Schräge Musik

[Graham Boak]

Lilli Marlene was a German song sung in German by a German artiste (whose name has just slipped by me). It was played on German radio and became popular amongst the Eighth Army in the desert, before it was anglicised and sung by anyone in the USA. I rather doubt that Dietrich's version was ever played on the official German radio.

As jazz predates the Nazi regime, a name for it would have existed in German in advance of any ban.

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Graham Boak

Lilli Marlene was a German song sung in German by a German artiste (whose name has just slipped by me). It was played on German radio and became popular amongst the Eighth Army in the desert, before it was anglicised and sung by anyone in the USA. I rather doubt that Dietrich's version was ever played on the official German radio.

As jazz predates the Nazi regime, a name for it would have existed in German in advance of any ban.

Lili Marlene was popularised in Germany in a version by Lala Andersen (who was Danish, I believe). As Graham said, 8th Army heard it on German Forces Radio and the bif EnGlish version was by Vera Lynn. AFAIK Dietrich's version was the favoured one amongst American audiences.

And American jazz was suppressed in Nazi Germany as degenerate "jungle music": I have seen interviews on TV with people who were arrested for listening to it. That didn't stop Goebbels using a swing band (Charlie and his Orchestra) to broadcast popular songs to the Allies with their lyrics altered to spread defeatism. There's a whole book about this with a cd incorporated.

Relevant web page here.

[Ruy Horta]

Calling Lied eines jungen Wachtposten (a.k.a. Lili Marleen) Jazz is stretching the term beyond its breaking point.

It just ain't Jazz baby...

Dietrich's (most) famous pre-war song is called Ich Bin Von Kopf Bis Fuss Auf Liebe Eingestellt, ain't Jazz either.

They are both favorites of mine.

Others are Hans Albers together with Heinz Rühmann* singing Jawohl, meine Herr'n, Heinz Albers singing Auf der Reeperbahn nachts um halb eins or La Paloma from the movie Große Freiheit Nr.7.

*One of Nazi Germany's favorite actors and incidentally a Luftwaffe reserve Hauptmann (IIRC).