There's a Little Blue Star in the Window (and It Means All the World to Me)

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""There's a Little Blue Star in the Window (And it Means All the World to Me)""
Song
Published 1918
Composer(s) F. Henri Klickmann
Lyricist(s) Paul B. Armstrong

There's a Little Blue Star in the Window (And it Means All the World to Me) is a 1918 World War I song. Its lyrics were written by Paul B. Armstrong, and its music by F. Henri Klickmann. [1] Henry Burr performed the piece, and it is among his top 15 Billboard hits. [2] Frank K. Root & Co. of Chicago, Illinois published the song. [3]

World War I 1914–1918 global war originating in Europe

World War I, also known as the First World War or the Great War, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. Contemporaneously described as "the war to end all wars", it led to the mobilisation of more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, making it one of the largest wars in history. It is also one of the deadliest conflicts in history, with an estimated nine million combatants and seven million civilian deaths as a direct result of the war, while resulting genocides and the 1918 influenza pandemic caused another 50 to 100 million deaths worldwide.

Frank Henri Klickmann, known professionally as F. Henri Klickmann, was a composer, songwriter, musician, and arranger of music from the 1900s to the 1940s. He composed over a hundred songs, including The Vamp, Walkin' the Dog, Kitten on the Keys, Some of These Days, Don't You Remember the Time, and Sweet Hawaiian Moonlight. During the 1920s, he was employed by Jack Mills Music, Inc.

Henry Burr Canadian musician

Henry Burr was a Canadian singer, radio performer and producer. He was born Harry Haley McClaskey and used Henry Burr as one of his many pseudonyms, in addition to Irving Gillette, Henry Gillette, Alfred Alexander, Robert Rice, Carl Ely, Harry Barr, Frank Knapp, Al King, and Shamus McClaskey. He produced more than 12,000 recordings, by his own estimate, including "Just a Baby's Prayer at Twilight", "Till We Meet Again" with Albert Campbell, "The Song That Stole My Heart Away", "M-O-T-H-E-R", and "Beautiful Ohio". A tenor, he performed as a soloist and in duets, trios and quartets.

Contents

Cover art and analysis

The sheet music cover shows an open window with a Blue Star service flag hanging in it. [3] The lyrics are told from a mother's point of view, who looks at the blue star as a symbol for her son fighting overseas. The chorus reads: [4]

Service flag

A service flag or service banner is a banner that family members of those serving in the United States Armed Forces can display. The flag or banner is officially defined as a white field with a red border, with a blue star for each family member serving in the Armed Forces of the United States during any period of war or hostilities. A gold star represents a family member who died during Military Operations. This includes those who lost their lives during World War I, World War II, or during any subsequent period of armed hostilities in which the United States was engaged before July 1, 1958;

There are stars in the high heavens shining
With a promise of hope in their light;
There are stars in the field of Old Glory,
The emblem of honor and Right.
But no star ever shone with more brightness,
I know,
Than the one for my boy o'er the sea.
There's a little blue star in the window,
And it means all the world to me.

The symbol of the little blue star was to signify those families who had sons fighting the war effort. There were various ways to represent the blue star: posters, banners, pins, and plaques. If the son was killed in action, the blue star was traded in for a gold star. [5]

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Mary F. Carty was a musician.

References

  1. ↑ Vogel, Frederick G. (1995). World War I Songs: A History and Dictionary of Popular American Patriotic Tunes, with Over 300 Complete Lyrics. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 246. ISBN   0-89950-952-5.
  2. ↑ "Songwriters Friends: Henry Burr". Songwriters Hall of Fame. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  3. 1 2 Parker, Bernard S. (2007). World War I Sheet Music. 2. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 669. ISBN   0-7864-2799-X.
  4. ↑ Vogel, Frederick G. (1995). World War I Songs: A History and Dictionary of Popular American Patriotic Tunes, with Over 300 Complete Lyrics. Jefferson: McFarland & Company. p. 370. ISBN   0-89950-952-5.
  5. ↑ "There's a Little Blue Star in the Window (And It Means the World to Me)". The March to War. Retrieved 30 April 2015.


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