Buy A Bond: Buy A Bond For Liberty, 1918
Erle Threlkeld (Composer and Lyricist); Seidel Music Pub. Co., Indianapolis, IN (Publisher)
Song Sheet, lithograph on paper
On loan from the Joseph M. Bruccoli Great War Collection, Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, University of South Carolina
Songs were often marketed as extensions of the general war cause, with the presiding notion that buying songs would help win the war. This perception, though constructed by publishing firms, was largely accepted as the songs regularly implored listeners to contribute in some manner to the cause. Such can be seen in this Erle Threlkeld song, which features the phrase “buy a bond” eighteen times. The cover art depicts the flags of the nations assisted by the purchase of bonds, providing the listener with the satisfaction that his or her contributions are supporting the disparate allied nations of Europe.