Abstract
Popular music has contributed significantly to the construction and reproduction of various national myths of World War I, myths which have been integral to the formation and practice of collective remembrance of this conflict. That is, the case across a range of different music genres, although some reference the war more frequently than others: French chanson, rock, jazz, folk and heavy metal figure a good deal more prominently than others. Peter Grant deals with all these in a study that identifies over 1500 popular songs from more than 40 countries. Some of these adhere closely to culturally dominant forms of memory, while others operate with a more oppositional or transnational perspective. Grant suggests that popular musicians are faced with three possible approaches to myth: myth affirmation, myth shaping and myth reshaping. An important chapter later in the book explores those who have sought to challenge and restructure myths of World War I. Another crucial chapter examines a single, preeminent myth of the World War I – the Christmas Truce of 1914 – and how this has been represented in popular music. Altogether, this book has been extensively researched and analytically is informed and astute. It is a valuable addition to both memory studies and music studies.