ipl-logo

Song Analysis: The Vietnam War

651 Words3 Pages

The song “War” was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1969 to protest against the Vietnam War. The song was later recorded by the singer Edwin Starr and it became the number one hit on the billboard hot 100 chart in 1970. The song was later sung by Bruce Springsteen and it gained popularity again in 1986 for being the most popular protest song ever recorded. In the song there were some controversial lyrics about their opinions of the Americans being part of the Vietnam War. The song was successful because it spreaded the anti-war messages across America and people agreed with them. The song was also noteworthy because it was the most popular protest song in the 1970’s to 1980’s. Back then when the government told men to go fight in the war they would listen, but during the 1970’s it was the first time people were starting to be against the idea of going to war and fighting. This song became popular because no one ever heard a song that boycotted what the government was telling them to do. So, it became successful because it was different than all the other songs written back then. The song was a realization to the people that listening to the government and going to fight wasn’t such a good idea. …show more content…

The upbeatness of the song made it more memorable to people. It got people to agree with their lyrics of protesting against the Americans for being part of the Vietnam War. This song was written against the War, it was made to be upbeat so people can sing along with it and protest together. However, since the War was, and currently still a serious topic and many people died in it, the song should be more sorrow and sombre to respect the soldiers that died during the Vietnam

Show More
Related
1374 Words | 6 Pages

Soldiers typically lacked sympathy for what they went through from society ignoring the trauma they brought back from the Vietnam War. The following quote from the article presents the thought process of most soldiers to us: “By forgetting, he said he could prove that he was strong and could master his anxieties… by remembering, he felt he was admitting that he was weak and no longer in control” (Penk and Robinowitz 3). The previous quote shows how the soldiers felt that forgetting made them appear strong rather than letting their emotions weaken them, and this is why we see a soldier’s inner conflict as they force themselves to remember in the poem. In this quote from the poem the soldier has come to the monument for remembering those who passed in the war and as he looks at those names his first thought is: “No tears.

Read More
3313 Words | 14 Pages

Daniel Decatur Emmett was born in Mount Vernon, Ohio in the fall of 1815. Emmett was a composer who worked as a drummer in a traveling circus, then a minstrel troupe after being discharged from the Army because he falsified his age to enlist. Emmett wrote many of what are now considered to be Confederate anthems, “…much to the chagrin of Emmett who was anything but a Southern sympathizer…” Emmett wrote these songs as walk-arounds, a dance number that was performed at the end of a show that featured the entire company of musicians in the minstrel troupe.

Read More
537 Words | 3 Pages

Social Issue-Vietnam War Cost of Vietnam The Vietnam War that took place between the dates of 1959-1975 changed Americans culture. 58, 000 Americans died America spent 111 billion dollars on the war, according to the Department of Defense. Mr. Frenchy watched his brother, cousins, and acquaintances join the war efforts against communism. Likewise, he participated by joining the army. Not only did this give Mr. Frenchy a reason for leaving New York, but this also posed as an opportunity to stop selling and using drugs.

Read More
1837 Words | 8 Pages

Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried is a collection of essays, all centered on anecdotes of American soldiers during the Vietnam War. The seemingly straightforward recollections slowly reveal dense layers of personal and metaphorical meanings upon closer inspection, with the exploration of the characters’ emotions and the underlying motif of love creating the opportunity to trace how war changes a person in the realm of his emotions. The Vietnam warfare acts as a catalyst for all of the unsettling changes in the soldiers’ minds, raising the question whether the battlefield is actively responsible for this result or merely accelerating the inevitable manifestation of these personal issues, inherent in every person. In the collection of essays

Read More
2557 Words | 11 Pages

The Vietnam War, which lasted from 1955 to 1975, was one of the most divisive and controversial conflicts in American history. It was a military conflict between the Communist North Vietnam, and South Vietnam, with the United States and other Western powers supporting the Southern Vietnamese. The war was fought in the context of the Cold War because the United States feared that Communism would spread throughout Southeast Asia if North Vietnam managed to take control of the entire country. The war had such a profound impact on American society, and still remains a subject of intense debate and analysis today. After World War I, Vietnamese leader, Ho Chi Minh, expressed many grievances against the French colonialists.

Read More
891 Words | 4 Pages

Leaders pushed for peaceful opposition but rallies often escalated to violence as government officials were called in to break up protests, similar to the movements of Martin Luther King Jr and Gandhi. Not only were these cases of police brutality, but they furthered the credibility of the cause by showing the unnecessarily violent nature of the government. With famous names such as John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, and Bob Dylan, world-wide attention was brought to the fight to end the war; the rock and roll youth culture birthed in the 50s proved a force to be reckoned with, creating anti-war music such as “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-To-Die Rag” by Country Joe and the Fish in 1965. (Doc 2) Slogans such as “Make love not war” are still with us to this day, while others such as “LBJ, how many kids did you kill today?” forced the issue into the attention of the presidential administration. While it is true many agreed with the president’s decision, they were less vocal compared to the counterculture and peace hippies of the anti-war movement.

Read More
723 Words | 3 Pages

On March 8th, 1965 the United States officially entered the Vietnam War. A war that was supposed to be fought between the North and South side of Vietnam. The war lasted between 1955 to 1975, with over 58 thousand US soldiers being killed, 2 Million Vietnam civilians being murdered and over a million Vietnamese and Vietcong soldiers also dying. The Vietnam War heightened social and political tension in the United States from 1964-1975.

Read More
663 Words | 3 Pages

It was perspectives from a U.S. veteran who who helped execute a mass evacuation and a retired Sergeant Major from the North Vietnamese forces. The song “Fortunate Son”, may not seem like it fits with the article but it actually does in a complex way. The song is about how a guy describes how others were raised and that that was not him. They relate with one another by how from the two perspectives of men from opposite sides intertwine with being fortunate.

Read More
1363 Words | 6 Pages

Moreover, the two transitions between the three verses (0:52-1:10; 1:43-2:00) also prove compelling. First, the electric guitar has a high pitch sound and it is distorted thus generating a sound that feels almost chaotic. This combination of sounds may be a reference to the general confusion that people felt towards the outcome of the Vietnam War during the 1960s. Moreover, even though the instruments build up in intensity, it feels like they never truly unleash the frustration and anger that characterizes the lyrics; this choice could be an allusion to Hendrix 's anti-violence beliefs. Therefore, not discharging all the pent-up resentment could be his way of suggesting that violence is not - and will not - be the solution to anything, neither in a war nor in a song.

Read More
661 Words | 3 Pages

Bruce Weigl considered as one of the greatest poets. As soon as 18th birthday, he was selected for Army and served Vietnam for one year. He received the Bronze Star and returned to his hometown of Lorain, Ohio. After the returning home, he continues his studied. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from the Oberlin College, his Master’s degree from the University of New Hampshire, and his Ph.D. from the University of Utah.

Read More
1524 Words | 7 Pages

The song sketched the career of the green beret, one of America’s best (James pg 135). Sadlers song is one of many pro-war songs within the Rock n Roll genre of music. Rock was huge in the socio cultural uproar of the Vietnam War through anti-war music and pro war music as

Read More
1790 Words | 8 Pages

In this song, he is accusing the oil companies of only caring for profits. The oil companies campaign to have the service men intervene because the United States Government is the biggest benefactor of the oil that is being protected. This becomes one giant cycle. This song was written in the 1980’s while the Afghanistan Civil War was taking place. However, this song could have been written in the early 1990’s with the United States invasion of Iraq, or even in today’s political climate, but this predates all of that by thirty

Read More
925 Words | 4 Pages

Literary analysis America’s war heroes all have the same stories to tell but different tales. Prescribed with the same coloring page to fill in, and use their methods and colors to bring the image to life. This is the writing style and tactic used by Tim O’Brien in his novel, “The Things They Carried”. Steven Kaplan’s short story criticism, The Undying Certainty of the Narrator in Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, provides the audience with an understanding of O’Brien’s techniques used to share “true war” stories of the Vietnam War. Kaplan explains the multitude of stories shared in each of the individual characters, narration and concepts derived from their personal experiences while serving active combat duty during the Vietnam War,

Read More
1298 Words | 6 Pages

The Beatles were undoubtedly one of the best song composers of the twentieth century. Their countless number of hits have motivated and inspired millions of songwriters and fans all throughout the world. “Hey Jude” is certainly one of their most popular songs of all time. Not only has the track been recognized as one of the Beatles’ greatest songs of all time, but has been influential enough to be classified as an anthem. What was is about “Hey Jude” that was so captivating, and influential in rock and roll history?

Read More
529 Words | 3 Pages

Green Day is not the only artist with a protest song behind them; many other artists have some as well such as Neil young’s song called “Living With War.” These songs open the eyes of society and allow them to understand and discuss their points

Read More

More about Song Analysis: The Vietnam War

Related Topics

Open Document