Spectator competition winners: songs from the corporate songbooks of Google and Amazon

In Competition No. 3267, you were invited to supply a song from the songbook of one of today’s corporate giants.

Songs of The IBM, published in the 1930s, inspired this challenge, and you can listen to original renditions of zingers such as the hymn-like anthem ‘Hail to The IBM’ and the more jaunty, show tune-y ‘March on With IBM’ on the IBM website and on YouTube.

Singing was encouraged by the company’s founder Thomas J. Watson Sr as a motivational tool and to inspire loyalty. Here’s a snippet from the rousing IBM Rally Song ‘Ever Onward’:

The name of T.J. Watson means a courage none can stem And we feel honored to be here to toast the IBM.

Of course, working culture has changed somewhat since the Great Depression and your offerings were rather less reverential.

A accomplished entry drew on influences that ranged from the Andrews sisters to Black Lace. Honourable mentions go to Ben Hale, Paul Freeman, David Shields, Alan Millard and Tracy Davidson. But leading the winners, below, who are rewarded with £30 each, is Bill Greenwell’s excellent twist on the second world war hit ‘Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy’.

They were a famous pair of coders out at Stanford U They had their nerdy noodles and some derring-do They made some algorithms link And then their fortunes were made       and they were in the pink They’re in your software now,       and when you press a key Pay the boodle-oodle Google boys in Silicon V.   Whether you’re a techie, or you need some merch You have to do the Google when you do a search We have Maps and Mail and Cloud And when you surf the web       you’ll always do us proud We’re in the Android,       we’re in the Diction-ree We are the boodle-oodle Google boys of Silicon V. Bill