OVER THERE – Selecting a ‘Call to Action’ War Song as a Title

By Jane Loeb Rubin

Since the beginning of recorded time, music, percussive instruments, and songs have played a central role in shaping how people experience, understand, and remember conflict. Deep, additive melodies are used to boost morale, commemorate sacrifice, and, in some cases, protest violence. Often, these songs are only footnoted, yet their impact during that period is profound. Just as love songs help process heartbreak, war music provides the platform for processing trauma, heroism, and political motivations. These songs cross the globe, tracing back centuries.

Music brings people together as a unifying force, creating a crowd mentality and amplifying its impact far more than if soldiers were singing in isolation. Songs were used to unite soldiers in marching and boost their courage while also forging bonds with their comrades. During World War I and II, songs like “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary,” “Pack Up Your Troubles,” and “We’ll Meet Again” were popular among troops and civilians. They exuded a sense of resilience, national pride, and courage in the face of the unknown.

At home, in the U.S., war songs were just as essential and were heard daily over the radio, taught in schools, and sung at rallies to promote unity, patriotism, and support for the war effort. The song “Over There” became an anthem of sorts, inspiring the young to enlist. The melodies had a magical effect, transforming abstract ideas like duty and honor into emotionally resonant messages, making the war feel tangible for those not directly involved in the fighting.

Over time, as our wars became increasingly controversial, especially during the Vietnam era, war songs underwent a significant transformation. They shifted from themes of unity and resilience to challenge and rebellion, reflecting a society more willing to push back against its leadership. Songs like “The Eve of Destruction,” sung by Barry McGuire, and the works of artists such as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Creedence Clearwater Revival exposed the abuse of authority and the horrors of war. This shift transformed war songs from mere tools of propaganda into powerful expressions of dissent, leaving the public concerned about the sacrifices of American soldiers.
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George Cohan’s song “Over There” represented the critical role of the United States in ending the Great War. An exhausted army of French and British soldiers was buckling under the relentless force of the German army. With the sinking of the Lusitania and the Zimmerman memo prodding Mexico to attack the US on the Texas border, the US had reached its last straw. It was time for the country to coalesce and demonstrate its might...Over There.


A cancer diagnosis unveiling a genetic defect, together with a lifelong fascination with the history of medicine, propelled Jane Rubin to put pen to paper. In 2009, then a healthcare executive, Jane poured her energy into raising research dollars for ovarian cancer research with the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA) while learning more about her familial roots. Her research led her to Mathilda (Tillie), her great-grandmother, who arrived in New York City in 1866 as a baby, at sixteen married a man twelve years her senior, and later died of “a woman’s disease.” Then, the trail ran cold. With limited facts, she was determined to give Tillie an exciting fictional life of her own. Jane was left imagining Tillie’s life, her fight with terminal disease, and the circumstances surrounding her death. 

Her research of the history of New York City, the plight of the immigrants, its ultra-conservative reproductive laws, medicine during that era, and the forces that drew the United States into World War 1 have culminated in a suspenseful, fast-paced, award-winning three-book historical series. Her engaging characters are confronted with the poverty in the Lower East Side of NYC, the shifting role of midwives, the dangers of pregnancy, the infamous Blackwell’s Workhouse, and the perilous road to financial success. These themes resulted in the books, In the Hands of Women, 5/23 (Level Best Books), and its prequel, Threadbare, 5/24 (Level Best Books). Over There, the third in the trilogy, transports members of the Isaacson family into the heart of France during World War 1, challenging the family values they dearly cherish. Over There was shortlisted by the Historical Novel Society for the 2024 First Chapters Competition. 
Jane’s other publications include an essay memoir, Almost a Princess, My Life as a Two-Time Cancer Survivor (2009 Next Generation - Finalist), and multiple magazine articles. She writes a monthly blog, Musings, reflecting on her post-healthcare career experiences and writing journey. 

Ms. Rubin, a graduate of the University of Michigan (BS, MS) and Washington University (MBA), retired from a 30-year career as a healthcare executive to begin writing full-time. She lives with her husband, David, an attorney, in Northern New Jersey. Between them, they have five adult children and seven grandchildren.