scj@meccsd.MECC.MN.ORG (Scotian) (03/18/89)
I just heard of the existence of an official 'IBM Songbook' containing songs that at one time IBM employees were forced to sing each morning. I know this sounds absolutely insane, but it just might have some truth associated with it. If anybody has any information about such a book, please, do tell... -- .............................................................................. Scott C. Jensen scj@mecc.MN.ORG
waters@dover.uucp (Mike Waters) (03/19/89)
In article <1371@meccsd.MECC.MN.ORG> scj@meccsd.mecc.mn.org (Scotian) writes: >I just heard of the existence of an official 'IBM Songbook' containing >songs that at one time IBM employees were forced to sing each morning. >I know this sounds absolutely insane, but it just might have some truth >associated with it. If anybody has any information about such a book, >please, do tell... An ex-IBMer showed me what he claimed was one, certainly it had the (old) IBM logo etc. and was expensively printed. It was from the early 50's though. Other than that I have heard the same stories, but never had anyone who was working for IBM admit to it nor have I seen any other evidence. Probably apocryphal (a story just TOO good to die), but still interesting. -- Mike Waters AA4MW/7 * Once a Registered Republican, now a Motorola CAD Group * *BORN AGAIN* Mesa, AZ ...!sun!sunburn!dover!waters * ACLU Member! OR moto@cad.Berkley.EDU *
rfm@urth (Rich McAllister) (03/19/89)
Yes, there was an IBM songbook, from the '30s through the '50s.
I never heard of people being "forced to sing every morning" though --
the songs were sung at gung-ho pep-rally "all hands" meetings. Around
the early '60s someone decided that this was just too too embarrassing
and rounded up all the copies they could find and destroyed them.
The most famous IBM song was "Ever Onward" which was the company's
anthem. According to one the IBM histories (either _THINK_ or _The
Lengthening Shadow_) TJ Watson once commissioned an "IBM Symphony" with
"Ever Onward" as the main theme.
A few years ago, someone at IBM Santa Teresa Lab had a 1931 edition of the
songbook reprinted and put copies in the library -- I have one. The songs
are truly dumb, mostly addressed to various IBM execs of the day; I'll
restrain myself and quote only one (one of the best!), to the tune of
"Singing in the Rain":
Selling IBM, we're selling IBM
What a glorious feeling, the world is our friend
We're Watson's great crew, we're loyal and true
We're proud of our job and we never feel blue*
We sell our whole line, we're there every time
To chase away gloom with our products so fine
We're always in trim, we work with a vim,
We're selling, just selling, I-B-M.
*No doubt this should be changed to "..we're part of Big Blue", but this
book predates "Big Blue". Heck, at this time IBM was still selling
butcher's scales and time clocks.
Rich McAllister (rfm@sun.com) -- IBMer for 13 years, never sang a song.
Don't even know the tune to "Ever Onward".jejones@mcrware.UUCP (James Jones) (03/19/89)
Well...the existence of the IBM Songbook is asserted in Rodgers's biography of T. Watson the elder, *Think*, and if memory serves, it cites some of the lyrics. Also, Ted Nelson's *Computer Lib/Dream Machines* refers to a group of precocious kids who found a copy of said book and serenaded the IBMers at their booth at a conference. Then, there's an outfit that sells disks full of PD/shareware stuff that claims to have a program that plays songs from the songbook, in particular the infamous "Ever Onward, IBM." I haven't seen the book itself, but I tend to think it exists. James Jones
patterso@hardees.rutgers.edu (Ross Patterson) (03/21/89)
There was indeed an IBM songbook, widely available and used, until the 1960's with their attendant freedoms burst into even IBM's hallowed halls. Those were also the days of White Shirts Only and the "IBM Wife". Thank goodness they're over. Several of the IBM songs were transcribed into PC-DOS BASIC programs (using BASICA's "PLAY" statement. I still have a copy of "Ever Onward", the most famous of IBM's corporate hymns. Ross Patterson Rutgers University Center for Computer and Information Services
johnl@ima.ima.isc.com (John R. Levine) (03/21/89)
In article <979@mcrware.UUCP> jejones@mcrware.UUCP (James Jones) writes: >Also, Ted Nelson's *Computer Lib/Dream Machines* refers to a group of >precocious kids who found a copy of said book and serenaded the IBMers at >their booth at a conference. ... Oh, humph. We had a copy of the song book, all right, but I don't think we ever did that. Every SJCC I went to we were too busy fooling with equipment. (If you have the new edition of Computer Lib, the kid sitting at the keyboard in the picture at the bottom of page 110 is me. But the claim on page 111 that we got BA rather than BS degrees to avoid math courses is entirely false.) -- John R. Levine, Segue Software, POB 349, Cambridge MA 02238, +1 617 492 3869 { bbn | spdcc | decvax | harvard | yale }!ima!johnl, Levine@YALE.something You're never too old to have a happy childhood.
gfv@homxc.UUCP (G.VALVO) (03/21/89)
From article <Mar.20.14.23.21.1989.17240@hardees.rutgers.edu>, by patterso@hardees.rutgers.edu (Ross Patterson): > There was indeed an IBM songbook, widely available and used, until the 1960's > with their attendant freedoms burst into even IBM's hallowed halls. Those were > also the days of White Shirts Only and the "IBM Wife". Thank goodness they're > over. I'd imagine that many Japanese employees sing a company song and do group calisthenics every day. There is also great emphasis on uniformity in dress and apperance. Seeing as how the Japs have been kicking our industrial butts for several years maybe it's not such a bad idea. Greg
paul@athertn.Atherton.COM (Paul Sander) (03/22/89)
In article <1371@meccsd.MECC.MN.ORG>, scj@meccsd.MECC.MN.ORG (Scotian) writes: > I just heard of the existence of an official 'IBM Songbook' containing > songs that at one time IBM employees were forced to sing each morning. > I know this sounds absolutely insane, but it just might have some truth > associated with it. If anybody has any information about such a book, > please, do tell... My mother works for IBM's Santa Teresa Lab, and back in the early 70's, I remember her bringing home SHEET MUSIC for the official IBM anthem. (I don't remember the name of it though, nor do I remember the words.) -- Paul Sander (408) 734-9822 | Do YOU get nervous when a paul@Atherton.COM | sys{op,adm,prg,engr} says {decwrl,sun,hplabs!hpda}!athertn!paul | "oops..." ?
john@frog.UUCP (John Woods) (03/24/89)
In article <6032@homxc.UUCP>, gfv@homxc.UUCP (G.VALVO) writes: > From article <Mar.20.14.23.21.1989.17240@hardees.rutgers.edu>, by patterso@hardees.rutgers.edu (Ross Patterson): > > There was indeed an IBM songbook, widely available and used, until the 1960's > > with their attendant freedoms burst into even IBM's hallowed halls. Those were > > also the days of White Shirts Only and the "IBM Wife". Thank goodness they're > > over. > I'd imagine that many Japanese employees sing a company song and do > group calisthenics every day. There is also great emphasis on uniformity > in dress and apperance. Seeing as how the Japs have been kicking our > industrial butts for several years maybe it's not such a bad idea. > They also tend to be shorter than we. Seeing as how the Japs have been kicking our industrial butts for several years maybe it's not such a bad idea. Maybe faulty logic like the above has a good deal more to do with it, though. -- John Woods, Charles River Data Systems, Framingham MA, (508) 626-1101 ...!decvax!frog!john, john@frog.UUCP, ...!mit-eddie!jfw, jfw@eddie.mit.edu Remainder Khomeini!