what does the title mean?

i wish i knew for sure, but i think it's the gay community that has been played on, or maybe the doctors that always have a barrier to prevent them from doing the right thing.

Hi...

In film classes...we were led to believe that the title "And the Band Played on..." is a reference to 'The Titanic'- where the band played happy/calming tunes as devistation and death was apparent.

Because of that, "And the band played on..." became a euphuism for things that mean 'no matter what catastophe, to divert attention and/or to keep minds diverted from said caststophe and certain death, the band plays on'.

Several popular references come up in pop music such as one that is posted here, and "The Temptations" famous 60's song of strife, "Ball of Confusion" which is now being used for the HBO series, "The Wire".

To know more about the author, follow this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Shilts



Proud IMDB member since 1998 with the same name.How about you??

As has already been pointed out, it's a 1895 popular song title which refers to the fact that, in the face of catastrophe, "the band plays on" - life goes on without regards to the surrounding danger. While indeed the "band played on" on the deck of the sinking Titanic, there is no evidence that that particular song was played; in fact, the consensus is they played "Nearer My God to Thee". The theme is well-demonstrated in the film in the scene where closing the bathhouses in San Francisco was seen as "taking away the right to gay sexual freedom" despite the fact that they were instrumental in spreading the disease.

I'm confused by the posters' responses here. I always thought the phrase "...and the band that played on" was always describing any group of people who are aware of the fact that a wrongdoing is being committed, and yet they decide to carry on with their lives and ignore the injustice as if it isn't even happening.


For example... if the sheriff of a town in the 1950s sees that mobs are often swarming a black people and attempting to lynch them, or constantly denying them entrance to their places of business, etc., and he and his police force do nothing about it for years and continue to move on as if it isn't even happening, they are officially "the band that played on."


That's what I always thought the phrase described. But you know what, after reading the posts here, I now cannot recall where the hell I (thought I) learned that from. I always thought "And the band that played on" described people or institutions that stand by while a wrongdoing or injustice is being committed. Did I miss something here? Or did I just make up my own meaning for the phrase as a child and it only carried on into adulthood..?


Weird..





I'm not a control freak, I just like things my way

I myself wasn't sure whether the title meant that no one took any measures to stop the disease or whether it was an allusion to Titanic.
However in a 1987 article of the Washington Post, the writer of the book says:

"{The title of my book} "And the Band Played On" is simply a snappier way of saying "business as usual." Everyone responded with an ordinary pace to an extraordinary situation."

Here's the link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/wellness/1987/12/01/aids-and-prejudice-one-reporters-account-of-the-nations-response/dcc42d2b-3353-4b2e-b67f-8336fa51acfb/