Good Bye Broadway, Hello France

Good-Bye Broadway, Hello France is a 1917 song composed by Billy Baskette, with lyrics written by C. Francis Reisner and Benny Davis. The song was published by Leo Feist, Inc.[1]

"Good-Bye Broadway, Hello France"
Sheet music cover
Song
Published1917
Composer(s)Billy Baskette
Lyricist(s)C. Francis Reisner, Benny Davis

Performances

The song was included in The Passing Show of 1917 as part of the finale.[2]

The song was performed by The American Quartet and reached No. 1 on the top 100 songs of 1917. Other covers include those by The Peerless Quartet, (No. 5 on 1917 top 100),[3] Arthur Fields (1917),[4] and Jaudus' Society Orchestra (1918).[5]

The song inspired Irving Berlin's 1918 hit, "Goodbye, France," a song about leaving France to return to the United States.[6]

While the song was popular during its time, it also saw a revival during World War II, where some soldiers preferred World War I songs over the war songs being produced at the time.[7]

In film

The song was used in Tin Pan Alley, a 1940 musical film.[2]

In 1942, the song was featured in the film For Me and My Gal starring Judy Garland and Gene Kelly.[2]

Sheet music

The sheet music was reprinted more than ten times.[8]

Cover art and analysis

The 1917 publication featured an illustration cover by Rosenbaum Studios, which featured John J. Pershing and Joseph Joffre shaking hands across the ocean with the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower in the back ground.[1]

On the back of one of the song edition's cover was an ad by Leo Feist which declared "MUSIC WILL HELP WIN THE WAR!", as well as an essay by "A. Patriot" which explained the meaning of the song. The song was meant to lift the nation's spirit and fight off fatigue and worry by promoting the American war effort in Europe.[9]

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References
  1. Parker, Bernard S. (2007). World War I Sheet Music. 1. McFarland. p. 198. ISBN 0786427981. OCLC 0786427981.
  2. Tyler, Don (2007). Hit Songs, 1900-1955: American Popular Music of the Pre-Rock Era. Jefferson, North Carolina and London: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 91. ISBN 9780786429462.
  3. "Good-Bye Broadway, Hello France". MusicVF.com. VF Entertainment. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  4. "Cylinder 5627 — Good-bye Broadway, hello France". UCSB Cylinder Audio Archive. University of California, Santa Barbara Library. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  5. "Cylinder 5600 — Good-bye Broadway, hello France". UCSB Cylinder Audio Archive. University of California, Santa Barbara Library. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  6. Vogel, Frederick G. (1995). World War I Songs. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 102. ISBN 0899509525.
  7. Smith, Kathleen E. R. (2003). God Bless America; Tin Pan Alley goes to war. The University Press of Kentucky. p. 99. ISBN 0813122562.
  8. Paas, John Roger (2014). America Sings of War: American Sheet Music from World War I. Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 106, ISBN 9783447102780.
  9. Gier, Christina (Winter 2008). "Gender, Politics, and the Fighting Soldier's Song in America during World War I". Music and Politics. Music & Politics. II (1). doi:10.3998/mp.9460447.0002.104.
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