"Lili Marleen" is a famous German song, popular during World War II.
The words were originally written by Hans Leip in 1915, and later published as "Das Lied eins jungen Soldaten auf der Wacht" ("The Song of a Young Sentry"). It was set to music by Norbert Schultze in 1938.
Recordings by Marlene Dietrich (the title was given as "Das Mädchen unter der Laterne", but it was known as "Lili Marleen") and Lale Andersen helped to popularize the song. The song became popular despite the opposition of the nazi regime. The tune, in fact, had a rocky road. The propaganda secretary of the Nationalist-Socialist party, Joseph Goebbels didn't like the song, but, during the occupation of Yugoslavia, Radio Belgrade incorporated the song into its broadcast, and helped to spread its popularity among the soldiers of both german and allied armies.
In WWII German soldiers used to play it during executions of civilians in occupied territories on the east, so it has gained substantial notoriety in some parts of the world, despite its seemingly innocent lyrics and nice tune.
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