ISO Your Favorite Anti-War Song!!!!

[Peggy]

DD has an interesting AP European History assignment. She needs to bring in a recording of an anti-war song to share with the class. It can be from any war. Knowing what a valuable resource this BB is, we thought we would ask if anyone had any suggestions for noteworthy anti-war songs. Any input will be greatly appreciated!

TIA!

Peggy

[Cookin4Love]

I can't say that I have any personal favorite anti-war songs, but here is a site with 566 of them.

And another.

And one more for good measure.

It sounds like an interesting assignment. Let us know what she picks.

[ellielk]

From the 60's, I always liked Draft Dodger Rag by Phil Ochs. For today, I like Deja Vu (All Over Again) by Tom Fogarty.

[Escher]

How does it relate to European History?

[Gilgamesh37]

Well I immediately thought of Tom Lehrer. My first inclination would be "So Long Mom" ("I'm off to drop the bomb, so don't wait up for me") which I believe is actually about Vietnam, so not European--you said it could be about any war, but does that include the Asia ones or just any European war? There's another one about Werner Von Braun though that might work.

[boisewinesnob]

Fortunate Son by CCR

[Peggy]

Originally posted by Escher
How does it relate to European History?

They just finished studying the 20th Century...WWI, WWII and all of the other wars which involved the European Nations.

I think it's a great assignment! They need to bring in a recording of a song and then write a paper and do a presentation about the time period and war the song was written for.

Peggy

[Peggy]

Cooking4Love - Thanks for the sites! DD will check them out after school today. I will let you all know which song she decides on.

ellielk and boisewinesnob - Thanks for the suggestions!

Gilgamesh37 - I love that Tom Lehrer song!! My parents had that album and some of the songs are so clever. I also love "The Vatican Rag"! Actually, the assignment is open of ANY war. They have finished the coursework and taken the AP exam already so the teacher is expanding the area of history a bit.

Peggy

[BarbaraL]

Off the top of my head, I can think of "One tin soldier" - I think it might be the theme from the movie Billy Jack.

Or, "Where have all the flowers gone?"

When DH was in Viet Nam, their "anthem" was We've got to get out of this place.

[Gilgamesh37]

And of course, there's County Joe and the Fish......"And it's one two three, what are we fighting for? Don't ask me, I don't give a d*mn, next stop is Vietnam...."

[matt]

One of my favorite is Eve of Destruction by Barry Mcquire. I fell in love with that song when I was a kid. Long story as a kid I had watched The Greatest American Hero. There was an episode when Ralph had to save the world. That song was playing, was not until years later I found out who sang it.
matt
ps how about Leaving on a Jetplane by Peter, Paul and Mary.

[BarbaraL]

I never thought of Leaving on a jetplane as an antiwar song! Especially since a woman sang it at a time when women didn't go to war. It works, though.

[Gilgamesh37]

OOOH! I just thought of another Tom Lehrer song---"We will all go together when we go" Very black humor, but makes a wicked point.

[Slflyt]

Why not have them ALSO bring in a patriotic song from one of those wars?

[Peggy]

Originally posted by Slflyt
Why not have them ALSO bring in a patriotic song from one of those wars?

Susan - Point well taken!!

Peggy

[Escher]

Originally posted by Slflyt
Why not have them ALSO bring in a patriotic song from one of those wars?

Do you really have to ask that?

I speculate the teacher isn't trying to "teach" European history any more....

I wonder how many students will bring in songs in French, German, Italian, or Russian...

you know, the major _European_ powers....

[hlao23]

So now I'm sitting here singing
"War! HHUUUH!
What is it good for!
Absolutely NOTHING!
Sing it again...."

[Escher]

Originally posted by hlao23
So now I'm sitting here singing
"War! HHUUUH!
What is it good for!
Absolutely NOTHING!
Sing it again...."

[tamawrite]

Originally posted by Slflyt
Why not have them ALSO bring in a patriotic song from one of those wars?

That was my first thought, too.

Sounds like someone has an axe to grind.

[Slflyt]

Maybe they should bring the recordings in in German.

[Jessica]

I think of myself as antiwar, but I have to agree that this assignment sounds politically motivated. It would be far more appropriate to have students choose a war-era song and not specify that it has to be antiwar. Just my 2 cents.

A few antiwar songs...

Knocking on Heaven's Door, Bob Dylan

Fortunate Son--Creedence Clearwater Revival (really more of a protest of a particular policy of the war)

Traveling Soldier--Dixie Chicks (from the 'war is sad, soldiers die' school of protest).

[Peggy]

Gosh, I hope this doesn't turn into a contraversial thread! Just trying to help DD identify a song/war that she would like to learn more about. You all make very good points.

I would really appreciate hearing about any song suggestions people have.

Peggy

[hlao23]

I'm a little curious myself as to what the teacher is going to be doing with this assignment. There are so-o-o many songs written about so many aspects of war.

One that came to mind for me is Lily Marlene - not a protest song but a song that was originally written in German that became a favorite in the US (once the lyrics were rewritten or translated) during WWII. Not as much a stick-in-your-head type song...War! HHUUHH!....

[doggerham]

I don't automatically see anti-war songs as not being patriotic. I guess it just depends on your POV.


How about this one:

Political Science
by Randy Newman

No one likes us-I don't know why
We may not be perfect, but heaven knows we try
But all around, even our old friends put us down
Let's drop the big one and see what happens

We give them money-but are they grateful?
No, they're spiteful and they're hateful
They don't respect us-so let's surprise them
We'll drop the big one and pulverize them

Asia's crowded and Europe's too old
Africa is far too hot
And Canada's too cold
And South America stole our name
Let's drop the big one
There'll be no one left to blame us

We'll save Australia
Don't wanna hurt no kangaroo
We'll build an All American amusement park there
They got surfin', too

Boom goes London and boom Paree
More room for you and more room for me
And every city the whole world round
Will just be another American town
Oh, how peaceful it will be
We'll set everybody free
You'll wear a Japanese kimono
And there'll be Italian shoes for me

They all hate us anyhow
So let's drop the big one now
Let's drop the big one now

[Escher]

Originally posted by Peggy
Gosh, I hope this doesn't turn into a contraversial thread! Just trying to help DD identify a song/war that she would like to learn more about. You all make very good points.

I would really appreciate hearing about any song suggestions people have.

Peggy

Sorry for the diversion. What about that song by Pink Floyd...the one where the singer ends "and that's how the (regiment?) took my Daddy away"...

Goodness, I'll have to look that one up...hang on....

[Escher]

Oh, and for an _actual_ piece about European wars, how about the most obvious?

"The Charge of the Light Brigade"
by: Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
"Forward, the Light Brigade!
"Charge for the guns!" he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

2.

"Forward, the Light Brigade!"
Was there a man dismay'd?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Someone had blunder'd:
Their's not to make reply,
Their's not to reason why,
Their's but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

3.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.

4.

Flash'd all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air,
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wonder'd:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel'd from the sabre stroke
Shatter'd and sunder'd.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.

5.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

6.

When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered.
Honor the charge they made,
Honor the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred.


The History channel did a fantastic show about the battle that this poem was based upon....

[Jessica]

Peggy--Fortunate Son would make a good paper because she could write about the draft controversy. A lot of anti-war songs don't really give you much to write about.

But Vietnam might not interest her. If she wants to write about the current war, she could contrast some of the music from this war, because hit songs have come from both sides of the war issue. That could make for an interesting paper--talking about the imagery and sentiments from both perspectives. Also, there are songs like Letters from Home that are from a soldier's perspective and are neither pro or anti-war so much as about the soldiers' lives and how they are trying to do their jobs. Not sure if this helps.

[Escher]

FYI, The Charge of the Light Brigade was an ill-advised cavalry charge, led by Lord Cardigan, which occurred during the Battle of Balaclava on October 25, 1854 during the Crimean War.

For more info:
http://www.answers.com/topic/the-cha...-light-brigade

[ClaraB]

A few non-American anti-war songs are "The Green Fields of France", "Christmas in the Trenches", and "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda", all of which refer to WWI, which has to be one of the most destructive and senseless wars this planet has ever seen...

[Escher]

Here's the Pink Floyd song....also European...

Pink Floyd


When The Tigers Broke Free

by Waters
It was just before dawn
One miserable morning in black forty-four
When the Forward Commander was told to sit thight
When he asked that his men be withdrawn
And the Generals gave thanks
As the others ranks
Held back the enemy tanks for a while
And the Anzio Bridgehead was held for the price
Of a few hundred ordinary lives

And kind old King George
Sent Mother a note
When he heard the Father was gone
It was, I recall, in the form of a scroll
With gold leaf and all
And I found it one play
In a drawer of old photographs
Hidden away
And my eyes still grow damp
To remember His Majesty
Signed with own rubber stamp

It was dark all around
There was frost in the ground
When the tigers broke free
And no one survived
From the Royal Fusiliers Company C
They were all left behind
Most of them dead
The rest of them dying
And that´s the High Command took my Daddy from me

And, more than a high school student would ever need to know about Anzio:
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/brochures/anzio/72-19.htm