Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy

Song Name: Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy

Year of Release: 1941 

Written by: Don Raye, Hughie Prince

Released by: The Andrews Sisters 

Key Lyrics: "He was a famous trumpet man out from Chicago way/He had a boogie style that no one else could play/He was the top man at his craft/But then his number came up and he was gone with the draft."

Description: The song was first performed in the film Buck Privates in early 1941, before the US entered the war. The film was based on the peacetime draft of 1940, and the song, while written with the idea of being sent off to fight in mind, was not written for soldiers who were actively fighting. The lyrics describe the story of a trumpeter who is widely considered one of the best musicians in the country. He is drafted and sent off to fight and is told he can only play the wake-up call ("Reveille"), which discourages him as he can no longer improvise and express himself musically. Eventually, the captain sympathizes with him, drafts other musicians, and allows him to play the wake-up call however he sees fit, which makes the rest of his company happy. The lyrics also describe him putting the soldiers to sleep with boogie-woogie. Theories on who the subject of the lyrics is persist, with some pointing to Clarence Zylman, who had a successful musical career before being drafted, but given that he did not join the army until after the song was released, this theory is disputed. The song gained newfound popularity after the war in 1973 when Bette Midler recorded and released her own version, showing its enduring place in the public's memory

Why It Was Important: The song was written at a time when the US was faced with the prospect of going to war, even though they had not officially entered the conflict. The lyrics reflect the life of a man who had an ordinary career who had his individuality (his style of playing music) suppressed when he joined the army and showed how war changes people. Though the man eventually earns the right to play the wake-up call however he sees fit and has other people like him recruited into the army, he experiences a drastic life change after being drafted, which many soldiers could relate to. The popularity of the 1973 version shows that wartime music can remain popular even after a war is over. 

Recordings:

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (studio version, Andrews Sisters version)

Andrews Sisters   Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (movie version, Andrews Sisters version)

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (2016 Remaster) (studio version, Bette Midler version)