Train Songs Of World War II

I was listening to "Chatanooga Choo Choo" by Glenn Miller eariler this morning, and realized that a lot of the songs from World War II had some mention of trains. Here are some other locomotive songs that I thought of:

CHATANOOGA CHOO CHOO (1941)

"Pardon me, boy, is that the Chatanooga Choo Choo?" This hip tune is still wonderful today. As always, the brass section of the Glenn Miller Orchestra is fantastic and sounds exactly like a train at times. I also love the lyrics. My favorite verse is, "There's gonna be/A certain party at the station/Satin and lace/ I used to call funny face." Nothing like hearing this song performed by my favorite band leader. The Andrews Sisters version is quite good, too.

I Thought About You (1939)

Some of my favorite songs were written by or with Johnny Mercer, and this one seems particularly special. The melody is haunting and the lyrics are poignantly beautiful.

Blues in the Night (1941)
Yet another Johnny Mercer song. I love Judy Garland's version of this song. Her voice evokes images of the pain and suffering of a once naive little girl who is now a hardened, lonely woman. The memory of a man who took advantage of her innocence and then left her still haunts the woman, and she hasn't even the relief of forgetting during a night's sleep.

On the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (1944)
More Mercer! Judy Garland introduced this wonderful song in The Harvey Girls (1946). It's a delightful number with a great vocalization by Judy.

Take the "A" Train (1941)
I love this song. It has such a wonderful swing and melody, and the name itself is pretty great.

Sentimental Journey (1944)

The most famous recording of this song was performed by Doris Day with the Les Brown Orchestra. I'd rather hear Day perform it than anyone else. Her vocalization is so warm and tender. Within her voice is the suppressed feeling of... well... "wild anticipation."

Shoo-Shoo Baby (1943)
So maybe there isn't any mention of a train in this wartime song, but I've always had the feeling that the boy in the song is saying goodbye to his girl at a train station. Maybe it's just the way that "shoo shoo" sounds like "choo choo." Am I crazy? Probably.

As I finish up this post, I would like to add one last picture. It is of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers looking out of windows on... yes... a train! The picture is a still from RKO's The Story of Vernon & Irene Castle (1939). Although the story is set during the World War I era, the movie was made just as World War II was beginning.