The Rolling Stones – Paint it Black
The Rolling Stones‘ 1966 #1 hit “Paint It Black” was a popular track on Armed Forced Radio in South Vietnam during the war. While it wasn’t intended as Vietnam War music, it expressed a sentiment of depression and despair that must have resonated with some of the U.S. servicemen in Vietnam. At the same time, [...]
SSgt. Barry Sadler – The Ballad of The Green Berets
Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler‘s “The Ballad of the Green Berets”, is a definitive piece of Vietnam War music. In contrast to the growing volume of popular protest songs, Ballad of the Green Berets instilled pride in the soldiers, commended their bravery, and commended the bravery of their families. Lines like “Fearless men who jump and [...]
The Fugs – “Kill For Peace”
The Fugs are generally described as the “first underground rock group”, with a music style that foreshadows the punk bands of the ’70s and ’80s. Their opposition to the Vietnam War was present in their music, and in actions such as their “exorcism” of the Pentagon at a rally in 1967. Their first album, originally [...]
Maybelle Carter – I Told Them What You’re Fighting For
In 1966, Maybelle Carter released a the single “I Told Them What You’re Fighting For“. Carter was a country music legend, then in the 5th decade of her career, and was affectionately known as “Mother Maybelle”. The song is an example of patriotic Vietnam War Music that supported the soldiers and the families, and is [...]
For What It’s Worth
Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth”, released in October 1966, wasn’t actually written about the Vietnam War, or any War for that matter. It was about riots in Sunset Strip L.A. involving police and a crowd of young people protesting the closing of a nightclub called “Pandora’s Box”. However, it’s one of those songs whose [...]
Viet Nam Blues
Dave Dudley’s 1966 single “Viet Nam Blues” was written by Kris Kristofferson and is a spoken rhyme set to music, telling the story of a serviceman on leave in D.C. who has a perplexing conversation with some anti-war protesters on the White House Lawn, leaving him puzzled, angry and dismayed. The message of the song is [...]
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
Simon & Garfunkel’s Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme L.P. was released on this day (October 10th) in 1966. It was extremely popular, reaching number 4 on the charts, and certified “gold” (500,000 copies) on July 7th 1967, only eight months after its release. With the hindsight of history we know that in 1966 the US involvement in [...]