Tom Hofer sings The Beer Barral Polka

In honor of Oktoberfest season, Tom Hofer sings "The Beer Barrel Polka". This is a 1927 polka composed by Czech musician Jaromír Vejvoda. Lyrics were added in 1934, subsequently gaining worldwide popularity during World War II as a drinking song.
In 1934, the first text for the polka was written by Vašek Zeman - with the title "Škoda lásky"(English: "Unrequited Love". Around that same time, Shapiro Bernstein acquired the rights to the song and English lyrics were written by Lew Brown and Wladimir Timm. Zeman's original Czech lyrics framed the polka as a love song, whereas Brown and Timm's English version framed it as a song celebrating the repeal of Prohibition in the United States. At first the English version of the song was relatively unknown and unpopular, but it gained a great deal of popularity after The Andrews Sisters recorded it in 1939. Subsequently, many other artists released versions, including the Glenn Miller Orchestra; Benny Goodman; Bobby Vinton; Billie Holiday; John Serry Sr and Joe Patek, who sold over a million copies of his album "Beer Barrel Polka".
During World War II, versions in many other languages were created and the song was popular among soldiers, regardless of their allegiances. Italian writer Primo Levi wrote that when he was deported to Auschwitz, the camp's orchestra was playing Rosamunda, the German version of "Beer Barrel Polka," as he arrived. According to TIME magazine, when the first Australian contingent of troops arrived in England, they were singing the polka. On VE Day - May 8 or 9, 1945 - Humphrey Lyttelton played it standing on a handcart outside Buckingham Palace, a performance that could be heard in the BBC broadcast from the victory celebrations.
It was claimed many times that the song was written in the country where it had just become a hit. TIME wrote that "Germans insisted it was an old Bavarian drinking song. Americans and British thought it was one of their own. Anyhow, they all sang it." Its actual composer was not widely known until after the war.
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