Music of the Vietnam Era Essay - 1232 Words

Music of the Vietnam Era The use of music to convey social commentary was certainly not unique to the Vietnam War. However, what made the music so significant was its versatility. It quickly captured and reflected public opinion as it developed, and offered expression regardless of race, gender, status or political orientation. As a result, there was no one song that captured the essence of the Vietnam War. Words about war have been put to music for generations, but usually in a positive manner. World War Is Over There and Im a Yankee Doodle Dandy seemed to characterize the prevailing mood about Americas role in that struggle. I Didnt Raise My Boy to be a Soldier also had an audience, but a smaller one by comparison. World†¦show more content†¦The song peaked at number 21 on Billboards chart, but still managed to put the issue of war squarely in front of the American public. By 1965, music about Vietnam was emerging as a genre of its own, even though it was still competing with music denouncing war in general. The previous year, Lyndon Johnson had won election as president by promising not to send American boys to fight a war Asian boys ought to be fighting. In March 1965, U.S. combat troops began arriving in Vietnam, the first installment of nearly 200,000 American soldiers destined for deployment that year. The gap between words and deeds was not lost on folk singer Tom Paxton, whose ballad Lyndon Johnson Told a Nation zeroed in on Johnsons apparent hypocrisy. It shared air play with Barry McGuires Eve of Destruction, which touched not only on the danger of nuclear war, but also on the irony of young men old enough to fight but too young to vote. The first major anti-war demonstrations were also held in 1965, organized by groups such as the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and choreographed by singer-songwriters such as Phil Ochs. I Aint Marchin g Anymore, a general antiwar commentary, was quickly followed by White Boots Marching in a Yellow Land and We Seek No Wider War, a response to President Johnsons assurance of his desire for world peace, while at the same time escalating the war in Vietnam. None of Ochss songs ever reach Billboards Top 100. Most pop music radioShow MoreRelatedHow Music Affected the Anti-Vietnam Movement1226 Words   |  5 Pageswas the Vietnam War. As World War II ended, the young males returned to their homes. They began families which brought a significant number of new children into the world. This dramatic increase in the number of births is called the Baby Boom. The Baby Boomers were new generation of people. As the world started to recover from the war, time passed, but as the saying goes â€Å"History will repeat itself† (George Santanaya, 1905). 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