedication to the nation's cause and depicts war as a heroic crusade in its service.
- Subjects
UNITED Kingdom; UNITED States; WAR songs; MILITARY music; MUSIC in the army; POPULAR music; POPULAR culture; RECREATION
- Publication
Journal of Popular Culture, 1994, Vol 28, Issue 3, p155
- ISSN
1540-5931
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.0022-3840.1994.2803_155.x