Today’s song of the day is “Comin’ In On A Wing And A Prayer.” This World War II song was written by Harold Adamson, composed by Jimmy McHugh and released by Robbins Music Corp in 1943.
Fun Facts
- The Song Spinners recorded it for Decca Records, and it peaked at number one on the Billboard charts for pop on July 2, 1943.
- The lyrics describe the arrival of a bomber plane and its occupants following a mission. The operation was successful (“we actually struck our objective for tonight”), but the plane was damaged in action and one engine was destroyed. Despite this, the crew remains unhurt and in good spirits as they crawl back to their home base “on a wing and a prayer.”
- The only song with a military connection to emerge in the top twenty best-selling songs of 1943 in the United States was “Comin’ in on a Wing and a Prayer.”
- The song was also famous in the Soviet Union thanks to a 1943 version named “Bombers” by popular vocalist and jazz bandleader Leonid Utyosov. The lyrics are roughly true in Russian, however, the term “prayer” is mistranslated as “word of honor.” This Russian phrase implies “only just managing”, “just holding on”, or “in poor condition”.
Lyrics
Comin’ in on a wing and a prayer
Comin’ in on a wing and a prayer
With our one motor gone
We can still carry on
Comin’ in on a wing and a prayer
What a show, what a fight
Boys, we really hit our target for tonight
How we sing as we limp through the air
Look below, there’s our field over there
With our one motor gone
We can still carry on
Comin’ in on a wing and a prayer
Comin’ in on a wing and a prayer
Comin’ in on a wing and a prayer
With our full crew on board
And our trust in the Lord
We’re comin’ in on a wing and a prayer