The purpose of the band was to stir pro-Nazi sympathy, draw attention to World War II Allied losses, and carry Adolf Hitler's messages in an entertaining form. The songs stressed how badly the war was going for the target audience, and how it was only going to be a matter of time before they would be beaten.
Led by German accented front man Karl Schwedler ("Charlie"), conducted by Lutz Templin, and paced by drummer Fritz "Freddie" Brocksieper, the band included Kurt Abraham on reeds and Willy Berking on trombone. The group formed in 1940, making over 90 recordings between March 1941 and February 1943. Arrangements were by Templin, Willy Berking, and Franz Mück, with lyrics written by the Propagandaministerium. Schwedler was allowed permission to travel to neutral and occupied countries to collect jazz and dance music, which helped the band and propaganda ministry to craft more recordings.
Popular American swing songs - and popular British tunes/songs - were initially performed true to the original, until about the second or third verse which were replaced by pro-German lyrics and monologues. For example, in the tune You're Driving Me Crazy, Schwedler croons about the confusion of new love, and in the third verse continues: Here is Winston Churchill's latest tear-jerker: Yes, the Germans are driving me crazy / I thought I had brains / But they shot down my planes..." Later, the entire lyric would be modified, clearly based on the original. The band even recorded some "cover versions" of the originals, unaltered.
Indeed, anecdotal accounts indicate that Winston Churchill enjoyed the broadcasts, finding the lyrics hilarious.
Many of the members of Charlie and his Orchestra went on to successful careers in music after the war.
St. Louis Blues
Charlie and His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hate to see that evening sun go down
Cause my baby, he's gone left this town
Feelin' tomorrow like I feel today
If I'm feelin' tomorrow like I feel today
I'll pack my truck and make my give-a-way
Pulls that man around by her, if it wasn't for her and her
That man I love would have gone nowhere, nowhere
I got the St. Louis blues, blues as I can be
That man's got a heart like a rock cast in the sea
Or else he wouldn't have gone so far from me
I love my baby like a school boy loves his pie
Like a Kentucky colonel loves his mint 'n rye
I love my man till the day I die
Charlie McCoy's song "St. Louis Blues" is a melancholic tune that expresses the singer's sentiments about losing his lover, who has left town. Beginning with the mournful line "I hate to see that evening sun go down," the singer's pain is palpable as he laments his lover's departure. The second verse, "Feelin' tomorrow like I feel today," suggests that the singer's grief is likely to last, and he may pack his bags and leave town forever.
Line by Line Meaning
I hate to see that evening sun go down
I feel sad whenever the evening turns to night
Cause my baby, he's gone left this town
My lover has departed this town, leaving me behind
Feelin' tomorrow like I feel today
If I still feel the same tomorrow as I do today
I'll pack my truck and make my give-a-way
I will leave this place and start anew
St. Louis woman with her diamond ring
There is a woman from St. Louis who wears a diamond ring
Pulls that man around by her, if it wasn't for her and her
She controls the man she is with so much that without her, he would be nothing
That man I love would have gone nowhere, nowhere
The man I love would not have accomplished anything without the St. Louis woman's influence and control
I got the St. Louis blues, blues as I can be
I am feeling very sad and down, similar to the blues music genre originating from St. Louis
That man's got a heart like a rock cast in the sea
The man I love has a heart that is hard and unmoving, like a rock in the ocean
Or else he wouldn't have gone so far from me
If he truly cared for me, he would not have left me alone and gone far away
I love my baby like a school boy loves his pie
My feelings for my lover are strong and innocent, like how a young boy loves his dessert
Like a Kentucky colonel loves his mint 'n rye
My love is as strong and iconic as how a Kentucky colonel loves their famous drink of mint and rye whiskey
I love my man till the day I die
I will continue to love my man until the end of my life
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Peermusic Publishing, HANDY BROTHERS MUSIC CO.,INC., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: William Christopher Handy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Bigband78
I had a tape of this orchestra years ago and found it interesting.I remember a good version of "Let's Do It".
@veronicavero9498
Charlie Swings!!
@CMarkulis
Thank you for this rare record. in my opinion "Dinah" is very good, too; there are more than one musically good recordings of that band. I like "Kiss the boys good bye" or those recordings with Lale Andersen, if you know them from some cd compilation.
@mikehunt3436
As the war dragged on, the Germans would get the sheet music for new Jazz and swings songs to parody by going to music shops in Switzerland and Sweden.
@tagetallqvist1296
Very good!
@danishjazz
@CMarkulis Oh yes, there are several good swing tunes with Charlie. I also have "Kiss the boys" although not in the brightest condition, but I always pick them up in any condition ;o). Once I found one with Lale Andersen, but musically uninteresting so I traded it for something else.
@HeadHunter131
Wow! Where´d you buy these record? Extremely rare.
@Bluehawk2008
It's very odd to here a German attempt to speak English with a Black-American accent.
@shlomoshekelmaster2380
There's documented photos of African Freikorps mercenaries in Germany.... So they had nothing against them. They just appreciated the culture.
@Robb1977
@Shlomo Shekelmaster the Reich despised jazz because of its decadence, however.