MUSIC 26AC Lecture 17: November 2
Vieta Wa November , 7
• Vietnam War (1954-1976)
o Took place in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia
o 1945: August Revolution – Viet Minh oust the French
o Mid 1950s: US starts sending support to fight against communism
o 1962: US combat mission
o Longest war in US history and major intervention by the US
▪ A lot of information was hidden from the masses
▪ Created a large deficit in the budget
▪ Average soldier age was 19 years old
▪ 60,000 US soldiers killed/3 million US soldiers served
o 1973: War Power’s Resolutio: Pesidet eeds ogessioal appoal to egage i a
• Buffy Sainte-Marie – Uiesal “oldie 1964
o Attitude towards the war:
▪ Mentions multiple countries, ideologies, and cultures that are engaged in war
▪ Believes that all war is bad
o How she supports this message with music:
▪ Belieed that thee as’t adeuate oesatio aout the a
o What is the uiesal soldie:
▪ Not just placing blame on governmental entities, but putting on certain amount of
blame on those who are on the ground fighting
• Each moment of engaging, individuals are choosing to engage in war
▪ Universal soldier is thought of being a victim of war/harmed by the conflict
▪ Pointing at not just war being a large historical formation, but the unique position
that the person is placed in
• Lee article
o Music is applied in social movements (ie: war)
o Main issue: protest music functioned as alternative media in strengthening opposition to war
▪ Protest music definition: songs that opposed the war (counter-dominant
perspectives), specifically opposing US involvement in war; songs in the early war
period that could have been the most impactful in changing the course of the
war/difference in the outcome of the war
o Question: How might this music have changed the course of the war
o Proposed argument: Music becomes a fixture among American youth, who were exposed to
them in coffeehouses on college campuses, protests, marches, and on the underground radio
statios eause oeial statios ould’t play it
o Song shared infoatio that the aistea edia did’t shae
o Widely circulated in the mainstream and elsewhere, not just smaller social/political spheres
o Not clear/mixed opinions about whether the songs made a difference in the outcome of the
war because it is hard to determine
▪ Lee believes there is some link
• Phil Ochs – Talkig Vieta Blues
o Believed that folk singers are like walking newspapers that deliver news
o Song came about during the time period in which the government denied that they were
partaking in the war
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