In 1944 American songwriter Johnny Mercer attended a religious service where the sermon was delivered by Father Divine.
At the time America was still at war with Germany and its Allies and the sermon was designed to lift the spirit of the congregants.
One phrase caught Johnny Mercer’s attention:
“You’ve got to latch on to the affirmative and eliminate the negative,” preached the Father.
Johnny Mercer thought about it: “Wow. That’s a colourful phrase. I could write a song about that.”
And he did. Together with American composer Harold Arlen, he composed a song that hit the right note with the American lovers of hit tunes.
Here’s the verse in rhyme which tells the story:
‘You’ve got to accentuate the positive,
Eliminate the negative,
Latch on to the affirmative,
Don’t mess with Mr. In-Between.’
It took off like wildfire.
In January 1945 it hit the Billboard charts where it remained for 13 weeks, peaking at number 2.
In 1945 at the Academy Awards, the song was nominated as the Best Original Song.
In March 2015 it was inducted into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry for its contribution to the cultural, artistic and historical significance to American society and the nation’s audio legacy.
Nothing Really Changes
Of course 80 years ago times were different.
These day you don’t hear hit tunes, as heavy metal music rarely expresses a memorable song line.
Furthermore, old-fashioned songs like those sung by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, (who really weren’t sisters at all) are rarely listened to on the social media recording platforms.
Yet, in one sense, nothing really changes.
The world-famous classical composer Gustav Mahler once remarked that if you can’t say something in words, put it to music.
Catchy, colourful songs can readily register in the mind of the listener, perhaps promoting a feeling of well-being or lifting dampened spirits, unlike delivered messages of goodwill from prominent orators which go in one ear and out the other.
At a time when the American public were worried and concerned about the role of the American Army fighting in Europe and Asia during WW2, Johnny Mercer’s song clearly had a powerful message of hope and comfort, in particular for the families and friends of the American Armed Forces.
The message in the song was one of the best Public Relations efforts in the country at that time in American history.
Back Home
We are experiencing difficult times in Israel.
There is no need to elaborate everything that everybody already knows, but the outlook is clearly clouded with uncertainty.
We should be prepared for the need to accent the positive, despite the negative issues surrounding us.
How would the Jewish world cope should another Holocaust break out in another country?
Even prior to the current war thrust upon Israel since October 2023, worrying outbreaks of antisemitism occurred in several countries.
Antisemitism goes back many, many years and shows little signs of abating. The Jews are prime targets in so many countries.
Our efforts to expose the lies and twisted opinions of loud-mouthed louts is falling on deaf ears.
However, with Israel firmly established as the natural home of the Jews, we should be comforted with the knowledge that the continuation of Jewish life and progress ultimately rests in our homeland.
For that reason alone, it is absolutely imperative we undertake the mission to firmly secure the future of Israel.
Not to be dismissed as easy, it’s a tough call, but our immediate challenge is to remain positive to eliminate the negative attitude so many of us have adopted.
Remember, there’s nothing in between.
Down to the last few days. Every dollar counts.
