What's Your Favorite Horror Movie: Saving Private Ryan
anti-war music from Vietnam to now
Welcome back to history class, now sit down before the bell rings or I’ll yell at you. Today’s class is on a topic I’ve been waiting to do for a long time. I first got into anti-war political movements my junior year of high school after reading the fantastic book The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. I had not been taught about Vietnam in school, other than what I learned in that book, which is a work of fiction and not representative of life during that era. Fast forward two years, now I’m on a plane on my way to Florida for yet another Thanksgiving and I’m picking something to watch on the plane. The poster for Full Metal Jacket looked cool so I put it on. I loved it. I’ve seen that movie probably 10 times in the last four years. I’ll speak more on that later. While most of my knowledge is on Vietnam, there’s lots to talk about when it comes to other major wars with American involvement, such as Iraq or currently Palestine. Today’s show is going to cover the range of anti-war music from Vietnam to Palestine, both in recognizing resistance and considering pop culture as a legitimate source.
Vietnam was by no means the first stupid American war, but it’s especially important in setting up the context for future anti-war media. There were a combination of intentional anti-war songs as well as songs with unrelated messages that became anti-war by association. My best example of this would be “Paint it Black” by the Rolling Stones. The lyrics of the song are clearly about a bad breakup which I assume because while grief is a present theme it isn’t an inherently sad song (I see a red door/And I want it painted black/No colors anymore/I want them to turn black). So how did this song become an anti-war anthem? There isn’t a great answer to that. According to The Pop History Dig (a website that analyzes pop culture historically), the song was just used in a bunch of movies about the Vietnam War and slowly gained an association. An example movie listed was Full Metal Jacket. “Paint it Black” was never really an authentic anti-war song, it was completely unintentional.
Most anti-war songs from this era were intentional, however. Almost everyone knows “Fortunate Son”, so I don’t really feel the need to dig further into that one. It is a great song though. “Gimme Shelter”, another Rolling Stones song, had anti-war themes in its lyrics. Two interesting lyric segments are “War, children, it's just a shot away” and “Rape, murder/It's just a shot away”. I find it unusual that while the Rolling Stones had a legitimate anti-war song and yet a totally unrelate one was made one of the biggest anti-war anthems pop culture has ever seen. I have no real explantation for that.
Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” is another prime example of anti-war movement support in the midst of said anti-war movement. Lyrics include “You see, war is not the answer/For only love can conquer hate” and “Picket lines and picket signs/Don't punish me with brutality”. This song is especially important because it combines anti-war and civil rights. Black men were in some ways perfect targets for the draft. According to the New York Times, despite only making up about 11 percent of the population, Black men made up over 16 percent of drafted soldiers. Many Black men felt that they should not have to fight considering they did not yet have protected rights and equal treatment. Why should they fight for a country who didn’t fight for them? Not only that, but Black soldiers received significantly harsher treatment while serving. Military leaders refused to address discrimination. Racism did not disappear by putting white and Black soldiers in the field together. In some ways, it exacerbated it further. The way civil rights and anti-war movements are intertwined demonstrates that they need to be considered together. Their relationship is important to understanding anti-war themes and origins.
Generally, anti-war songs during the Vietnam era revolved around the same themes. The main criticism was on the draft, which was at its core unfair. Donald Trump was a draft dodger. My grandpa, the wonderful Stan Pearlman, was always ashamed about how he avoided the draft. He enlisted in the national guard in order to stay out of Vietnam. I did not have the chance to ask him much about it before he passed away late last year. What I do know is that those who avoided the draft were scathingly shamed. Even worse, those who went and came back got shamed as well. No one was immune, everyone was miserable. Most people have come around to accepting draft dodgers; after all, who actually wants to go to war? They were pardoned by President Jimmy Carter in 1977.
Moving on: let’s talk about 9/11. More specifically, what happened after 9/11. Like “Fortunate Son”, I don’t think the events on 9/11 need to be explained. I’m mostly here to talk about the long, long war that began shortly after: The War on Terrorism to the Iraq War. Resulting anti-war music also held a twinge of anti-government sentiment. This was different than the anti-war music of years prior. Green Day was one of the more outspoken groups, though their punk background put them in a position to do so. I wanted to pick a cooler one, but “American Idiot” is the song most relevant to this topic. Lyrics include “I'm not a part of a redneck agenda/Now everybody, do the propaganda” and “Welcome to a new kind of tension/All across the alien nation/ Where everything isn't meant to be okay/In television dreams of tomorrow/ We're not the ones who're meant to follow/For that's enough to argue”. What I like about this song is its recognition of how television can be used to persuade. The criticism of President George W. Bush is by no means hidden. He’s the one creating the “redneck agenda” after all. If you’re looking for an easy foray into anti-war music from the early 2000s, Green Day’s American Idiot album is a great place to start.
While there were many songs criticizing war itself, songs from this time period really emphasized the failings of Bush. Pink’s “Dear Mr. President” asks if the president is ashamed of what he’s done, if he feels for the people he is supposed to represent. Notable lyrics include “How do you sleep while the rest of us cry?/How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye?” and “What do you feel when you look in the mirror?/Are you proud?”. The anti-war sentiment translated through all genres. Eminem released “Mosh” in 2004. While not the first hip hop artist to take a political stance (the genre has been defined by resistance), his song is notable for this era because it’s really specific. Lyrics include “Strap him with an Ak-47, let him go/fight his own war Let him impress daddy that way” and “The stars and stripes, they've been swiped, washed out and wiped/And replaced with his own face, Mosh now or die” while he mentions both Bush and Osama Bin Laden by name.
Anti-war music is both relatable and puzzling. The sentiments expressed in these songs were widely supported. According to Pew Research, by 1969 over 50 percent of Americans thought it was a mistake to send troops to Vietnam. By the end of 2006, again over 50 percent of Americans were opposed to the war in Iraq. These songs were heavily criticized. They were banned, records were burned, artists were blacklisted, and yet these songs were expressive of the American environment. As such, they are absolutely integral to understanding the state of the American nation during these time periods.
I want to end with a note on Palestine. The war happening there has been historically mislabeled as the Israeli Palestinian Conflict. I want to highlight that this is not an equally two sided war. Yes, Hamas has done wrong, but the Israeli government has taken it past that. To date, upwards of 40,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces. It is a horrible tragedy. Unlike the other two wars I have discussed, there is not much anti-war music being put into mainstream media. I have chosen “Olive Branch” by Elyanna, a Palestinian artist whose catalog is almost entirely in Arabic. The song is short and the lyrics are simple but I find them especially relevant and meaningful:
Words aren't enough, what else can I say?
My tears have dried out, and my heart is broken
I'm far away, but I'm praying for you
And I'm sending peace, on an olive branch
I'm far away, but I'm praying for you
And I'm sending peace, on an olive branch
In the land of peace, peace is dead
And the world is sleeping on a hurt child
My closing sentiment is this: war hurts societies in more ways than structural damage. In nearly every example of American intervention post World War II, Americans have widely been unsupportive of government decisions. While this isn’t the most joyous episode, I hope it inspired critical thinking of American foreign intervention. Wait until the bell rings to pack up and I’ll see you next week for another episode of history class.
“Paint it Black” by the Rolling Stones
“Gimme Shelter” by the Rolling Stones
“What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye
“A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke
“American Idiot” by Green Day
“Holiday” by Green Day
“Dear Mr. President” by Pink
“Mosh” by Eminem
“Olive Branch” by Elyanna
“War” by Edwin Starr