Tuesday, June 4, 2013

June Playlist: Catch That Boogie Rhythm

Stylin' 40s style.
This month's play list has one song on it, the Andrews Sisters "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." Why? It's 2013, and at a competition this weekend, I saw not one, not two, but THREE artistic skating programs that used this music and all the skaters were under the age of 18. This song is 72 years old.

The song was written by Don Raye and Hughie Prince for Decca, and the Andrews Sisters debuted it in an Abbott and Costello movie. The legend goes the song was inspired by the story of a jazz musician from Muskegon who was drafted for service during WWII at the age of 38. Older than the typical private, the spunky solider offered his own talent at entertaining the troops and thus became the infamous Bugler of Company B.

Since 1941, the song has become a defining piece of American culture. It is ranked #6 on the list of Songs of the Century and has been remade countless times, the most popular being Bette Midler in 1971.

Defining the song's eternal appeal is a tough one since I am in no way a music expert, I can only comment on what I like. The brass in this song is tight, the rhythm jumps. It's perky, patriotic, and has a certain energy that speaks across generations. I have loved this song since I was a child and the years have not dimmed its joy.

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