Song Yankee Doodle Famous Called Part American Cohan

A popular song in the early part of the 20th century was written by a famous American composer, George M. Cohan, called "The Yankee Doodle Boy." It was written for a Broadway "musical" (a play with a lot of singing, music, and dancing) called Little Johnny Jones. It "opened" (had its first show) in November of 1904. The song became popular, however, in 1942 when there was a movie made about Cohan's life called Yankee Doodle Dandy. Cohan was an actor, singer, songwriter, and producer, who was sometimes called the "man who owns Broadway." Broadway is the famous street in New York City where there are many famous theaters that have musical shows.

Cohan was an Irish-American who wrote many plays and songs, and even "starred in" (was the main actor in) Hollywood movies. In the movie about his life, another Irish-American actor named James Cagney "played the part of" (acted as the character of) Cohan. Several of Cohan's famous songs can be heard in the movie, including "Give My Regards to Broadway," "Your Grand Old Flag," and "Over There."

The song "The Yankee Doodle Boy" was in part about Cohan himself. He was, according to his parents, but not his "birth certificate" (the official document the government creates when you are born) born on America's Independence Day, July 4th. The "lyrics" (words) of the song refer to another song, "Yankee Doodle," from the time of the American Revolution of the late 18th century. A "doodle" was a foolish or stupid person, and "Yankee" (in the Revolutionary War) referred to the American colonists fighting for their independence from the British. So a "Yankee Doodle" meant a stupid American, but because the Americans were smart enough to win the war, the song is often sung with pride.