Music played an important role during WWI in a variety of fashions. Whether it was providing a common experience for citizens on the home front or boosting the morale of soldiers on the front lines; music left a lasting impact on the lives of men, women, and children experiencing the challenges of war.
This piece was written by Chris Smith with the intro written by James Reese Europe. James Reese Europe fought with the 369th infantry division or the "Harlem Hellfighters". Ballin' the Jack Fox Trot has 12 parts for instruments that weren't easy to march with. Piano, cello, and bass to name a few.
Madelon “I’ll Be True to the Whole Regiment” is a song from World War I that was sung by French soldiers. This particular iteration is a version of the song in English published by Jerome H. Remick & Co. in Detroit, New York in 1918. The song itself can be performed with vocals and piano.
There are some discrepancies between the English and French versions of the song. In the English version, the song tells the story of a girl called Madelon from Brittany. She is the keeper’s daughter in the tavern where soldiers “take their liberty” (Madelon I’ll Be True). To the soldiers, she is kind and pretty. She listens to the Captain and Colonel tell their stories, but always keeps them on her finger (Madelon I’ll Be True). The chorus is made to represent what the soldiers say about Madelon such as “It's so long since we have seen a Miss Won't you give us just a kiss?” (Madelon I’ll be True ) to which Madelon responds she could never, as she’s true to the whole regiment! In the French version, there’s more detail about the tavern, the whole group of soldiers is telling stories to Madelon, and Madelon does not respond that she’s true to the regiment, instead, she just laughs.
This song was made in the town Fontenay-sous-Bois in the early 1800s but wasn't very popular upon its release (La Madelon) During World War I, it grew in popularity because of the soldiers singing it.