Vietnam War Music – Understanding the War Through its Songs

The history of the Vietnam War is well documented.  But how do we, in the early 21st century, gain a better emotional understanding of the war?   The war ended three-and-a-half decades ago.  The youngest of the veterans are now in their late fifties.  Many of the political, military, and social figures of the time have passed on.  How can younger generations who didn’t live through the era get a glimpse of was felt by the people at the time?

The Vietnam War was one of the key World-shaping events of the 20th century.  All of the peoples that fought in the war paid a high price in lives and suffering, especially the Vietnamese.  The War had an immense cultural and historical impact on the psyche of America and the Western world, the after-shocks of which can still be felt decades later, not only by veterans and their families, but also in everyday culture if one looks closely enough.

One of the best ways to gain insight into the spirit of the time is by listening to Vietnam War Music.

To understand the mood within the US throughout the war, we can look at how popular musicians and bands of the era incorporated their thoughts on the war into their songs.  Musicians can both reflect and influence the thoughts of their audience, and the messages in their songs reflect the mood and attitude of a part of the population.  In particular, there were a number of popular songs in the era with an anti-war sentiment.  These are a good lens through which the protest movement and general anti-war concerns in the population can be seen.  We can also see patriotism and support of the troops in some popular songs from the period.  The best example of this is probably Staff Sergeant Barry Saddler’s “Ballad of the Green Berets”, which was was #1 on the charts for 5 weeks in 1966.

Similarly, to get a better understanding of the soldiers, we can listen to the songs they listened to, and get a small glimpse of how they may have felt.  For example, the Animals’ “We gotta get out of this place” was very popular, and it’s not hard to imagine the emotion associated with its obvious and rousing chorus.  Even now, if you watch that song on YouTube, you’ll inevitably see a comment from somebody on how hugely popular it was in South Vietnam.  Another thing to remember is that there were plenty of musicians among the soldier population, singing popular songs, folk songs, military songs, and new songs that sprang from the experiences of the soldiers.  All of these provide insight.

The after-effects of the Vietnam War on Western culture can also be seen in music.

In the decade following the end of the war, the veterans were home, the politicians had moved on, the refugees were settling, the younger generation was coming of age with the war in the near memory of their parents.  A number of popular songs made direct reference to the war.  For example, the Australian band Redgum’s “I Was Only 19″ was a #1 hit in Australia in 1983, and was covered by hip-hop band The Herd in 2005, receiving considerable airplay.

Music from the War period has reached new audiences by being re-released in “greatest hits” compilations, including many pieces that are associated with the Vietnam war either by topic or audience.  Some music from the period has also been re-recorded by new artists.  For example, Bruce Springsteen’s 1985 performance of Edwin Starr’s 1970 hit “War” was very popular, and captured the same raw energy that Starr expressed in his version.

To provide more information, I’m compiling a list of Vietnam War Songs and Music.  This is an ongoing project, so the list will grow over time.  I’m also posting on particular songs and musicians.  Again, I’ll be doing this over a period of time, so the list of articles will grow.  The list of songs and their corresponding articles will be cross-linked so you can find your way between them.  I’ll also provide links to Amazon and (hopefully) iTunes so you can hear samples, and get your own copy if you like.  I’ll also provide YouTube links where I can find them.

In addition to this, it thought it would be interesting to provide a Vietnam War Timeline, and provide a page which lists the songs alongside a timeline.  The idea is to provide more historical context for the music, which is in turn shedding light on the history.  One can shed light on the other, and vice versa.