Jimi Hendrix – All Along The Watchtower
In September 1968, Jimi Hendrix released his single “All Along The Watchtower“, from the Electric Ladyland album. It wasn’t intended to be about the Vietnam War, but it conveyed feelings and sentiments that the soldiers serving there related to, and is thus very much a piece of Vietnam War music. 1968 had probably been the [...]
The Beatles – Revolution
It was very uncommon for The Beatles to make an overt political statement in their songs, and 1968′s “Revolution” was a rare exception. Written by John Lennon, it suggests that he wants to see changes, but is uncomfortable with the violent radicalism many advocates for change are espousing, with lines like: “We all want to [...]
Rolling Stones – Street Fighting Man
Street Fighting Man, released by the Rolling Stones in August 1968, is a commentary on the civil unrest that was happening around the world. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Mick Jagger referred to the May 1968 student riots in Paris, which resulted in the massive general strike of eleven million workers for two weeks, [...]
The Doors’ “Unknown Soldier”
The Doors’ “Unknown Soldier” is an anti-war song from their July 11th 1968 LP “Waiting For The Sun”. The song was controversial enough for many radio stations to refuse to play it. It was also quite popular, with the single reaching #39 on the charts. The message of the song is delivered very dramatically with [...]