"When the Boys Come Home" is a
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
song. It was first published as sheet music in 1915 with music by
Oley Speaks
Oley Speaks (June 28, 1874 – August 7, 1948) was an American composer and songwriter. His compositions include many religious songs, as well as his best-known success, " On the Road to Mandalay", which takes its lyrics from the poem " Mandalay ...
and lyrics by John Hay.
1917 version
Oley Speaks composed the song. John Hay wrote the lyrics. The piece was written for both voice and piano. The song, written in
first person, takes on a positive tone. The lyrics detail the happiness and celebration that will be felt when the soldiers return home from war.
Another song published in 1918 with the same name had lyrics by John Hay and music by Calvin W. Laufer.
1919 recording
The 1919 version was performed by Louis Graveure and recorded on February 13, 1919. The song was released by
. It reached the number nine spot on the US song charts in June 1919.
Notable performances
It was performed in Richfield, Utah in 1918 by Mrs. R. G. Clark.
and in
Allo Allo
''Allo 'Allo!'' is a British sitcom television series, created by David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd, starring Gorden Kaye, Carmen Silvera, Guy Siner and Richard Gibson. Originally broadcast on BBC1, the series focuses on the life of a French cafà ...
by
Lieutenant Gruber
This is a list of all main and recurring characters of BBC television's sitcom Allo 'Allo!'' that ran for 85 episodes from 1982–1992.
Overview
René Artois
René Francois Artois (Gorden Kaye) – The local café proprietor who, whilst ...
.
References
External links
View sheet music and song MP3 at the Illinois Digital Archive
Songs about soldiers
Songs of World War I
Songs with music by Oley Speaks
1915 songs
{{1910s-song-stub