My Sister and I (song)

"My Sister and I"
Single by Jimmy Dorsey
Released	1941
Writer(s)	Hy Zaret, Joan Whitney and Alex Kramer
Jimmy Dorsey singles chronology
"Amapola (Pretty Little Poppy)" (1941) "My Sister and I" (1941) "María Elena" (1941)

"My Sister and I" is a song written by Hy Zaret, Joan Whitney and Alex Kramer, recorded by Jimmy Dorsey, with vocals by Bob Eberly. It hit number one on the Billboard charts on June 7, 1941. Sheet music of the time shows a boy and girl in Dutch clothing, with windmills in the background.^[1] Under the title appears the description, "As inspired by the Current Best Seller 'My Sister and I' by Dirk van der Heide."^[2] The lyric is in the voice of a child who has—with a sister—left a war zone by boat and begun a new life abroad. The line "the fear/That came from a troubled sky" along with the song's release date implies the evacuation of children from the countries ravaged by World War II, such as the London Blitz the previous winter.

References

1. Sheet music from Broadcast Music, Inc. (New York, 1941).
2. The reference is to Dirk van der Heide (trans. Mrs. Antoon Deventer), "My Sister and I: The Diary of a Dutch Boy Refugee" (New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1941).