Throughout
the sixties, politics and music were strongly connected as war became a
dominating theme in popular music. This was due to the Vietnam War which saw
growth in discontent among the public with Americas involvement in Vietnam. Events
of 1965 caused drastic escalation of the war[1] resulting in growing anti-war sentiment as President
Johnson increased Americas involvement through bombing campaigns and raising
numbers of troops in Vietnam. Society’s growing opposition was reflected by
artists through their music as protest songs that spoke against war increased.
Protest songs started becoming a popular subject for artists which contrasted to
the many pro-war songs of the Second World War.[2] Of the many protest songs released in this decade,
analysis of Eve of Destruction and Fortunate Son in particular reveal the
significance of protest music of the sixties.
You
Don't Believe We're on the Eve of Destruction
Written
by P.F. Sloan in 1964 and recorded by Barry McGuire in 1965, Eve of Destruction is one of the sixties
earliest protest songs. It is overtly anti-war as it describes the various
destructions of war. Although it does not specifically refer to Vietnam, it is
apparent that given the year of release it alluded to the ongoing war which
made its meaning relevant to those who opposed it. This becomes evident when
the lyrics speak of damages that war created, “the eastern world, it is
explodin’, violence flairn’, bullets loadin’”.[1]
Along with the destructiveness of war the song reveals hypocrisy of the government,
“you’re old enough to kill, but not for votin’”.[2]
This refers to the voting law as the voting age was twenty-one in nearly all
states however at the same time men were being drafted from the ages of
eighteen. This reveals the hypocritical fact that young soldiers were not
deemed old enough to exercise their voting rights in
the government that sent them to war. This demonstrates how the song reveals
contemporary opinion as the draft was perceived by anti-war activists as
“immoral and the only means for the government to continue the war with fresh
soldiers”.[3]
This critical argument is clearly reflected through Sloane’s lyrics. Due to
this criticism of war the media claimed the song proved as an “example of
everything that was wrong with the youth of that time”[4]
and this demonstrates how anti-war activists were perceived as unpatriotic.
The song reveals moral issues
surrounding the war through the lyric “you don’t believe in war, but what’s
that gun you’re totin’”.[1]
This suggests how the Vietnam War was lowering morality in society as Sloan
reveals how soldiers who did not believe in fighting this war were being forced
to through the draft. The destructive impacts of war are highlighted again
through “if the button is pushed, there’s no runnin’ away”.[2]
This demonstrates how the song reveals the zeitgeist of the mid-sixties as it
concerns the fears over nuclear weapons as this lyric refers to bombs. These
fears were seen as a worldwide concern as the anti-nuclear movement was not
limited to the U.S., but was international through organizations such as the
British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. The lyrics allude to the
destructiveness of bombs and this reflects bombing campaigns such as Operation
Rolling Thunder in 1965 which “dropped more bombs on Vietnam than had been
dropped on all of Europe in World War II”.[3]
Through these allusions, the song is reflecting fears that the war raised and
also demonstrates how the song represented those who opposed the war such as nuclear
disarmament organisations.
The song proved popular among its
American audience as it became number one in the U.S. chart. As it was in the
top ten hits in other countries it shows how anti-war sentiment and the
movement was an international campaign and opposition was expressed worldwide. The
song was banned on several radio stations as conservatives saw its lyrics as controversial
and “claimed it was an aid to the enemy in Vietnam”.[4]
This demonstrates the backlash the anti-war movement faced as its members were
perceived as unpatriotic and anti-government. Regardless of its controversy, it
is a notable protest song of the sixties as it became an anthem for those
concerned with the war.
[1] Sloan,
P. F. (1965) Eve of Destruction.
United States: Dunhill Records.
[2] Ibid.
[3] McNamara,
R., In Retrospect: The Tragedy and
Lessons of Vietnam, p.174.
[4] Gilliland,
J., ‘Revolt of the Fat Angel: American musicians respond to the British
invaders’ (audio). John Gilliland's Pop
Chronicles.
[2]
Ibid.
[4] Sloan, P.F., P.F.
Sloan: In His Own Words (1999) Available
at: http://www2.gol.com/users/davidr/sloan/aboutsongs.html (Accessed: 8 November 2017).
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