Air Force Gets A New Theme Song 1957/12/09

[TimothyOnline]

Coming from the Marines, I appreciate the upbeat "square" march tempo of this song as opposed to the "swing" of "Wild Blue Yonder". Regardless of how chauvinistic it may seem, I like this one better.

[JackPlatt]

This does not hold a candle to The Wild Blue Yonder Song!

[napEhair]

This song is TERRIBLE...I'd feel like I'm in a bad musical just listening to it. You think the other services laugh at us now, try singing this with a straight face.

[OMnash]

@napEhair Different times, different sensibilities. I suppose it was stirring in the 1950's. I expect nowadays it would strike most people as pretty hokey.

[Nanatchka]

This was written by Marilyn Scott and Keith Textor in 1956. The lyrics have been more recently updated to reflect the enlistment and service of women in the Air Force.Scott-Textor were a Madison Ave shop, and wrote many wonderful jingles. Marilyn's wonderful voice could be heard on the "Nestle's Chocolate" jingle---she was the person who said "Choooooclate."

[ASG15IAG]

Wild Blue Yonder was a WWII era Army AIr Forces song. The Air Force officially separated from the army in 1947. The new song was written to support the new branch. They're both good songs and represent a lot of history. The aircraft, in order of appearance are the F-100, F-86, F-104, older B-52, B-47, F-102, F-86 (again) and the B-57.

[superlistener1]

I can remember Lackland Air Force base basic training during the late 60's. Every day you could hear the band playing this song. We were told at the time that it was "THE AIR FORCE SONG" and "WILD BLUE YONDER" was the Air force "fight song." Maybe we were told incorrectly

[Finnishbastard]

Query: Where can I find this song and by what name?

[Myrsky7]

@Finnishbastard "Air Force Blue"

[BankaiIchigo12345]

At 0:54 there is a delta-wing fighter. What is the name of that fighter jet? I know it ain't F-16.

[Racer1505]

@BankaiIchigo12345 It's a f-102 delta dagger.  This real was made in 1957 and the f-16 didn't come online til 78-79 BTW

[DynaDuctINC]

@BankaiIchigo12345 Interesting... I thought it was a f4 phantom.... But no, apparently according to racer1505 it is and f-102

[dahur]

I like this one better, but they're both good.

[china101w]

This brings back so many memories. This was played when the tv stations signed off at midnight.Yes the stations were not on all night like they are now.This was around 1963,64,65. In southeast Georgia. Thanks for posting.

[MSherman007]

Hence proving once and for all why the Air Force should be renamed the Fairy Force. GO ARMY!!!!!!

[BuschTek]

@MSherman007 Remember that the next time you need an air strike dumbass

[MSherman007]

@BuschTek Won't need one, the Army will do it right the first time. Plus it would take them 5 congressional meetings to decide if they are actually going to allow the strike.

[baazooka86]

This song sure brings back memories. As a kid I remember this song use to come on early Satuday mornings when the TV station went on the air. After it played the sat morning cartoons would start.

[fatkinson1954]

I agree with American Wardog. I like Wild, Blue Yonder much better. But I would never adversely criticize this. I like it, too.

No one was trying to criticize the official song.

[DOWMER297]

"Wild Blue Yonder" is THE song. Why trade lines like "one hell of a roar" for "you can bet your boots"? Had this replacement been written earlier it would've at least been "bet your ass". And of course the damn closing line was a recruiting pitch.

4 years in SAC

[pettyduo1957]

Well since both my husband and I were married the year this came out, 1957 I sort of like it. After 53 years I still like it and I think of my granddaughter and 3 sons who have also worn the AF blue. However having said that I had relatives who were in WW2 when the other AF song was out. It was for the Army Air Corp. We liked that one too. Enjoy them both while you still can.

[AmericanWardog]

Not a chance, you just can't beat The Wild Blue Yonder.

[therealhannoverfisk]

The Air Farce should use this song and give Wild Blue Yonder back to the Army Aviation Branch, whose song it reallly is, and from whom they stole it in 1947 when they were foolishly made into a separate service.

[fibergoddess1]

I learned this song as a "brat" at Ellsworth AFB. Whenever I sang it to other AF over the years, none of them had ever heard of it. They thought I made it up.

[chaplainphil]

Marched to that song many times. Nice memories of a day when presidents appreciated and promoted the military...unlike this one today. Great clip of the aircraft of the day.

[iowa61]

Whoever wrote this should be killed and his remains ground to feed geese. God this is awful. This is awful now. It was awful in 1957. It would have been awful in 1492...

[RingSight91]

@iowa61 >"It would have been awful in 1492..."

What was going on in Fourteen Freaking Ninety Two?! Someone's secret first flight on Leonardo da Vinci's Ornithopter?

[neptunisregis11]

There was blue in the song "The Wild Blue Yonder".

[pettyduo1957]

This song came out the year my husband and I were married. We were both AF and our 3 sons followed. Now our granddaughter is a beautiful blue eyed blond in the USAF and we are proud of all of them. We love the original AF song too but this one is special to us after 52 years of its debut and our 52 years of marriage.

[Pavel1234]

@pettyduo1957 Cool story! My dad was AF, I was too.

[pettyduo1957]

Pavel1234 Did either of you stay in. . Most don't. My husband put in 24 years, Kids a total of 24'.Youngest was in Desert Storm and after 2 more trips over there had had enough. Granddaughter in Hawaii at Hickam where we spent seven and I/2 years. Now if that isn't luck. The 3 sons had a total of 24 years.

[Pavel1234]

@pettyduo1957 My dad was in for 26 years, but I got out after four. I enjoyed it.  I spent time on Navy and Army bases, and the AF was definitely the best. I went to the AF-Army game yesterday - we destroyed Army.

[cuaem]

wild blue yonder is better

[Trevayne4]

Great Song!

[Agomongo1235]

omg sooo 80s and 90s those girls on the picts and the pretty girls definently original

[kcrhk]

No peacemaker in the video =[

[seikura6]

I'm sooo glad this is NOT our Air Force song

[Agomongo1235]

go fk ur mother and father

[jdhthegr8]

What? No need to be mean. I wouldn't want that as the theme to the USAF. We're all Americans here, so what's wrong with criticizing something that is NOT the official theme?

[NELHAOTEC]

Wild Blue Yonder is much better, but I imagine they may have tried to come up with a new song so as not to copy off of the US Army Air Corps as the current version does.

[thegamerman7]

It dosent copy. The air corps became the AF.

[NELHAOTEC]

@thegamerman7 The only words changed in the song were "Boy nothing can stop the Army Air Corp" to "Boy nothing can stop the U S Air Force". That's it. Everything else is exactly the same.

[thegamerman7]

Did i say anything else changed? I commented that the Army Air Corps became the Air Force so they didnt steal anything to begin with. And also you can still say it but they dont officialy say 'boy' anymore.

[AmericanWardog]

I agree, Wild Blue Yonder is much better

[Soldaat192]

cool

[ryanlim2002]

F-102 Delta Dart?

[ryanlim2002]

Duh. A real cool rarity!

[kcaj789]

Sabres, Super Sabres, Starfighters, and Stratofortresses... and not to mention the Delta Dart

[ryanlim2002]

Hardly seen that delta dart around....

[trinitronred]

man this song only proves that the USA is a militaristic nation willing to do anything to hold on to power

we(as in the US)have invaded 63 nations in 62 years...only the Nazis,the Romans,and other ancients such as the Persians and Mongols can beat our average of one country a year and thats only because it was way back in the day when there were no rules of war and engagement. although it is an inspiring song(like so many other patriotic songs)it only reminds me of how much warfare we have seen

[FLJBeliever1776]

TRAITOR!

GET OUT OF AMERICA!

We fight because of the mess left to us by those bastards in the Old World! I won't say all of it has been clean cut, but I don't fault our soldiers. We ARE NOT a militrastic country! If we were, World War Three would be going on right now and you'd be in a camp somewhere in Alaska or in the Southwest!

Don't ever say that crap again!

[trinitronred]

Did I say I didnt like America? no i didnt. in fact I LOVE America. I think living in the most powerful nation in the world is the greatest thing I can have and I am proud of our history and destined fate as rulers of the world. I am enlisting in the army as soon as i get out of school and is this because I'm a traitor? No. No its not. I want to do my part to help America come out on top of the world. I only mourn how much warfare it takes to get there and how mush America glorifies it.

[FLJBeliever1776]

Rule the world?

That doesn't sound very American.

I'll admit I did lose control of my temper, sorry, but that Rule the World bit... That ain't right, America stands for Freedom.

There are those here in the States that would not see it truly occur, because they believe it to be wrong, but Freedom is never wrong. It will take time, but someday soon we're have two roads to choose.

I'll be taking the third road.

[trinitronred]

Sorry, I meant "free" the world.

Anyway, havent you seen a trend in the orientation of power in Republics? Rome, Germany, England(several times),France, Russia(almost a republic once) all fell to a dictatorship once. Trust me it wont last forever in America either. But we all have our ups and downs, right?

[FLJBeliever1776]

Regrettably true, that's why I said the third route as opposed to the first route, Dictatorship or the second which is the Union shatters.

Third route is to continue to be the essence of Freedom and Democracy in a world that is quite mad.

[FLJBeliever1776]

They should play it again and tell the politicians to take a hike and the let the military kick terrorist ass from their hiding holes straight to hell, though it would be a short trip for those cowards!

I'm only twenty-two, but I know I live in the best damn country on God's Green Earth and no one in hell is going to take that away, not unless they want to get their asses kicked everyday of the week and twice on Sunday!

[Flashmikko]

Hear, hear! I wish they would make more films like this and play them on TV again. That would energize the true Amerians and throw out the socialists and communists out of the greatest country on Earth.

[uncle559]

They used to play this often on local tv in NYC back in the early 1960's.

I was a little boy then, and it made me proud of my country. So I suppose the jingle did it's job.

This was before the age of cynicism. An era we're still in, and had it's beginning on Nov. 22, 1963.

[crorivpro]

I remember them playing this Tune when we had parade duty. It was the first time I heard it. I always liked it better than the wild blue yonder theme.

I was station in Okinawa at the time. I was a weapons troop in the 82nd Fighter Interceptor Squadon on F-102s 1967/68. Good memories great guys from another 60 year old.

[lizard944]

This song/commercial must have run for a long time. I was born in 1962, and I remember hearing it when I was around eight ot ten y/o.--The unedited version, not the politically correct crap version that Herk115 pointed out.-- I'm sure it had an influence on my five year stint begining in 1982; along with my dad who served in Korea. He knew all of the words and would sing it when it came on tv. I remember holding my ears...lol

[Killerone360]

damn this song is really old i wanna grow up into the airforce as well

[krabkat]

I agree with RichardSwayne about "Wild Blue Yonder" but this sure brings back memories. My dad was an Air Force lifer and took us from California to NY to Germany, France and Greenland - I was always so proud of him. He died at age 57 (which is how old I am now). I miss him. All 3 of his brothers were also Air Force.

[jrcashmikey]

I love this song and just found it here today. I remember the words and video and I remember when it came out and they played it on TV and I loved watching and hearing it. I'm 60 yrs. old and I still live by the airport in Madison Wi. My favorite planes are the F89 Scorpion, F102 Convair, and the F86 Sabre. Saw em all. That f102 would shoot straight up in the air. It was neat. Thanks for sharing this video. You made my day. I'm a retired Fireman from Madison. 31yrs on Fire Dept. Mikey

[herk115]

I an Air Force vet and so is my father. I love this song. First heard it on an album from the National Cultural Center in 1964. The lyurics have been changed to make it more gender neutral and kinder. "Pretty Girls' Eyes" is now "Pretty blue eyes;" "Give it to the men" is now "Fervently declare we're proud to wear" or "You know it then and there we're proud to wear;" Second verse first line is "And when the blue from the skies meets the gleam in our eyes." Other changes, but I'm out of space.

[shangstrider]

I like this song :)

[holyshaboingas]

My Grandpa flew the planes on the first two scenes :)

[DESheffield2nd]

lol same here. :)

[Wgspangle]

I remember this great song from the 1950's when it was used as a recruiting song. The original is great also and the one that was played at all our functions (I'm a 21 year USAF vet)

[spongecandy]

Thank you for posting the Air Force recruiting theme from the early 60s. I remember it from TV before 1963. I purposely went looking for it today, since it represents one of the first lyrics I ever memorized. I'm now 55. You made my day.

[BigRIJoe]

When I heard this song it brought back many memories too, Sponge. I'm 55....soon to be 56

[gregha04756]

As a little kid, growing up near Loring AFB located in northern Maine, I heard this piece every morning as WAGM TV in Presque Isle ME came on the air. That was early 60's. I loved it...

[eazyrider17]

Cheesy as the lyrics may be, I have always like this song. I may be too young to remember hearing it on the radio, but I'm a bit of an AF Heritage nerd.

[texman81]

Of course it happened. I remember this song very well. It was played quite regularly on the radio in 1964 as an Air Force recruitment advertisement.

[PJ73]

What the?!?!??! Are you kidding me? I was in the USAF... This is... WHAT THE HELL IS THIS? WHAT'S GOING ON HERE???

[WeretFilms]

This time I agree

THIS NEVER HAPPENED

though it is a good song

[eazyrider17]

I don't think it was ever intended to replace Wild Blue Yonder. But the song is real and it happened. In fact I bet you my stripes that they played it at your graduation parade.

[volker001]

crap! They deserve a lot better song!

[WashDCDemocrat]

I don't like it. The original is better.

[wigan4]

It almost replaced 'The Wild Blue Yonder' as the official song and was widely used in recruiting in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

I retired myself after 24 years as an Air Force officer in 2006 and this is the song I had played at my retirement--most of the people there had never even heard it.

Great, great song!

[conagher1880]

Not a bad song...but I still like "Off We Go..." better (Air Force veteran here).

[EatYourBeans]

Wow - what did you fly, in what war?

[Lumotaku]

Thanks for posting this! what a great time it was back then I bet if you said Pretty girls eyes now some asshole would scream sexist or some pc bullshit.

[citycentregreen]

u can rate this video but can't rate pakistani video's. nonesense double standards

[streetsoldier1951]

I grew up with both "Off We Go, etc." and this one; both my Dad (WW II-Korea) and I (RVN) served in this man's Air Force, and I like this song better.

[StraightOuttaDC]

Wait. Nevermind. "Took the blue from the pretty girl's eyes"? Too bad the none of the women with blue eyes aren't pretty at all.

[HogRebel]

Which blue-eyed women YOU been lookin' at?!! I've seen some NICE ones!!! : P

[StraightOuttaDC]

Lol! Good question. Hmm...

[FLJBeliever1776]

I'm from California and contary to popular belief, I know some blue eyed beach blonde beauties that are highly intelligent and use a lot of common sense.

[StraightOuttaDC]

I like that song. Even moreso than the current song.

[GohanDBZ]

Cool video

[superlistener1]

@GohanDBZ

[navyblue82]

Nice. What a great service song. It's nice to hear the lyrics again as the song is almost always performed as an instrumental these days due to the the gender specific lyrics.

[RichardSwayne]

I like Wild Blue Yonder more.

[QuintusFlavius]

Interesting that JATO taking off, it looked quite heavy. Thanks for the video.