| The men in the field also had an appreciation for the women who were there to help them, especially those in the Red Cross. An indication of their gratitude was a song of great warmth dedicated to the women of the Red Cross who played such an enormous part in healing the wounds and keeping up the spirits of the men in battle: The Rose of No Man’s Land. | Lee Roberts and Will Callahan, two previously undistinguished songsters wrote Smiles, which brought into one composite picture the attitude of the women and men and emerged as the most widely enjoyed piece during the entire war. | When Irving Berlin was inducted into the Army, he was asked to write a musical show, which he built around one of the principal troop embarkation points for Europe, Yaphank, New York. He called the show Yip-Yip-Yaphank, and its most memorable number was Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning, about the serviceman’s response to reveille call in the pre-dawn darkness. |
| As the end of the war drew nearer, the songs assumed more and more confidence. Anticipating the impending return of the troops from Europe, George M. Cohan wrote the widely sung welcoming song When You Come Back. | While coming home appealed to most of the soldiers, some expected to miss their experiences with the French women. Songwriters exploited this attitude and wrote such songs as Wee, Wee, Marie, Will You Do Zis for Me, and the popular How ‘Ya Gonna Keep ‘Em Down on the Farm (after they’ve seen Paree?).
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