Complex sentence: The song was written to pay homage to the southern soldiers in the American army who were headed to France and became notably popular because it was performed by Eddie Cantor in the Ziegfeld Follies.
Split into simpler sentences: The song was written to pay homage to the southern soldiers in the American army who were headed to France. It became notably popular, because it was performed by Eddie Cantor in the Ziegfeld Follies.