“Can the wind explain why it became a storm?” was the response Lale Anderson gave when asked, in 1972, if she could explain how the ‘Lili Marlene’ became the most popular song during World War II. (The story behind the song: Lili Marlene ) The song that would rise to be the most requested song during the war by both soldiers and civilians was first written as a poem by a 22-year old German soldier during the first world war. The man’s name was Hans Leip, and he had written the poem to express the anguish of separation from his girlfriend named Lili while on sentry duty at night when a nurse named Marleen would wave to him after finishing her shift. The poem remained unheard of for many decades until it was released in 1937 in a collection of poems called ‘Die Hafenorgel.' Leip published the poems at this time because the tensions of another war were starting to stir and he had hoped to dissuade the people through reminding them of the pain and horror of war.
In 1939, a German Composer, Norbert Schultze, who barely remembered the first World War came across Leip’s poems. He modified the composition and offered Lale Anderson the position to sing the recording. The song was released just before the outbreak of the second World War and sold less than 700 copies. (Mason) More importantly, the Nazi Government tried to get rid of it, suggesting the song was anti-war propaganda. Leading this accusation was Hitler’s Propaganda chief, Joseph Goebbels. He banned the song from being played and charged Lale and Norbert with “Moral Sabotage” towards the goals of the Nazi regime. Their sentence included house arrest and composing music praising the Nazi ideals.
The song might have been lost to time if it were not for a particular event. In 1941, the German Nazi’s were heavily positioned in North Africa and due to their forward position, there was not a lot to entertain the