On the morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941, a lead Japanese pilot sent a crucial message to Vice Admiral Nagumo, commanding the Imperial fleet about to attack the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor. “Tora, Tora, Tora!” signaled the success of the attack; the Japanese had not been detected. Over 2,400 Americans were killed and U.S. naval strength in the Pacific was incapacitated. In the wake of the attack, patriotic Americans turned on their radios to hear songs referencing the “Day of Infamy.” Anti-Japanese lyrics, already fueled by decades of fear and prejudice, set the national attitude toward anyone remotely connected with Imperial Japan.
Pearl Harbor Became the Rallying Cry Against Japan
During the weeks following the Pearl Harbor attack, Don Reid and Sammy Kaye collaborated on the most popular song of the World War II Pacific Theater, “Remember Pearl Harbor.” The song begins with the reminder that, “History in ev’ry century, Records an act that lives forevermore.” The second stanza references the Alamo, a rallying cry in the 19th Century especially dear to Texans fighting for independence from Mexico in the mid-1830s.
Don Reid’s lyrics proclaim: “We will always remember, how they died for Liberty; let’s remember Pearl Harbor, And go on to victory.” The key word is “remember.” In 1898, Americans were told to “Remember the Maine!” as the nation prepared for war with Spain, following the destruction of that U.S. warship in Havana Harbor. In every case, remembrance is tied to action, going to “meet the foe” in the name of “Liberty.”
God is on the Side of Liberty in Pearl Harbor Lyrics
In 1942 Frank Loesser wrote “Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition” in response to Pearl Harbor. The song addresses both America’s religious convictions as well as the idea that, “we’ll all stay free!” The first stanza refers directly to the attack: “Down went the gun-ner, and then the gun-ner’s mate…” It was the “sky pilot” who manned the gun after he “laid aside the Book.” The “Book” was the Bible, signified by the capitalization used by Loesser.
The song also carried a warning: “…we’re all between perdition and the deep blue sea!” America was on “a mighty mission” and it was time to pass the ammunition. Such lyrics were already felt by many Americans who believed that the U.S. was being assailed by evil forces. Since the mid to late 19th Century, American Protestant missions had spent vast sums to establish Christian churches, schools, and hospitals in Asian nations in order to “rescue the perishing” and convert the “heathen” from their "false religions".
U.S. leaders had long feared the growing militarism in Japan. It was one of the reasons President Theodore Roosevelt intervened in the Russo-Japanese War. A stronger Japan was becoming a threat to vital U.S. interests in the Pacific, including the Philippine colonial possessions.
Pearl Harbor and the Image of the Stars and Stripes
Paul Roberts and Bob Miller also produced a patriotic song in 1942 that capitalized on the flag. “There’s a Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere” speaks of heroic death against the “mad dictators,” the “leaders of corruption.” Patriots that shed their lives for what the flag characterized would see the stars and stripes waving in heaven. The imagery is not unlike the Marine Corps hymn which states that the streets of heaven are guarded by United States marines.
Roberts and Miller referenced Lincoln, Custer, Washington, and Hale. Nathan Hale was the Revolutionary War patriot spy who regretted the he had “only one life to give” for his country. In 1942, historical research and scrutiny had not yet caught up with George Armstrong Custer, who is viewed through contemporary eyes as an arrogant commander directly responsible for the loss of his entire command.
Discrimination and Prejudice in Pearl Harbor Songs
In February 1942, Bob Miller recorded “We’re Gonna Have To Slap The Dirty Little Jap (and Uncle Sam’s The Guy Who Can Do It).” The song goes on to state that, “we’ll skin the streak of yellow from this sneaky little fellow…” The lyrics poke fun at everything from the rising sun to chop suey, which was actually not Japanese but Chinese-American.
The third stanza refers to murdering Hirohito (the Japanese Emperor) as well as Benita Mussolini and Adolf Hitler, referred to in the song as “that Schickle gruber.” All three were to be hung from the “highest tree.” This last reference conjures up images of lynching, a notorious practice used against American blacks. The point in the song was to arouse anti-Japanese feeling.
Post Pearl Harbor songs help to understand the plight of American-Japanese living on the west coast who were forced to relocate to internment camps. Even after 1945, the injuries suffered by these Americans, many of whom were citizens, were ignored. Pearl Harbor triggered massive anti-Japanese discrimination. Songs of the period reinforced this.
Songs Inspired by Pearl Harbor kept Americans Seeking Revenge
Patriotic songs have inspired Americans to action throughout the nation’s history. But Pearl Harbor and World War II may have ended that tradition. No subsequent wars have created popular songs designed to galvanize Americans. During Vietnam, most popular songs questioned the war and spread the belief that patriotism was about ending the war.
Pearl Harbor was a singular defeat costing thousands of lives. Songs of the period sought to keep alive the reasons why America was fighting, and why it was important to defend liberty. These songs stirred American emotions and resolve until 1945.
Sources:
- John Bush Jones, The Songs That Fought the War: Popular Music and the Home Front, 1939-1945 (Brandeis University Press, 2006)
- Greg Robinson, By Order of the President: FDR And The Internment of Japanese Americans (Harvard University Press, 2001)
- John Toland, The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire 1936-1945 (Random House, 1970)
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