Anti War Songs as a Reflection of Public Opinion: Vietnam Era

            The musical changes that occurred throughout the 1960’s mirror the political and social revolutions that arose during that decade, from the cheery, entertaining love songs early in the 1960’s to the anti-war and political sentiments that arose through the counterculture in the latter part of the decade.  The generalization of the transformation in popular music reflects popular opinion; however, we can see much more specific conversion by looking at songs that were written in response to the Vietnam War.  Songs specific to the war itself are the best sources of the changing American opinion, especially that of the younger generation. 

            One of the first war songs released during the 1960s was Staff Sergeant Barry Sandler’s “The Ballad of the Green Berets”  which hit #1 on the popular music charts on March 5, 1966.  This song reveals the pride as well as the enthusiasm in defending the honor of America against all enemies.   The fact that this song is in a traditional, formal form of the literary ballad itself reflects the honor of those defending democracy and American ideals.  The form of the song complies to the traditional literary ballad with its four line stanzas and use of repetition of the words, “The Green Beret” at the end of each stanza.  As a matter of fact, newworldencyclopeida.org defines a ballad as “normally a short narrative arranged into four line stanzas with a memorable poetic meter.”  This form is evident in “The Ballad of the Green Berets” highlighting the formal tradition of the proud Marines. 

            Upon further close reading of “The Ballad of the Green Berets,” we can see additional evidence of the pride in our soldiers deployed to fight in Vietnam.  These soldiers are described in line two as “fearless;” in line four as “brave;” and in line six as “America’s best.”   The Green Beret is also honored because he “died for those oppressed” (line 19) emphasizing the ultimate sacrifice of our beloved Marine for the betterment of the humankind.  These descriptions of an honorable man willing to stand up against evil is ever-present in “The Ballad of the Green Berets.”  Its popularity paralleled America’s opinion of the Vietnam War.  In 1966, most Americans backed the War as a fight against Communism. This was reflected in the popularity of this traditional, proud “Ballad” which underscored the pride of our soldiers resisting evil and representing the perceived oppression of South Vietnam in their efforts to retain democracy, as misguided and misunderstood as this theory was.

            In contrast to the “Ballad of the Green Berets,” Country Joe McDonald released “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag” in November of 1967.  Ironically, Country Joe actually wrote the “Rag” in 1965, before “Ballad” was released.   Country Joe used sarcasm and a catchy tune to ignite skepticism in the war effort and to make a political statement.  As a matter of fact, according to the Bing Dictionary website, synonyms of the word “rag” include “mock, taunt, or poke fun at.”  Merely because Country Joe calls his song a “rag,” we know the song will have sarcastic undertones.  Far from the traditional “Ballad,” Country Joe uses a six-line stanza in his verses.  He further uses an eight-line chorus that completely changes form to shorter lines with an inconsistent rhyme scheme where he purposefully eliminates the words, “four” and “eight” which would have provided the traditional rhyme.  This in itself conveys that the tradition has been broken, thus representing the broken trust between the American public and US foreign policy.

            At first glance, Country Joe seems to be condoning the War, with lines like “Now you can go get those Reds,/ The only good Commie is one that’s dead;/ you know that peace can only be won,/ When we’ve blown ‘em all to kingdom come!”  (lines 17-20)  However, we have to remember, this is a “rag,” which is poking fun at America’s policy on the war.  It is important to remember, though, that Country Joe supported the soldiers, as he was one himself, but that he felt America’s foreign policy had been unable “to come up with a clear and compelling goal in Vietnam.”[1]  In fact, Country Joe’s political statement was intended to bring attention to the government’s unclear objective in Vietnam and the effect on the everyday soldier fighting a war he didn’t understand. 

            Country Joe was only one in a long line of popular music artists who released anti-war statements through their songs.  Credence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” was intended to bring attention the “poor man’s war.”  The draft ensured that troops would be conscripted to serve; however, the system was flawed because conscription could be deferred if one was enrolled in college.  Therefore, those that could afford college avoided the draft and those that could not were drafted and deployed to Vietnam.  “John Fogerty’s ‘Fortunate Son’ takes the common (and correct) perception that the rich and privileged weren’t serving in Vietnam but were all too happy to make others go.”[2]

            More simply stated through Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” and Edwin Starr’s “War,” appeals for peace were expressed due to the enormous loss of American lives at the expense of a questionable War.  Gaye begins by stating, “Mother, mother, there’s too many of you crying./ Brother, brother, brother, there’s far too many of you dying.”  (Lines 1-2) The loss of American lives was devastating.  Gaye adds, “war is not the answer/for only love can conquer hate.” (Lines 6-7)  “What’s Going On” not only questions why the loss of lives, but pleads for peace and understanding.

  Edwin Starr’s “War” is much more blunt in its repetition of “War!/Huh! Yeah/What is it good for?/ Absolutely nothing.”  (Lines 1-4)  These few words say everything in protest to the war.  By 1970 when “War” was released, Americans were questioning whether the war was winnable, feeling that the loss of American lives was in vain.  Starr explains, “war I despise/cause it means destruction of innocent life.”  (Lines 5-6)  Again, this reiterates Gaye’s point in that there are “too many of you dying” for a questionable cause.

            The complete reversal in the sentiments of the popular music reflected public opinion.  By 1967, the same year that Country Joe released his “rag,” the anti-war sentiment was rising not merely within college campus teach-ins across America but also in the public with the Anti-Draft Week protests that year.  Although popular opinion primarily still supported the containment of communism in 1967, there was some rise in the questioning of U.S. foreign policy beyond the college campus environment.  This was reflected in songs like “Rag” because, although Country Joe does not outright condemn war, he does question the purpose of America’s involvement in Vietnam.  After the Tet Offensive in early 1968 with its high American casualty rate, the American public began to distrust the U.S. government and doubt that U.S. involvement was worth the cost in American lives.  “Fortunate Son” (1969), “War” (1970), and “What’s Going On” (1971) were released in response to America’s rising uncertainty about US involvement in the war.  Therefore, we can clearly see the parallel in the rise of anti-war music with the decline in American support for the War.

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[1] Steward O’Nan. The Vietnam Reader: The Definitive Collection of Fiction and Non-Fiction on the War.  (Knopf Doubleday 1998) 282.

[2] Ibid.