Thursday, March 28, AD 2024 6:34am

When Johnny Comes Marching Home

 

Something for the weekend:  When Johnny Comes Marching Home.  One hundred and fifty years ago as soldiers North and South were returning to their homes this song was being played.  Written by composer Patrick Gilmore, bandmaster of the 24th Massachusetts in 1863 to comfort his sister who was praying for her fiancée to return safe from the War, it proved immensely popular both North and South with the troops and was sung and played endlessly by them with varied lyrics, all centered upon their dearest hope:  to go home after what they usually called this cruel War was over.  Gilmore set the tune to another popular song of the day:  Johnny Fill Up the Bowl.

The song retained its popularity in subsequent American wars as demonstrated by these renditions of the song by Glenn Miller and the Andrew Sisters:

It was sung quite a bit in the Sixties during the Vietnam War when troops returned, at least in Paris, Illinois where I grew up.  The appropriation of the term “gay” by a contemporary political pressure group may limit the popularity of the song in future conflicts.  We shall see.

 

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