1972 · Behind the Songs
A wartime novelty, reborn with a wink and a strut.
The song began as a 1941 Andrews Sisters hit, written by Don Raye and Hughie Prince, about a trumpeter drafted into the army who keeps playing reveille with swing. Three decades later, Bette Midler — who had been singing 1940s repertoire for the late-night crowds at the Continental Baths — cut it for her debut album, The Divine Miss M. She sang it with a wink and a strut, backed by tight harmonies, turning a wartime novelty into a camp celebration of the big-band era she adored.
The single reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973, giving Midler her first top-ten hit and announcing the Divine Miss M to America. Listening today, the joy is in the details: the brassy arrangement, the vaudeville timing, a singer who clearly loves the material. It set the template for her whole career — old songs made new through sheer personality.