Have Ya Got Any Gum, Chum?

Last updated
"Have Ya Got Any Gum, Chum?"
Song by The Glenn Miller Orchestra
Written1944
RecordedNovember 3, 1945
Genre Jazz, big-band
Length2:30
Songwriter(s) Murray Kane
Audio sample
"Have Ya Got Any Gum, Chum?"

"Have Ya Got Any Gum, Chum?" is a big band song written by Murray Kane in 1944. The music and lyrics were registered in the United States Copyright Catalog on February 6, 1945. [1]

Big band music ensemble associated with jazz and Swing Era music

A big band is a type of musical ensemble that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and dominated jazz in the early 1940s when swing was most popular. The term "big band" is also used to describe a genre of music. One problem with this usage is that it overlooks the variety of music played by these bands.

Murray Kane was an American Corporal, composer and band manager. As a performer, he was a member of the Crew Chiefs vocal group and the Glenn Miller Orchestra.

Contents

Recordings

On December 8, 1944, the song was recorded by Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians. This version, however, was not released until June 1950 when it was included on his Pleasure Time album by Decca. [2]

Decca Records US/British record label

Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, along with American Decca's first president Jack Kapp and later American Decca president Milton Rackmil. In 1937, anticipating Nazi aggression leading to World War II, Lewis sold American Decca and the link between the UK and U.S. Decca labels was broken for several decades. The British label was renowned for its development of recording methods, while the American company developed the concept of cast albums in the musical genre. Both wings are now part of the Universal Music Group, which is owned by Vivendi, a media conglomerate headquartered in Paris, France. The US Decca label was the foundation company that evolved into UMG.

In November 1945, it was recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra for a radio broadcast. [3] It was recorded the following year by Ray McKinley with a Billboard magazine review that called the recording a "cute novelty" with "plain and effective" vocals. McKinley's version was released as the B-side to his version of "We'll Gather Lilacs" from Ivor Novello's Perchance to Dream . [4]

Glenn Miller Orchestra US big band led by Glenn Miller (1937-1942)

Glenn Miller and His Orchestra was an American swing dance band formed by Glenn Miller in 1938. Arranged around a clarinet and tenor saxophone playing melody, and three other saxophones playing harmony, the band became the most popular and commercially successful dance orchestra of the Swing era and one of the greatest singles charting acts of the 20th century.

Ray McKinley American musician

Ray McKinley was an American jazz drummer, singer, and bandleader.

<i>Billboard</i> (magazine) American music magazine

Billboard is an American entertainment media brand owned by the Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group, a division of Eldridge Industries. It publishes pieces involving news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style, and is also known for its music charts, including the Hot 100 and Billboard 200, tracking the most popular songs and albums in different genres. It also hosts events, owns a publishing firm, and operates several TV shows.

Origin

The song comes from the phrase "Got any gum, chum?" which was popular with British children at the time of World War II. [5] Children would shout the phrase at passing American soldiers in an attempt to be given chewing gum or similar rations. [6] [7]

World War II 1939–1945 global war

World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.

A garrison ration is the quantity and type of food served to a soldier when they are stationed somewhere. It is generally not the same as the rations fed to troops in combat or transit - usually termed combat rations, field rations, marching rations or some other task-specific term. This term is mostly used with respect to historic militaries. Modern thinking about nutrition and military logistical support is generally very different today, although people may still speak of garrison rations in relatively underdeveloped countries.

In the liner notes to the 1983 compilation In the USA and Europe (Vol. II), Richard C. March (then-secretary of the UK-based International Glenn Miller Society) described the song as a "topical period piece" that would not be appreciated by "today's younger generation" but would be understood by those "brought up at the time of sweet rationing". [8] The lyrics mention the gum brands Chiclets, Spearmint, Doublemint, and Juicy Fruit.

Chiclets brand of candy coated chewing gum

Chiclets is a brand of candy-coated chewing gum manufactured by Mondelēz International.

Wrigleys Spearmint

Wrigley's Spearmint is a brand of Wrigley's chewing gum. Wrigley's launched the brand in 1893, and markets the gum as its classic brand, although the company's brand Juicy Fruit has been on the market slightly longer. As the name implies the gum is flavored with the spearmint plant.

Doublemint is a variety of chewing gum made by the Wrigley Company; according to early advertisements, it is "double strength" peppermint flavored. It was launched in the United States in 1914, and has had variable market share since then.

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References

  1. ↑ "Discography". Fred Waring's America. Pennsylvania State University. Archived from the original on January 23, 2010. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
  2. ↑ Eder, Bruce. "Farewell Performances – Jerry Gray". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  3. ↑ "Music Popularity Chart". The Billboard . Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 11 May 1946. p. 33. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
  4. ↑ Polic, Edward F. (1989). The Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band: Sustineo Alas = I Sustain the Wings. 2. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press. p. 1174. ISBN   978-0-8108-2269-6.
  5. ↑ Ward, Tony (25 April 2005). "Got Any Gum, Chum?". WW2 People's War. BBC. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
  6. ↑ Sutherland, Earl (2008). "81: Go Any Gum, Chum?". Just an 18 year Old During World War II. Morrisville, NC: LuLu. p. 103. ISBN   978-1-4357-2026-8.
  7. ↑ March, Richard C. (1983). In the USA and Europe (Vol. II) (Media notes). Glenn Miller.
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