"Indianola"
by Billy Murray
Sheet music courtesy of Clarence Johnson |
Party to the artless attacks on the loyalty of immigrant groups was the realization, after the war vote, that the U.S. would need a great many of those hyphenated-Americans that were constantly being harangued, harassed, and reviled. They would be needed to fill draft quotas, first, and they would be necessary to take the roles they had taken so ably before the war. Most of them were blue-collar workers who manned the plants and foundries. They were the industrial heart of American production. They would still be needed for that function. Most important, however, were those who would enter the draft and become the heart of Pershing's Crusaders. With the precision of a meat ax, the tunesmiths of the Alley turned their hand to congratulatory odes celebrating stereotypical members of the various segments of the hyphenated-American population, and they did it with same pens with which they whipped the general populace into such a general frenzy questioning hyphenated-American loyalty. These generally offensive, racially insensitive songs were considered to be hugely funny, at the expense of the lead character and his race, but they were also wildly popular in the music halls and on the vaudeville stages. The public for which the recordings were intended considered them to be compliments. They always styled the central character as a hero, and the patriotism, bravery, and commitment of that character were never questioned. But the jokes never laugh with the character; they always laugh at him. In our post-Civil-Rights era, these songs are unacceptable, but in 1918, they may have been attempts at conciliation. The stock and trade of these recordings are linguistic imitations of stereotyped accents, puns, and all of the ethnic traits commonly associated with each group and commonly used to demean and discriminate against them.
Despite being the original Americans, Native Americans were lumped into that catch-all of "other" which included the hyphenated-Americans. As a result, they were treated with the same disdain, but it was exacerbated by the public perception of Indian bloodlust that went with the debacle of George W. Custer at Little Big Horn. The facts were far different. After the west was tamed and Native Americans were settled on reservations, there were few more loyal Americans to be found. They were large contributors to liberty bonds, went willingly into the draft, and were the second most decorated minority in the war. "Indianola" is a parody of these true Americans, rather than a stereotype. In the era before sound at the movies, the record accompanies the singer with what would become the standard Indian scenario—heavy, rhythmic "war" drums, minor—key, oriental motif melody lines, and chanting braves in the background. Except that it is 1918, the listener expects John Wayne to step out of the lyric.
The thread of narrative that holds the record together centers on "Chief Bugaboo" marrying his intended, Indianola, in order that he can go to war without concern. The rest of the lyric is concerned with puns, stereotypes, and bad accents and B-movie dialogue. "Chief Bugaboo," as scurrilous a name for a Native American as can be imagined, "was a Redman who / Heard the call of war." Of course, he goes to Indianola to marry her before he goes "Over There." "Come and help me make my war paint fit," he tells her, "I do my heap big bit." Even if the last phrase is play on another popular air, "Do Your Little Bitty Bit," the unctuous dialogue is feeble. In the refrain, we find that the stereotyped "bloodthirsty" Indian has not been put to rest when Bugaboo says "Me hear cannon roar, / Me help Yank win war. / Me much like to kill, / Scalp old Kaiser Bill. / Me go fight in France, / Me do a big war dance." After some uncharacteristically Indian wooing, the second refrain continues, "Me hear the great big cannon roar. / Me want to help Yank man win war, / Me like to fight and to heap much kill, / Got to go and tomahawk Kaiser Bill." Of course Indianola is just as eloquent in her acceptance of Bugaboo's proposal. "Indianola think her chief much nice" we are told. The sentiment is worthy, the patriotism is unmistakeable, the parody is criminal. And this was not only humor, but political commentary.
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