For Readers of Skating with the Statue of Liberty: 1940s Songs
Most likely there are some songs mentioned in Skating with the Statue of Liberty that you do not know, unless you happen to be old enough to remember the year 1942.
Maybe you would like to hear some of them.
Here’s the Chiquita Banana jingle that September Rose sings, the one about never putting a banana in the refrigerator:
Chiquita Banana original jingle
September Rose sings some wartime songs too. One is from the point of view of a soldier who is off at war. He asks the woman he loves at home to wait for him. It’s called, “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree with Anyone Else But Me”. This version is sung by the Andrews Sisters in a movie from 1942.
The Andrews Sisters, dressed to entertain the troops
In a letter to Nicole, Gustave mentions a Duke Ellington song called “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got that Swing).” This is an example of swing music, which is jazz music with a lively, lilting rhythm–the kind of music that makes you want to tap your feet or nod your head or get up and dance.
Gustave’s music teacher, Mrs. Heine, thinks swing music is vulgar, so she is shocked when she realizes that because of a trick the kids have played on her, she is playing the opening of this song on the piano in music class!
Duke Ellington
So there you have it! A little taste of the sounds of the 1940s.