Der Fuehrer's Face

Album: Riot Squad (1942)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • A top 10 hit from October 1942 to January 1943 for Spike Jones & His City Slickers, this novelty tune sold over one million copies and was one of the biggest hits during the Second World War. Not that RCA records initially saw any potential in the recording: They pressed a mere 500 copies of the disc at the outset and it was only when New York DJ Martin Bloc decided to play the song every half an hour during his then popular Make Believe Ballroom show that the record took off.
  • The song was penned by a British composer, Oliver Wallace, who contributed music to nearly 150 Walt Disney productions including an Oscar-winning score for Dumbo.
  • This is a parody of the Nazi anthem, "Horst Wessel Song." Spike Jones and his band were noted for their takeoffs of popular tunes.
  • This featured in the 1943 Disney animated propaganda short film Der Fuehrer's Face. The cartoon, which features Donald Duck having a nightmare that he lives in Germany under the Nazi regime was made in an effort to sell war bonds. The movie won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film , the only Donald Duck film to receive the honor.

    The Der Fuehrer's Face film was originally called "Donald Duck in Nutzi Land." The title was changed after the success of the Spike Jones song.

Comments: 2

  • George from Vancouver Bconly 500? That's more like a personal/vanity pressing than a studio one!I love this song -- such a nice beat & big "Foxtrot Yankee"(F.You) to Hitler, too!
  • Awdryfan1997 from Bitro-siziahitler is my favorite breakfast cereal
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Frankie Valli

Frankie ValliSong Writing

An interview with Frankie Valli, who talks about why his songs - both solo and with The Four Seasons - have endured, and reflects on his time as Rusty Millio on The Sopranos.

The Girl in That Song

The Girl in That SongFact or Fiction

Billie Jean, Delilah, Sara, Laura and Sharona - do you know who the girls in the songs really are?

Michael Schenker

Michael SchenkerSongwriter Interviews

The Scorpions and UFO guitarist is also a very prolific songwriter - he explains how he writes with his various groups, and why he was so keen to get out of Germany and into England.

Actors With Hit Songs

Actors With Hit SongsMusic Quiz

Many actors have attempted music, but only a few have managed a hit. Do you know which of these thespians charted?

Charles Fox

Charles FoxSongwriter Interviews

After studying in Paris with a famous composition teacher, Charles became the most successful writer of TV theme songs.

Rock Revenge Songs

Rock Revenge SongsMusic Quiz

John Lennon, Paul Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd are some of the artists who have written revenge songs. Do you know who they wrote them about?