Good Bye Broadway, Hello France

"Good-Bye Broadway, Hello France"
Sheet music cover
Song
Published	1917
Composer(s)	Billy Baskette
Lyricist(s)	C. Francis Reisner, Benny Davis

Good-Bye Broadway, Hello France is a 1917 song composed by Billy Baskette, with lyrics written by C. Francis Reisner and Benny Davis. The song was published by Leo Feist, Inc.

The song was included in The Passing Show of 1917 as part of the finale.

The song was performed by The American Quartet and reached No. 1 on the top 100 songs of 1917. Other covers include those by The Peerless Quartet, (No. 5 on 1917 top 100),Arthur Fields (1917), and Jaudus' Society Orchestra (1918).

The song inspired Irving Berlin's 1918 hit, "Goodbye, France," a song about leaving France to return to the United States.

While the song was popular during its time, it also saw a revival during World War II, where some soldiers preferred World War I songs over the war songs being produced at the time.

The song was used in Tin Pan Alley, a 1940 musical film.

In 1942, the song appeared in the movie For Me and My Girl.

The sheet music was reprinted more than ten times.

The 1917 publication featured an illustration cover by Rosenbaum Studios, which featured John J. Pershing and Joseph Joffre shaking hands across the ocean with the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower in the back ground.

On the back of one of the song edition's cover was an ad by Leo Feist which declared "MUSIC WILL HELP WIN THE WAR!", as well as an essay by "A. Patriot" which explained the meaning of the song. The song was meant to lift the nation's spirit and fight off fatigue and worry by promoting the American war effort in Europe.

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Wikipedia