Goodbye Mama (I'm off to Yokohama)

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"Goodbye Mama (I'm off to Yokohama)"
Song
LanguageEnglish
Published1941
Songwriter(s)J. Fred Coots

"Goodbye Mama (I'm off to Yokohama)" is a World War II song written and composed by J. Fred Coots. The wartime song was first published in 1941 by Chappell and Co. in New York, NY.[1] The song has a march-tempo, 4/4 meter with some syncopated rhythm. The tune is cheery and akin to a Boy Scout hiking song.[2]

The song was recorded in 1942 by a number of artists, including Dick Robertson, Frankie Masters,[3] and Teddy Powell.

A sequel song, "Goodbye Maria (I'm Off To Korea)", was recorded by country musician Wilf Carter in 1950.

The sheet music can be found at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Coots, J. Fred. 1941. Goodbye Mama: (I'm off to Yokohama). New York City: Chappell & Co. OCLC 24599304
  2. ^ Smith, Kathleen E. R. God Bless America: Tin Pan Alley Goes to War. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky, 2003. Print. P. 14. ISBN 0-8131-2256-2 OCLC 50868277
  3. ^ "Goodbye Mama (I'm Off to Yokohama)". Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. Retrieved 2023-08-18.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Cooper, B. Lee, and Wayne S. Haney. 1999. Rock music in American popular culture III, III. Rock Music in American Popular Culture. New York: Haworth Press. ISBN 9780789004901. OCLC 772542638
  • Jasen, David A. 1988. Tin Pan Alley: the composers, the songs, the performers, and their times: the golden age of American popular music from 1886 to 1956. New York: D.I. Fine.ISBN 9781-5561-1099-3. OCLC 18135644
  • Jones, John Bush. 2006. The songs that fought the war: popular music and the home front: 1939-1945. Hanover: Univ. Press of New England. ISBN 1584654430. OCLC 237080140
  • Smith, Kathleen E. R. God Bless America: Tin Pan Alley Goes to War. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky, 2003. Print. ISBN 0-8131-2256-2. OCLC 50868277
  • Zinsser, William. 2006. Easy to remember: the great American songwriters and their songs. Jaffrey, N.H.: David R. Godine. ISBN 9781567923254. OCLC 150438201