The Army's official song was once a vacuum cleaner jingle
In short: The United States Army's official anthem has a history far more eclectic than a standard military march. From 1908 origins to 1960s vacuum cleaner commercials and fictional space troops, the melody of 'The Army Goes Rolling Along' has permeated every corner of American pop culture.
The song's lineage began in 1908 with Edmund L. Gruber's 'The Caissons Go Rolling Along' served as the basis for a piece that became part of John Philip Sousa's 'U.S. Field Artillery March' during 1917. This initial composition was integrated into the 1917 march by Sousa. While the Army sought an official song in the late 1940s and early 1950s, they initially faced difficulty; a 1948 contest yielded no popular support, and a 1952 search for a new anthem resulted in 'The Army's Always There' by Sam H. Stept, which was performed at President Eisenhower's 1953 inauguration.
The Army ultimately chose to adapt the Sousa melody because of concerns that other potential choices were too similar to the pop song 'I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts.' Music advisor Harold W. Arberg submitted the lyrics, which were officially dedicated by Secretary of the Army Wilber Marion Brucker on Veterans Day in 1956. However, the song's structure has shifted over time. In 2013, Chief of Staff Ray Odierno issued an order to restore the original version's sequence—introduction, verse, chorus, and refrain—after the 1956 version had expanded the lyrics significantly.
Beyond the parade grounds, the tune has achieved massive cultural saturation. It appeared in 44 movies or television series between 1934 and 2011, was used by Hasbro for G.I. Joe toys in the 1960s, and even served as a promotion for Hoover Junior vacuum cleaners. It has been parodied in 'The Jetsons,' referenced in 'M*A*S*H,' and adapted as a fight song for North Carolina State University. Even the Australian A-League club Adelaide United FC utilizes a variation of the melody today.
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