Music is a mode of communication that can be used as a means of healing and as a tool to spark the awareness of the public to important issues of the time.  During the late 60’s and early 70’s music had an important role in the Vietnam antiwar protests.  Musicians wrote powerful lyrics expressing their strong opposition towards the actions of the government.  Their songs reflected the sentiment of the American people during the Vietnam War.
     Many musicians chose to write explicit lyrics that illustrated direct activism.  “Ohio”, written by Neil Young, is a good example.  On May 4th, 1970 students of Kent University protested against the recent news of the plan to invade Cambodia and the need to draft thousands of additional American soldiers.  The National Guard reacted to the situation by firing shots at the unarmed students and killing four of the demonstrators. Neil Young addressed this occurrence in his song urging activists to take action against such injustice and asking how they “run when you know?”  A song by Jefferson Airplane suggests that the American people take action and challenge the government:
Look what's happening on the streets
Got a revolution
Got to revolution...

    Another example of a song in which the war is overtly addressed is “Senator’s Sons” by Credence Clearwater which discusses the abundance of working class citizens who fought the war in comparison with the “Senator’s sons”:
Yeh, some folks inherit star spangled eyes,
ooh, they send you down to war, Lord,
And when you ask them, how much should we give,
oh, they only answer, more, more, more, yoh.
 
    The top ten singles of 1970 have a number of themes relating to the Vietnam War.  They do not address the Vietnam War directly as Neil young and Edwin Starr had done in their lyrics, but instead took on an implicit standpoint.  “Thank you” by Sly and the Family Stone makes several indirect references to the war in “Thank You” such as:

Lookin at the devil, grinnin at his gun
Fingers start shakin, I begin to run….
Flamin eyes of people fear, burnin into you
Many men are missin much, hatin what they do
Youth and truth are makin love
Dig it for a starter
Dyin young is hard to take
Sellin out is harder

      The top ten singles also all seem to be generally positive and optimistic.  “Everything is Beautiful” by Ray Stevens, for example, emphasizes the importance of recognizing the similarities we all shares as human beings:
We shouldn’t care about the length of his hair or the color of his skin
Don’t worry about what shows from without but the love that lives within
Were gonna get it all together now and everything gonna work out fine
Just take a little time to look on the good side my friend
And straighten it out in your mind

Another example is “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” by BJ Thomas in which he declares that his troubles will not conquer him:

But there’s one thing I know
The blues they send to meet me won’t defeat me
It won’t be long till happiness steps up to greet me
Raindrops keep fallin on my head
But that doesn’t mean my eyes will soon be turnin red
Crying not for me
Cause I’m never gonna stop the rain by complainin
Because I’m free
Nothins worryin me

     There are also a number of songs released this year in response to our current situation with Iraq that are very political. “In a World Gone Mad” by the Beastie Boys for example, the artists state their extreme opposition to the War on Iraq:

First the ‘War on Terror’ now war on Iraq
We’re reaching a point where we can’t turn back
Let’s lose the guns and let’s lose the bombs
And stop the corporate contributions that they're built upon
Well I’ll be sleeping on your speeches ‘til I start to snore
‘Cause I won’t carry guns for an oil war
Well I’m not pro Bush and I’m not pro Saddam
We need these fools to remain calm
You and Saddam should kick it like back in the day
With the cocaine and Courvoisier
But you build more bombs as you get more bold
As your mid-life crisis war unfolds
We need health care more than going to war
You think it’s democracy they’re fighting for?

     Madonna’s latest video had originally also contained strong antiwar themes, including explosions and a scene in which she threw a hand grenade into the lap of a President Bush look-alike.
 
 
     Songs provide musicians with a way to communicate and share their feelings and views, and gave the public a way to survive during troubled times.  They can allow listeners to retreat from the troubles and concerns of the world by finding refuge in healing lyrics.  They can also increase the awareness of the public about important issues of the day.     The songs of the late 60’s and early 70 have played a significant role during the Vietnam War and now provide us with a useful tool for historical analysis.
 

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