The Labor Day Fluke

Summer (2008) is almost over, which means that the Labor Day Weekend is upon us once again, and The Fluke Museum's ongoing series of very extremely silly Fluke and Flea ukuleles celebrating the great holidays continues, this time with The Labor Day Fluke!

This fun holiday Fluke's subject is World War II's famous iconic Rosie The Riveter, whose image is the very embodiment of hard labor itself, shown here against a vintage linen postcard background image of steel mills in Pueblo, Colorado.

It's a little-known fact that Rosie The Riveter was actually based on a real woman, Rose Will Monroe, who was born in Pulaski County, Kentucky, in 1920 and moved to Michigan to seek work during World War II. She was asked to star in a promotional film about the war effort at home, and was featured in a Rosie The Riveter poster campaign, too. (It's an even littler-known fact that there was also a "Wendy The Welder" at the time, but, unfortunately, she never caught on quite the way that Rosie did!)

As a result, "Rosie The Riveter" became a cultural icon, representing the six-million-plus women who entered the workforce for the first time during World War II, many working in the manufacturing plants and factories that produced planes and munitions and other military materiel (sic), taking the places of male workers who were absent, fighting on the European and Pacific fronts. Rosie is now considered a feminist icon in the USA, a herald of women's economic power to come, and images of Rosie, with her famous slogan "We Can Do It!," are featured on posters, magazines, and more. There's even one webpage where you can make your own Rosie The Riveter poster!

But, sadly, like all our silly holiday-themed Flukes and Fleas, the Labor Day Fluke is not for real. No, it's strictly virtual, so we're afraid you won't be seeing it in stores any time soon.

In the meantime, click here to see a music video of the song, "Rosie The Riveter," by The Four Vagabonds, and, as you spend your own Labor Day at a picnic, or a barbecue, or playing ukuleles in the park, do give a thought to all those brave, hard-working folks whose mighty efforts got this great nation through World War II to enjoy the world we all take for granted today! •

(NOTE: We've gotten numerous requests for the lyrics and chords to the Rosie The Riveter song, above, so we worked up a version of it, which you'll find right here. It's kinda rough and rather basic, but it should get you started. Enjoy, and don't say we never gave ya nothin'.)