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chapter 1 “A New Umm Kulthūm” To understand the particular reverence that Umm Kulthūm has been accorded in the decades after her death, one must first explore the details and context of her public life in 1967. The landmark event of that year was the defeat of Egypt—along with Syria and Jordan—in the Six-Day War, a rapid defeat that precipitated a lasting psychological, economic, and military crisis . Amid this crisis, Umm Kulthūm was unable to continue giving threehour concerts of romantic songs as she had done before the war. Retirement offered one alternative. Yet once she had actually been blamed by some for the defeat (Danielson 1997, 185), the implications of retirement would have cast a pall over her otherwise illustrious career and damaged her image. She rejected both retirement and the continuation of her career as before, instead constructing a new role for herself in the years ahead. She used press statements, charitable efforts, and propaganda work to refashion herself as an artist of new, vital importance to Egypt in its time of need. Remarkably, she not only sustained her career but also developed a strategy to fulfill previously made commitments abroad that had been designed to advance her career and expand her international fame. Umm Kulthūm, like other artists, demonstrated the political value of music in times of crisis. Examples abound from the perspective of midtwentieth -century America. The U.S. State Department dispatched jazz and rhythm and blues musicians overseas in tours designed to counteract the country’s racist image, which was poised to push newly independent states abroad into alliance with the Soviet Union. Though placed in horrid conditions and largely ignored by embassy officials, these artists helped achieve the State Department’s goal of changing attitudes about the United States: of the various tours held between 1956 and 1969, audiences abroad were particularly impressed to see Dizzy Gillespie leading an interracial band (Monson 2007, 107–108, 117, 119). While these U.S. efforts were aimed at achieving political umm kulthūm / 18 goals abroad, Umm Kulthūm’s addressed political problems at home. She performed songs expressing varied sentiments for different purposes. This was not all that different from the use of country songs in the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Artists on the NBC Radio Network ’s National Barn Dance presented songs designed to “inspire, motivate, and console a nation at war” (Daniel 2005, 92). Likewise, Umm Kulthūm’s performances celebrated a victory that never would be achieved, supported a troubled leader, and reaffirmed religious faith, as many Korean War–era country songs did (Tribe 2005, 128–30, 137–38). Ultimately, following the defeat , her songs shifted in tone, much like country songs shifted from “smug self-confidence” to somber self-reflection once the American public realized that World War II would be a long haul (Wolfe 2005, 31). As Umm Kulthūm went on to develop her public role as a fundraiser and leader of social and welfare campaigns in 1967, she adopted a stance like that of many U.S. musicians during World War II. Radio singer Kate Smith and the hillbilly and western entertainers in the National Barn Dance used their renown to spur public participation in nationwide war bond and stamp drives (Merton 1946). Admission to the cross-country National Barn Dance shows was granted through the purchase of a war bond or donation of materials that were in short supply. National Barn Dance entertainers themselves toured the United States on behalf of the USO to provide social, welfare, and recreational service for members of the armed forces and their families. They also demonstrated practical ways of dealing with difficult wartime conditions. In traveling by bicycle and using carpools, National Barn Dance artists showed members of the public how to cope with the ban on the production of civilian vehicles (Daniel 2005, 87–92, 97). While such efforts served government agendas, they also shaped artists’ images. In a striking case of this phenomenon, Elvis Presley’s charitable activities in 1961 reinforced careful media coverage of his military service to transform his rebellious image (Inglis 1996, 62–63). A closer parallel to Umm Kulthūm is offered by Kate Smith, who led several all-day war bond drives during World War II. Public perception of Smith’s sincerity, benevolence, and patriotism led Americans to respond in astonishing numbers to her marathon appeals...

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