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“When you’re weary, feeling small, when tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all; I’m on your side. When times get rough and friends just can’t be found, like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down.”

If only the world was the way that Simon and Garfunkel saw it in their top 10 1970’s hit “Bridge Over Troubled Water”. They sang about friendship, showing decency towards humanity, and getting along with others. This seems to be the sentiment of the times, with the war over in Vietnam with little public support; many Americans preached to us all the value of love and friendship.

The top 10 songs of this year reflect well the American’s people’s good intentions. Also finding themselves on the charts with Simon and Garfunkel is the Beatles. Their hit song, “Let it Be” clearly shows that they too, were not big fans of the Vietnam war. “Let it Be” the title itself suggests maybe donning a containment policy. Meaning, let’s stay out of other countries problems; we shouldn’t fight their battles for them. The soft music of the song, and tranquil melodies bestows peace within the listener. It’s almost as if it was purposely done this way in order to add a peaceful attitude to the audience. Lyrics like “And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree there will be an answer let it be” says to me that when people are in a bad situation, the smart thing to do is just to stay out of it, and let it go as it will.

Both these songs represent peace, good will to others, and not fighting a battle that isn’t ours. Perhaps this is the best policy. Maybe we shouldn’t be pushing ourselves over boundaries to areas that we don’t belong. In fact, maybe we should all just let each other be.