Uploaded on Jan 25, 2009
Written
in the early 1960s by Canadian Buffy Saint-Marie, Universal Soldier is
commonly interpreted as being written in response to the war in
Vietnam, it was actually penned before the first US combat troops
arrived there.
in the early 1960s by Canadian Buffy Saint-Marie, Universal Soldier is
commonly interpreted as being written in response to the war in
Vietnam, it was actually penned before the first US combat troops
arrived there.
It gained popularity after being released by Scottish
folk artist Donovan in 1965. It did well in Britain, where it was first
released, reaching number five on the singles charts, though it fared
less well in the United States.The version here appears with a photo
montage, with credit to Youtube user tolka.
The Universal Soldier
is an unusual war-protest song because it blames war not on
governments, leaders or corporations, but on the individuals who accept
the notion that killing solves problems and one war can end future wars.
As implied by the title, Sainte-Marie makes no distinction between the
soldiers of different nations, religions or ideologies: they fight for
different causes but the same reasons.
folk artist Donovan in 1965. It did well in Britain, where it was first
released, reaching number five on the singles charts, though it fared
less well in the United States.The version here appears with a photo
montage, with credit to Youtube user tolka.
The Universal Soldier
is an unusual war-protest song because it blames war not on
governments, leaders or corporations, but on the individuals who accept
the notion that killing solves problems and one war can end future wars.
As implied by the title, Sainte-Marie makes no distinction between the
soldiers of different nations, religions or ideologies: they fight for
different causes but the same reasons.
The song prompted a hostile
response from Jan Berry of the pop duo Jan and Dean, who released The
Universal Coward and turned his songwriting attention on war protesters.
Some of the lyrics to Berry's song include:
He's a pacifist, an extremist, a Communist or just a Yank
A demonstrator, an agitator, or just a knave
A conscientious objector, a fanatic, a defector
And he doesn't know he's digging his own grave
He's the universal coward and he runs from anything
From a giant to a human to an elf
He runs from Uncle Sam and he runs from Vietnam
But most of all he's running from himself
The Music in History channel is operated by Alpha History. Visit our website at http://alphahistory.com for great history teaching and learning resource.
response from Jan Berry of the pop duo Jan and Dean, who released The
Universal Coward and turned his songwriting attention on war protesters.
Some of the lyrics to Berry's song include:
He's a pacifist, an extremist, a Communist or just a Yank
A demonstrator, an agitator, or just a knave
A conscientious objector, a fanatic, a defector
And he doesn't know he's digging his own grave
He's the universal coward and he runs from anything
From a giant to a human to an elf
He runs from Uncle Sam and he runs from Vietnam
But most of all he's running from himself
The Music in History channel is operated by Alpha History. Visit our website at http://alphahistory.com for great history teaching and learning resource.
Category Music
License - Standard YouTube License
No comments:
Post a Comment