In Memoriam: Songs of War

Image by Ralph Steadman

Like most American holidays, Memorial Day is often thought of as a long weekend, established for the sake of declaring the start of summer and calling us to remember only our beachware. We have to remind ourselves to remember that the day exists for memorializing our dead- the American dead- and the many American wars we have fought, sending our soldiers to their graves. It's a somber holiday and this year it is the most somber of all. Soldiers are still dying. America is still at war and many of us may not even remember why. Each year we seem to move further and further away from a notion of peace- in Iraq, on our borders and in the world at large. Let us remember, then, that war is not a game and it is not a television show. It is an undertaking that, even in the best of circumstances and the most noble of causes, leads to untimely graves for so many soldiers and so many bystanders alike. It should always remain a last resort and when it is necessary it should not be celebrated or aggrandized, but mourned because it will always result in the spilling of blood.

In honor of the dead and dying, I call to memory the great power music once had to rally people against unnecessary war. It is still our strongest tool for awakening mass consciousness and expressing a unified voice. It has been used as a tool for fundraising, for opening up dialogue and for sticking up a big FUCK YOU to the powers that be. It seems to me that there is no better time to recall this grand tradition.

For a little inspiration, here are some of the most powerful, honest and just plain good songs about war:

Masters of War by Bob Dylan, written in 1963 and released on the album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. Just fucking honest as hell, Dylan always managed to say all the words you might be thinking about the most vital subjects without claiming himself to be any kind of saviour. This song is one of the best examples of Dylan-as-poet first and foremost.

Machine Gun by Jimi Hendrix, debuted in September 1969 with the Band of Gypsys. Leave it to Hendrix to write a song about war by making his guitar sound like a machine gun. This is one of the best Hendrix songs ever written and I am a personal fan of the Band of Gypsys line-up.

Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag (Next Stop Vietnam), by Country Joe and the Fish, released in May 2967. The sarcasm of this song is so funny it's sad, or so sad it's funny. Maybe a little of both. It's a perfect Woodstock anthem and it couldn't outline the situation any better. Whoopee, we're all gonna die.

Handsome Johnny, performed by Richie Havens as the first song of the opening set of Woodstock '69. What a way to open three days of peace, love and music. Havens' rhythmic mastery during this famed set are still a magical experience, even second and third hand. Whatever the sum total of Havens as a musician may be, during this song and subsequently during "Freedom," he had all the power of an old blues legend.