Leroy Anderson

The Syncopated Clock

During the Second World War, Leroy Anderson was a captain with the American Intelligence Service. After the war he continued to work for the Defence Department in Washington for some years. At that time he composed The Syncopated Clock in two days' time at his Washington office. It was an immediate succes because of the humoristic imitation of the sometimes capricious, ticking or the clock. The work was immediately recorded on a 78 Disc and in November 1950 it was put on the first Anderson music long-playing record. It became extremely popular when it was used as the signature tune of a popular CBS midnight broadcast in 1946.