While You're Away Explained

While You're Away (Pack Up Your Cares in a Bundle of Joy)
Cover:	While you're away cover.jpg
Caption:	Sheet music cover
Published:	1918
Composer:	L. Wolfe Gilbert
Lyricist:	Anatole Friedland

While You're Away (Pack Up Your Cares in a Bundle of Joy) is a World War I song released in 1918. L. Wolfe Gilbert and Anatole Friedland composed the music and lyrics.^[1] It was published by Gilbert & Friedland Inc. The song was performed by Harry Ellis; and also by The Peerless Quartet. In October 1918, it reached the number five spot on the US song charts.^[2] In December 1918, the song reached a peak position of number two on Top 100 US Songs of that year.^[3]

The sheet music cover features an illustration by Andre De Takacs.^[4] The cover art for the song features an older woman and a soldier embracing.^[4]

External links

• View song MP3 and sheet music at the Illinois Digital Archive

Notes and References

1. Book: Vogel, Frederick G. . 1995 . World War I Songs: A History and Dictionary of Popular American Patriotic Tunes, with Over 300 Complete Lyrics . Jefferson . McFarland & Company, Inc. . 278 . 0-89950-952-5.
2. Web site: Top Songs of 1918 . . Music VF . 9 December 2015.
3. Web site: While You're Away (Pack Up Your Cares in a Bundle of Joy). VF Entertainment. 24 September 2014.
4. Book: Parker. Bernard S. . World War I Sheet Music Volume II. 2007. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Jefferson, North Carolina. 978-0786427994. 489.