I'll Make a Man of You explained

I'll Make a Man of You
Cover:	ManWimperisFinck.jpg
Written:	1914
Composer:	Arthur Wimperis
Lyricist:	Herman Finck

"I'll Make a Man of You" is a World War I recruiting song that was sung across Britain in hopes of rallying young men to enlist in the military. It is sung from a flirtatious young woman's perspective of how she dates military men in order to turn them into better soldiers.^[1] It was written and composed by Arthur Wimperis and Herman Finck in 1914. The song was also showcased in Frank Lloyd's Cavalcade, and in the musical and film Oh, What a Lovely War!.^[2]

This song is well known for spawning numerous obscene parody versions which were performed in music halls during World War I and World War II, and are often still sung by serving soldiers today.^[3] One of the most notable of these parodies was "I Don't Want to Join the Army",^{[4] [5] [6]} a sanitized version of which also featured in Oh, What a Lovely War!.^[7]

Notes and References

1. Book: Pegler. Martin. Soldier's Songs and Slang of the Great War. 2014. Osprey Publishing. Oxford. 252–253.
2. Web site: Priddle. Mel. I'll Make a Man of You . International Lyrics Playground. July 21, 2015.
3. Book: Joseph, Boskin. Corporal Boskin's cold Cold War : a comical journey. Joseph Boskin. 2011. Syracuse University Press. 978-0815650508. 1st. Syracuse, N.Y.. 128. 956998368.
4. Book: Cook, Tim . The Secret History of Soldiers: How Canadians survived the Great War . 1971 . 9780735235274. Toronto, Ontario . 1053623628.
5. Book: War and the Creative Arts. Macmillan International Higher Education . 1972. 9781349154906. Ferguson. John. 258.
6. Book: Jones, Tristan. Ice!. 2014. Open Road Media. 9781497603578. 966108123.
7. News: Oh What a Lovely War. Wolf. Matt. 1998-09-07. Variety. 2018-12-02. en-US.