Jump to content

Goodbye Mama (I'm off to Yokohama)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"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