In the 1960s, the Vietnam War certainly stirred up a lot of discourse and cultural references. Here are a few rock songs from 1969 that capture what people were feeling at that time. Indeed, even today, they’re a testament to history and the power of the right words and a good melody.
“Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival
“Fortunate Son” was written by John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival and appears on the band’s album, Willy and the Poor Boys. The lyrics oppose the draft and those who got out of it because of their “silver spoon.” Fogerty himself got drafted, then he wrote this song in response in about 20 minutes.
Yeah-yeah, some folks inherit star-spangled eyes
Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord
And when you ask ’em, ‘How much should we give?’
Hoo, they only answer, ‘More, more, more, more.’
“Give Peace A Chance” by The Plastic Ono Band
“Give Peace A Chance” was the first song that Lennon released after his time with The Beatles. He wrote the 1969 folk-rock song as an anti-war anthem to be played at demonstrations to end the Vietnam War. He also recorded it during his “bed-in” with Yoko Ono, a demonstration that both artists did to gain attention from the public and promote peace.
“Well, after being interviewed for weeks and weeks and weeks, night and day,” Lennon explained to David Sheff, “with Yoko and me talking about peace from our beds, I had those words coming out of my mouth or Yoko’s, wherever the hell they came from, and it became a song.”
“Vietnam” by Jimmy Cliff
Finally, in “Vietnam”, Jimmy Cliff writes about the war from the point of view of someone on the outside. He related to this song, as he also had a friend who went off to fight in the war and returned a completely different person.
“A friend I went to school with, he was a great artist, he went to live with his family in America,” Cliff explained to Mojo magazine. “He got drafted, went to Vietnam, and it blew his mind. He came back, [and] he didn’t recognize me. It was as if he was dead.”
Photo by New York Times Co./Larry C. Morris/Getty Images
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