Irving Berlin is, perhaps, the greatest of great American songwriters in his longevity, diversity and popularity. A Jewish boy from the lower East Side, he wrote "Easter Parade," "White Christmas," and "God Bless America." This song was written for a review called "Yip, Yip, Yaphank," while Berlin was a soldier in training in Yaphank, New York. It was very popular during the Second World War as well.