What makes a song immortal? Is it the lyrics? Or the tune? Or the way it is rendered? Perhaps it is a combination of all these and some more.
Take the rather baffling case of the song Lili Marlene (English version: Lilly Marlene). It has been hailed as the most popular war song of all time. But is Lili Marlene really a war song? It is a love song, a romantic, sentimental piece that was, rather strangely, set to a marching tune. Lili Marlene was written during a war and attained the pinnacle of popularity during another war.
A German soldier, Hans Liep wrote the lyrics on which Lili Mrlene is based, in 1915 during World War I. After gathering dust for twenty two years it was discovered in 1937, when Nobert Schultze set it to music. The original recording of Lili Marlene by Lale Andersen in 1939 did not create any waves. Joseph Gobbles, Propaganda Secretary of Nazi Socialist Party, is said to have hated the song. But Field Marshal Erwin Rommel intuitively identified the potential of Lili Marlene and it was broadcast daily over Radio Belgrade for his Afrika Korps.
The effect was stunning. From underneath the lantern Lili of the lamplight reached out to the soldiers on the desert. The song had pathos, romance, and intensity of feeling. It talked of love and longing and loneliness. It captured the hearts and the souls of the fighting men. Imagine the impact of the following words (by Tommie Connor in the English version of Lili Marlene) would have on lonesome soldiers far away from home:
Resting in our billets, just behind the lines
Even tho' we're parted, your lips are close to mine
You wait where that lantern softly gleams,
Your sweet face seems to haunt my dreams
My Lilly of the Lamplight, my own Lilly Marlene
In what could possibly be termed a faux pas, Rommel apparently had not considered that sentiments transcend national boundaries. Soon the Allied soldiers too picked up the song. According to one story, when a senior officer berated a British soldier for singing Lili Marlene in German, the victim answered with a counter question, “Sir, do we have an English version?” A translation was made quickly and BBC started broadcasting it. Thus came about a strange situation where both sides in the war were using the same song, Lili Marlene, for propaganda and to boost the morale of their troops.
The Marlene Dietrich rendering of Lili Marlene was perhaps the pick among the many recordings of the song. Even after World War II, Lili Marlene continued to be a favorite with versions by Vera Lynn and others. It is said to have been translated to nearly fifty languages. When asked about the reason for the popularity of the song, Lale Andersen, the German singer who first recorded it, is reported to have stated, "Can the wind explain why it became a storm?"
The storm might have abated but even 6o years after the World War II, the passion for Lili Marlene lives on. A Web search for the song would turn up over a million results. On several of these sites you can listen to Lili Marlene and download it.
Lili Marlene is still waiting where that lantern gleams softly.
Ends.
4 comments:
Hi, Abraham. Thanks for leaving a comment on Jonathan's Coffeeblog, where I had posted an article about Lili Marlene. I enjoyed your post about the song, and I bookmarked it in del.icio.us.
Thank you, coffeeblogger. Your comment has made my day.
Abraham.
DNA SAMPLE OF JEWS.
It has been a general misconception that Thomas of Cana brought with him 400 Jews or 72 families. In those days only men could travel by ships, especially in long voyages to unknown lands. Long before the arrival of Thma there were Jewish colonies in Kerala. Thomas of Cana had never reported at the Jewish settlements. Jewish records do not mention anywhere tha t this Thomas of cana came to Kerala.
Another misconception among Syrian Christians of Kerala is that immigrants from Syria were Jews. The Bible says in Mark 7 about a woman from Syria whose daughter had an evil spirit in her . "The woman was a Gentile, born in the region of Phoenicia in Syria." Mark 7:26. As such, if at all Thomas of Cana had come, he could not be regarded as a Jew but he was a Gentile. Portuguese and Armenian records say that Thoma was an Armenian, a Gentile.
According to tradition, the first group of immigrants of 400 laymen led byThomas of Cana arrived at Cranganore in 345 A.D. Alexis de Menzes, Roman Catholic Archbishop, arrived at Kochi early in 1599 which subsequently led to the Synod of Diamper and the oath of Coonen Cross. The Portuguese estimates placed the number of Syrian Christians as high as 200,000 when Alexis de Menzes wanted to reform the Syrian church. How did the Syrian Christian population increase betrween 345 A.D. to 1599 A.D.? In a caste-ridden and conservative society, no Nair or Brahmin woman would have ventured to mar.ry the foreigners. In the first instance, some immigrants would have married lower caste women when they decided to settle in Kerala. Like Anglo-Indians their families would have lived in the areas allotted by the rulers. Later they would have converted lower caste people such as fisher men (mukkuvas), slaves, barbers, washermen and other rlabourers (Ezhavas) with whom they had daily contacts in managing their settlements. These converted untouchables and ofspring of immigrants would have married among themselves to increase the Syrian Christian population. So when the Portuguese met the Syrian Christians for the first time they were all like local Keralites.
There was population explosion of Syrian Christans from the time CMS missionaries launched a spirited campaign to convert as many untouchables as possible. Bailey, Fennand Baker openly accommodated the Ezhavas and outcastes in the Syrian church. In Alappuzha Norton converted a wide range of untouchables. Hawksworth baptized Ezhavas and other outcastes in Mavelikara, Poovathoor and Kodukulanji and constructed churches for them. Hawksworth is remebered for the large sccale conversion of slaves in Mallappally. The first slave was baptized with name of Abel. Although Ezhava converts who had become Christians opposed the conversion of slaves, as years rolled by slave were also regarded as regualr members.
Concealing all these historical facts, some conceited members claim Namboodirii descent when there were no Namboodiris in Ist century A.D. when St. Thomas visited Kerala and they are also taking DNA sample to claim Jewish descent ignoring the facdt that Thomas of Can was a Gentile. DNA sample of Syrian Christians of Mallappally will show descent from slaves and Mavelikars descent from untouchables.
DNA SAMPLE OF JEWS.
It has been a general misconception that Thomas of Cana brought with him 400 Jews or 72 families. In those days only men could travel by ships, especially in long voyages to unknown lands. Long before the arrival of Thma there were Jewish colonies in Kerala. Thomas of Cana had never reported at the Jewish settlements. Jewish records do not mention anywhere tha t this Thomas of cana came to Kerala.
Another misconception among Syrian Christians of Kerala is that immigrants from Syria were Jews. The Bible says in Mark 7 about a woman from Syria whose daughter had an evil spirit in her . "The woman was a Gentile, born in the region of Phoenicia in Syria." Mark 7:26. As such, if at all Thomas of Cana had come, he could not be regarded as a Jew but he was a Gentile. Portuguese and Armenian records say that Thoma was an Armenian, a Gentile.
According to tradition, the first group of immigrants of 400 laymen led byThomas of Cana arrived at Cranganore in 345 A.D. Alexis de Menzes, Roman Catholic Archbishop, arrived at Kochi early in 1599 which subsequently led to the Synod of Diamper and the oath of Coonen Cross. The Portuguese estimates placed the number of Syrian Christians as high as 200,000 when Alexis de Menzes wanted to reform the Syrian church. How did the Syrian Christian population increase betrween 345 A.D. to 1599 A.D.? In a caste-ridden and conservative society, no Nair or Brahmin woman would have ventured to mar.ry the foreigners. In the first instance, some immigrants would have married lower caste women when they decided to settle in Kerala. Like Anglo-Indians their families would have lived in the areas allotted by the rulers. Later they would have converted lower caste people such as fisher men (mukkuvas), slaves, barbers, washermen and other rlabourers (Ezhavas) with whom they had daily contacts in managing their settlements. These converted untouchables and ofspring of immigrants would have married among themselves to increase the Syrian Christian population. So when the Portuguese met the Syrian Christians for the first time they were all like local Keralites.
There was population explosion of Syrian Christans from the time CMS missionaries launched a spirited campaign to convert as many untouchables as possible. Bailey, Fennand Baker openly accommodated the Ezhavas and outcastes in the Syrian church. In Alappuzha Norton converted a wide range of untouchables. Hawksworth baptized Ezhavas and other outcastes in Mavelikara, Poovathoor and Kodukulanji and constructed churches for them. Hawksworth is remebered for the large sccale conversion of slaves in Mallappally. The first slave was baptized with name of Abel. Although Ezhava converts who had become Christians opposed the conversion of slaves, as years rolled by slave were also regarded as regualr members.
Concealing all these historical facts, some conceited members claim Namboodirii descent when there were no Namboodiris in Ist century A.D. when St. Thomas visited Kerala and they are also taking DNA sample to claim Jewish descent ignoring the facdt that Thomas of Can was a Gentile. DNA sample of Syrian Christians of Mallappally will show descent from slaves and Mavelikars descent from untouchables.
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