ABSTRACT
This chapter studies how women’s representation in popular and soldier songs evolved over the course of World War I due to the new war-related opportunities they experienced. First, we will analyze the roles of women at home and their relationship to the songbook Songs of the Soldiers and Sailors (1917) and the lyrics it includes about women. These lyrics may be divided into several categories: love songs, songs about maternal women, songs using women’s first names, and finally, songs in which a female character brings comfort. After establishing how the soldier songs employ these female images, we will then examine the new militarized opportunities for women in World War I. Our analysis will demonstrate that there are both songs about women in the military and songs by women in the military. Finally, we will conclude by following one woman in the war to the front: Elsie Janis. Janis wrote and performed powerful songs specifically for soldier shows, such as ‘The Yank Speaks,’ ‘Blind,’ and ‘The Slacker.’ The examples we undertake here demonstrate that the women of the lyrics and the women who wrote the lyrics contribute to the commemoration of the war experience.
