The Unknown Soldier- The Doors
This song was in reaction to the Vietnam War and
how the conflict was portrayed in American media. Lines such as "Breakfast
where the news is read/ Television children fed/ Unborn living, living dead/
Bullets strike the helmet's head"(lyrics) criticize the way news of the war was presented
in the living rooms of American people.
Born in the U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen
The song deals with the negative effects of the Vietnam
War on Americans, but is often misunderstood to be a patriotic or nationalistic anthem.
However the tone of the song shows that Springsteen is actually criticizing the
loss of a true sense of national pride. The song is said to be a tribute to
Springsteen's friends in the Vietnam War, some who did not come back. It
also protests the hardships Vietnam veterans faced upon their return home from
the war.
Goodnight Saigon- Billy Joel
This song depicts the attitudes of United States
Marines during the Vietnam War. The lyrics of "Goodnight Saigon"
are about soldiers in battle bonding together, fighting their fears and trying
to figure out how to survive. The use of "we" rather than
"I," emphasizes that the soldiers are all in the situation together. There
is a part which has multiple voices singing that the soldiers will "all go
down together"(lyrics), emphasizing their camaraderie.
19- Paul Hardcastle
Many people believe the song has an anti-war message,
focusing on America's involvement in the Vietnam. Hardcastle was inspired
to create the song after watching a Vietnam War documentary and comparing
his own life at 19 to those of the soldiers featured. He says, "what
struck me was how young the soldiers were: the documentary said their average
age was 19. I was out having fun in pubs and clubs when I was 19, not being
shoved into jungles and shot at"(6).
Still in Saigon- Charlie Daniels Band
The song portrays the struggles of an American Vietnam
veteran after the war. The story is told ten years after Daniels, as the
protagonist, faced being drafted into the Vietnam War. Although he
could have escaped to Canada, he believed he was "brought up
differently/couldn't break the rules"(lyrics) so he decided he had to serve. The
song addresses the emotional toll of war, how it is worsened upon returning
home, and dealing with PTSD.
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_songs_about_the_Vietnam_War
2. http://muse.jhu.edu/login?auth=0&type=summary&url=/journals/american_quarterly/v058/58.2cowie.html
3. http://www.shmoop.com/born-in-the-usa/songwriting.html
4. http://books.google.com/books?id=HHQqoUcbd8gC&pg=PA107
5. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/paul-hardcastle-mn0000018513/biography
6. http://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/sep/24/19-paul-hardcastle-ken-grunbaum
7. http://www.nytimes.com/1982/04/21/arts/still-in-saigon-climbing.html
8. http://www.shmoop.com/born-in-the-usa/lyrics.html
It is interesting listening to the music in America during the Vietnam war and comparing it to the music that was popular in Vietnam during the war. Both the Vietnamese music and the American music portray societies dislike of the war. While both music was condemning war, it was using drastically different music styles.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Vietnam was a generally disliked war and forced upon the American population, our right to freedom of speech is evident in the magnitude and popularity of these songs, the majority of which include anti-war themes.
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