Finding a wartime song beginning with "X" was always going to be a challenge … so in true cheeky music-hall style, Lili Redman and Tom Carradine have bent the rules and chosen the comic classic Kiss Me Goodnight Sergeant Major. First recorded in 1939 by Ambrose and his Orchestra, this lighthearted tune quickly became a wartime favourite, poking fun at army life while giving troops and civilians alike something to laugh (and sing) about. In this episode, Lili and Tom explore the careers of bandleader Ambrose, vocalist and trombonist Les Carew, and the pseudonymous songwriters behind the number. They dig into different recordings - from Ambrose to Arthur Askey to Billy Cotton - and uncover the wider world of British dance bands, Tin Pan Alley pseudonyms, and even novelty piano pieces. Expect drunken choruses, music hall gossip, and plenty of wartime humour in this fun-packed episode. SPOTIFY PLAYLIST You can listen to ALL of the songs that Tom and Lili talk about in the episode on their Spotify playlister here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1FQDrBphYqYLAuN6Jm01PN?si=b777dc33a703408a REFERENCES Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa (Cough Syrup) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Herbal-Formula-Cough-Syrup-300ml/dp/B001FAQXD2 Blakely Street, Stepney (where Ambrose lived) https://www.londonpicturearchive.org.uk/view-item?i=120008&WINID=1758879380875 George Tavern, Stepney https://thegeorgetavern.london/ Ciro's Club, Orange Street, London https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciro%27s_(London) https://www.britishpathe.com/asset/64656/ https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw220678/Ciros-Nightclub-group-of-jazz-musicians-possibly-including-Jack-Newman-Syd-Lawrence-and-Ray-Noble https://www.jazzageclub.com/the-classy-ciros-restaurant-chain/370/ When Day Is Done - Ambrose's Signature Tune https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa5TBTKFfdg When Her Mother Come Two - Ivor Novello (sung by Fenton Grey) https://youtu.be/VWhm4nS0eDA Dance Band Encyclopedia - Michael Thomas http://www.mgthomas.co.uk/dancebands/musicians/musicianpages/ambrose.htm Little Tich's Big Boots Dance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFB4oHajwGw Titch's Big Boots - Water Rats Museum https://www.gowr.co.uk/museum/ Tichbourne Complainant https://bigginhill.co.uk/littletich.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tichborne_case Les Carew - trombonist and singer https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-les-carew-1367973.html Jack Hylton and Igor Stravinsky https://www.jackhylton.com/hylton-stravinsky Patricia Hammond https://patriciahammond.com/ I'm Gonna Get Lit Up - Richard Suart https://youtu.be/HyMwe0YHSfQ?si=VZZWxVdXerwrDLO0 Show Me The Way to Go Home - as it appears in Jaws https://youtu.be/6XK3fLCSUAM?si=7ybSOf1RwW7R7eIU Goodnight Sweetheart - Sitcom (1992-2016) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106014/ Steve Boyce - Costumier / Panto Dame https://www.instagram.com/stevesteveboyce/ CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 00:48 Catch Up 02:20 X = Kiss Me Goodnight Sergeant Major 03:39 Bert Ambrose 05:33 Differences Between the American and British Sound 10:15 Bert Ambrose's Success 14:19 Les Carew: The Voice Behind the Song 20:32 How Did We First Discover the Song? 21:00 Discussing the Sheet Music 24:16 Discussing the Lyrics 25:51 Discussing the Music 27:11 Discussing Versions: Ambrose 28:44 Arthur Askey 31:58 Billy Cotton 32:57 Which Version Is Our Favourite? 33:27 If You Liked That You'll Like This 38:44 Mentioned in Dispatches 39:42 Teaser for Next Week 40:30 Outro SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS You can follow the podcast on social media: http://instagram.com/warsongspod https://www.facebook.com/warsongspod Find more information about Lili Redman here: https://liliredman.com/https://www.instagram.com/lili__redman/ https://www.facebook.com/ScalaLil Or Tom Carradine here: https://www.tomcarradine.com/https://www.instagram.com/tomcarradine https://www.facebook.com/mrtomcarradine CONTACT THE PODCAST If there's a wartime song that you think they should discuss, or if you have a personal or family story connected to one, drop them a line at [email protected] to be "Mentioned in Dispatches". LISTENING LINKS Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7ktQ4nyudmPRLcCNyNxEfv?si=ac9e1babe6834f2b Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-a-to-z-of-wartime-song/id1806037318 If you've enjoyed this episode Lili and Tom would be grateful if you'd leave a review and make sure you've subscribed and turned on notifications so you'll never miss an episode.