Copyrighted just hours before Congress declared war, "You're A Sap, Mr. Jap" ascended from the ashes of Pearl Harbor and typified music immediately following the attack. The brash lyrics coupled with the Murphy Sisters' buoyant vocals make this Carl Hoff number a hard pill to swallow. More an example of propaganda fluff than chart-topping pop fare, the music industry hastily churned out such material, only to have it forgotten just as quickly by American audiences. Be they harmless banter, scornful commentary, or tasteless stereotypes, musical strikes against Japan abounded and conveyed the jingoism of a country thrust into another world war.
Copyrighted just hours before Congress declared war, "You're A Sap, Mr. Jap" ascended from the ashes of Pearl Harbor and typified music immediately following the attack. The brash lyrics coupled with the Murphy Sisters' buoyant vocals make this Carl Hoff number a hard pill to swallow. More an example of propaganda fluff than chart-topping pop fare, the music industry hastily churned out such material, only to have it forgotten just as quickly by American audiences. Be they harmless banter, scornful commentary, or tasteless stereotypes, musical strikes against Japan abounded and conveyed the jingoism of a country thrust into another world war.