Musical Interlude “Sentimental Journey”

Well, here’s another “later in the day than intended” post! My internet’s still down, so I typed the first half of this in my van while simultaneously trying to sort out one last pre-publishing formatting glitch with my formatter who’s currently travelling.

Ah, the glamourous writing life!

Still, complications or no, the countdown to this Friday’s book launch marches on and it’s time for another post.

First of all, here’s another look at the prizes I’m giving away on Friday. There will be another Question of the Day at the end of today’s post- an answer gives you an entry! (*More details below)

Each prize package includes a free copy of my e-book (sorry, Kindle not included), a $10 Amazon giftcard to use as you please, and a little “piece of history”- see my last 3 posts for details on those!

Today’s “Musical Interlude” has a more personal history than other songs I’ve shared on this site.

About seventy-five years ago, a young woman boarded a crowded Minnesota bus.

Searching for a place to sit in the crammed seats, she caught the eye of a young soldier.

He elbowed his army buddy who was sitting next to him, and said, “Hey, we can make room for her.” 

Half a century later, their eight other grandchildren and I gathered around the piano in their church’s fellowship hall to celebrate their golden anniversary by singing their song, “Sentimental Journey.”

“Sentimental Journey” was written by band leader Les Brown and Ben Homer, with lyrics by Bud Green.

At first, it seemed that the song had been written at just the wrong time. In 1942, the American Federation of Musicians called a strike on recording companies over a royalty dispute. The ban wasn’t lifted until 1944.

Not being able record their music caused challenges for artists like Les Brown and his Band of Renown, especially if they had new songs, like “Sentimental Journey,” to share. One source says that Les was concerned about even playing his new song live. It was so simple that he worried that someone might copy it before it could be recorded.

However, it turned out that the debut of “Sentimental Journey” couldn’t have been timed better. With the lifting of the ban, the song was recorded and released in January of 1945.

Right at the end of the Battle of the Bulge. Right as the war in the ETO was finally starting to look like it might end. Right when plenty of G.I.’s were ready to think about a “Sentimental Journey” back home.

Sung by a young (and not-yet-well-known) musician, Doris Day, “Sentimental Journey” became the homecoming song for many people like my grandparents- men and women ready to be reunited at home. At peace.

With that, it’s time for the new Question of the Day (before today’s over!)

First, though, here are the giveaway rules.

*If you’d like to enter the drawing to win one of the giveaway prizes, answer the “Question of the Day” either in the comments here, on Twitter @anneclarewriter (make sure you tag me!) or on my Facebook Author Page.

-Up to one entry per Question of the Day per participant! 

-The giveaway is limited to U.S. residents. (Sorry! International laws for prizes get very complicated very quickly 😦 ) 

-Entrants under 18 years of age must have parental permission.

-All entries will be counted at noon PST on Thursday, June 27^th. No entries after this time will be accepted.

-Winners will be announced on June 28^th on this site.

–This giveaway is in no way endorsed by WordPress or any other online entity- it’s just a “thank you” from me!

Question of the Day: Who was the original singer for “Sentimental Journey”? 

A. Doris Day

B. Ella Fitzgerald

C. Rosemary Clooney

D. Glenn Miller

I’ll take answers from the last two “Question of the Day” entries until the giveaway closes- here are the link to those posts:

Writing About the Army as a Civilian- How Hard Could It Be?

The Red Cross: “In War, Charity”

Playing Cards and Plane Spotting

Whether you are entering the giveaway or not, I’d love to hear from you! Do you and your significant other have “a song”???

My husband and I…really don’t, though I suppose our first dance from our wedding would be about as close as we come. (I don’t know if the hypothetical grandkids will be able to pull that one off someday…if they do, they really ought to do some “80s hair” to go with it, don’t you think?)

Many thanks for visiting!

-Anne

 

If you’d like more information on today’s topic, here are a few sources that I found helpful:

On Les Brown and his Band of Renown: https://jazzprofiles.blogspot.com/2019/05/les-brown-and-his-band-of-renown-parts.html

On “Sentimental Journey” : https://everipedia.org/wiki/lang_en/Sentimental_Journey_%28song%29/

On the recording ban: https://spinditty.com/industry/Music-The-Recording-Bans-of-1942-1944-and-1948

 

Also, if you’re interested in pre-ordering my e-book, here is a link and description. The paperback will be available starting June 28th.

1943
All that Sergeant James Milburn wants is to heal. Sent to finish his convalescence in a lonely village in the north of England, the friends he’s lost haunt his dreams. If he can only be declared fit for active service again, perhaps he can rejoin his surviving mates in the fight across Sicily and either protect them or die alongside them.
All that Evie Worther wants is purpose. War has reduced her family to an elderly matriarch and Charles, her controlling cousin, both determined to keep her safely tucked away in their family home. If she can somehow balance her sense of obligation to family with her desperate need to be of use, perhaps she can discover how she fits into her tumultuous world.
All that Charles Heatherington wants is his due. Since his brother’s death, he is positioned to be the family’s heir with only one step left to make his future secure. If only he can keep the family matriarch happy, he can finally start living the easy life he is certain he deserves.
However, when James’s, Evie’s and Charles’s paths collide, a dark secret of the past is forced into the light, and everything that they have hoped and striven for is thrown into doubt.
Weaving in historical detail from World War II in Britain, Italy and Egypt, Whom Shall I Fear? follows their individual struggles with guilt and faith, love and family, and forces them to ask if the greatest threat they face is really from the enemy abroad.