Jimi Hendrix and the Star Spangled Banner

   

When one thinks of Jimi Hendrix's rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner," one instantly thinks of Woodstock, the concert that defined the generation of the counterculture.  Woodstock was a three-day concert event that touted communal living, peace, free-spirit, and, above all else, music.  There were numerous performers, but the one that really defined Woodstock was Jimi Hendrix, who closed the show.  Hendrix performed on Monday morning, delayed due, in part, to inclement weather.  In fact, his audience was small in comparison with the throes of youngsters who had stayed through the weekend.   Over half a million people had been in attendance during the event's peak, but only about 30,000 were there when Hendrix took the stage. Even as Hendix played, the audience continued to thin, as people had weekday commitments and real lives to return to.  But those who stayed heard a version of "The Star Spangled Banner" that would become a symbol of a generation.

       It is interesting to note that Hendrix rendition was not planned.  Hendrix even admitted to the crowd just before breaking into that song: “You can leave if you want to. We’re just jammin’, that’s all.” The song was an impromptu jam session, but it really meant so much more to so many people, including Hendrix himself.

        The Hendrix version of "The Star Spangled Banner" was representative of the time.  It not only highlighted the reactions to the perceived immorality of the Vietnam War as a protest song, but it appropriately broke from tradition.  If we think about the concept of a "counterculture," it implies just that - a break away from traditional norms, values, and expectations.  Hendrix did that and so much more by playing his own artistic version of the traditionally American anthem.  Aside from the obvious war references, including the sound of bombs falling, fighter jets overhead, people screaming, and the infusion of Taps, the song represented a break from tradition because it was not played traditionally.  No one had thought to do this before Hendrix.  Whether or not you like the interpretation, it cannot be denied that Hendrix made a statement about the sociopolitical atmosphere of the time that goes way beyond that of an anti-war statement.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

        For Hendrix himself, the song appropriately made another statement - that of Civil Rights.  Jimi Hendrix was a very successful African American rock singer who had been backed by an all-white band, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, which had recently broken up and was playing for the first time with his new, mixed-race band, Gypsy Sun and Rainbows.  Hendrix included black performers, bassist Billy Cox, guitarist Larry Lee, and percussionist Juma Sultan in the new ensemble he called his Gypsies.  Hendrix also performed songs from his early years, songs including Gypsy Woman and Aware of Love, which were written or co-written by Curtis Mayfield, with whom Hendrix had performed with in the early 1960s. It was the only Hendrix concert that included these songs. It would seem that Hendrix wanted to point out that he was a successful rocker, but also that he was African-American.  "The Star Spangled Banner" performance only served to highlight this point.  Hendrix himself even drove that point home when interviewed about his rendition of  "The Star Spangled Banner" on Dick Cavett a few days after the performance:

“I don’t know, man. All I did was play it. I’m American, so I played it. I used to sing it in school. They made me sing it in school, so it was a flashback.” Cavett interrupted the interview to point out to the audience, “This man was in the 101st Airborne, so when you send your nasty letters in …” Cavett then explained to Hendrix that whenever someone plays an “unorthodox” version of the anthem, “You immediately get a guaranteed percentage of hate mail.”

Hendrix then respectfully disagreed with Cavett’s description. “I didn’t think it was unorthodox,” he said. “I thought it was beautiful.”

Hendrix underscored the fact that he played the song because he was an American.  In that instance, Hendrix explained so much in so few words as did his artistic rendition of an American anthem.

We Gotta Get Out of this Place

       "We Gotta Get Out of this Place" has become a symbol of the Vietnam War.  In fact, the song, recorded by the Animals, was used as the intro for the television series Tour of Duty, a dramatic series set on an American base stationed in Vietnam that ran from 1997 through 1990 when there was a resurgence of Vietnam War-themed shows and movies. At first glance, the song appears to be just that, a Vietnam War anthem demanding the U.S. government to withdraw from the Vietnam conflict.  But, at closer look, the lyrics tell a different story.  The song was written by husband and wife team Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, a productive Brill Building team that started with popular "fluffy" songs such as The Drifters' "On Broadway" and The Crystals' "Uptown."  Examination of the lyrics of "We Gotta Get Out of this Place" reveals that this song really is not much different than "On Broadway" or "Uptown" in that "We Gotta Get Out of this Place" is about a young couple caught in a working-class city slum, trying to make a better life for themselves before the working-class lifestyle literally kills them, like the narrator's father who worked himself to death at a young age.  "On Broadway" and "Uptown" also refer to finding a better life in a better place.  Although "We Gotta Get Out of this Place" resonated with soldiers deployed to Vietnam during that conflict when the song was released, the song generally is more about finding a way out to pursue a better life.  It is understandable that the song became an anthem, and arguably the most requested song on Armed Forces Radio during the Vietnam conflict.  The song clearly relates to the soldiers' need to "get out of that place."  But, this song is a perfect example of the numerous offerings from this time period that were not specifically written as anti-war anthems, but were successfully re-purposed as such.

We Gotta Get Out of this Place

In this dirty old part of the city
Where the sun refused to shine
People tell me there ain't no use in tryin'
Now my girl you're so young and pretty
And one thing I know is true
You'll be dead before your time is due, I know
Watch my daddy in bed a-dyin'
Watched his hair been turnin' grey
He's been workin' and slavin' his life away
Oh yes I know it
(Yeah!) He's been workin' so hard
(Yeah!) I've been workin' too, baby
(Yeah!) Every night and day
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!)
We gotta get out of this place
If it's the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
'cause girl, there's a better life for me and you
Now my girl you're so young and pretty
And one thing I know is true, yeah
You'll be dead before your time is due, I know it
Watch my daddy in bed a-dyin'
Watched his hair been turnin' grey, yeah
He's been workin' and slavin' his life away
I know he's been workin' so hard
(Yeah!) I've been workin' too, baby
(Yeah!) Every day baby
(Yeah!) Whoa!
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!)
We gotta get out of this place
If it's the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
Girl, there's a better life for me and you
Somewhere baby, somehow I know it
We gotta get out of this place
If it's the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
Girl, there's a better life for me and you
Believe me baby
I know it baby
You know it too

Writer/s: COOPER, ALICE / EZRIN, ROBERT A. / HOOD, PATTERSON 
Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group, EMI Music Publishing

The Shirelles - Soldier Boy [original, 1962]

     The Shirelles "Soldier Boy" was released in 1962, before the United States was fully involved in Vietnam, but there was enough U.S. involvement at this point that some of the more prominent newspapers and magazines began to question support for the Diem regime in South Vietnam.  The public was becoming more aware of the conflict.  Although U.S. combat troops were not officially deployed until February 1965, the U.S. had over 3,000 military personnel stationed in Vietnam by the end of 1961 and over 11,000 by the end of 1962.  The song "Soldier Boy" is an appropriate reminder that young men will be transformed into soldiers, especially because the military draft was in effect, and all young men had to register when they turned 16.  Deployment or not, military service was real for the boys of the early to mid-1960s, even before the U.S. officially sent combat troops into Southeast Asia, making "Soldier Boy" an appropriate offering for its time.

Connie Francis - A Letter From a Soldier (Dear Mama)

     Connie Francis is best-known for her rendition of "Where the Boys Are," "Who's Sorry Now?," and "Stupid Cupid," typical pop hits from the mid-1960s.  But, Connie Francis was also a supporter of the U.S. Armed Forces during this same time period, a much less known fact.

     From another perspective, that of the lonely, homesick soldiers in Vietnam, Connie Francis emotionally narrates a letter from soldier to his mother back home.  Recorded in May 1966, "A Letter from a Soldier" allows for a human touch, reminding listeners that the soldiers are real people, not statistics, and not unemotional killers.

      Connie Francis not only recorded this song in support of the soldiers, but she also toured Vietnam with the USO several times over the course of the war.  Her website boasts letters from Vietnam-stationed soldiers whose lives she touched through her music, both recordings and concert tours.  She was quoted as saying the USO tours in Vietnam were "my most rewarding experience" proving that she was touched by these soldiers as much as they were moved by her music. The letters can be read here Connie Francis' webpage.  It is amazing to see how she touched so many lives through her music.

Johnny Wright - Keep the Flag Flying

      Johnny Wright released another patriotic song during the Vietnam War era that boasts patriotism despite the loss of life associated with war.  "Keep the Flag Flying" reads:

On a battlefield in another land across the sea
My best pal and I were on patrol looking for the enemy
Then I heard the sound of the snipers shot that took him away
Just before he died kneeling by his side I heard him say

Keep the flag flying keep the young children smiling
Tell them how lucky they are to be free
Keep the flag flying keep freedom from dying
Keep the flag flying please do this for me

Now this battlefield is a lonesome place since he's gone
Though there's other boys walkin' by my side I still feel all alone
I will have to write a sad note tonight and I'll sign it differently

I'll have today from your only living son instead of brother and me.
Keep the flag flying please do this for me.

      Released in 1966, this song shows yet another country music offering supporting American patriotism.  The lyrics tug at the heartstrings with the loss of a comrade's life in battle (who also happens to be the narrator's brother), but the narrator knows that the sacrifice is for the greater good, to protect America and democracy from enemy threats. The message is clear: "Keep the flag flying" to protect American freedom.


'

Glen Campbell

   

 Glen Campbell is an interesting and unique figure in the Vietnam War era because his statements and his recordings were quite contradictory.  It is difficult to say whether Campbell believed in the sentiments of both “Universal Soldier,” (released in late 1965) a song written by Buffy Sainte Marie in direct response to witnessing wounded soldiers return from Vietnam, and “Galveston,” (released in 1969) a song written by Jimmy Webb as a tribute to a Spanish-American War soldier and the love he left behind.  It would seem from these recordings that Campbell was clearly an anti-war advocate, but he was quoted as saying, “If you don’t have enough guts to fight for your country, you’re not a man.”  If this is the case, Campbell’s anti-war sentiments become fuzzy at best.  Campbell advocates commitment to military action in order to protect America while denouncing anti-war advocates, after releasing two songs that were considered anti-war offerings.  So which camp did Campbell’s sentiments lie?  It is possible that Campbell simply changed his mind.  It is also possible that Campbell released both songs without realizing the anti-war implications of either.  It is yet further possible that Campbell simply recorded songs that were expected to sell, making profit the defining factor in Campbell’s motivations.  This is most likely the answer to the question of Campbell’s motivations for releasing anti-war songs, then denouncing anti-war protesters and draft dodgers.  The truth is, we will never know Campbell’s inner-most thoughts on the Vietnam War because, other than the statement denouncing draft-dodging, Campbell never really indicated his position on the Vietnam War.

Jerry Reed - Fightin' for the U.S.A.

Jerry Reed is well known for his "East Bound and Down" hit and co-starring role with Burt Reynolds in the Smokey and the Bandit series in the mid-1970s.  Before this, though, Reed was writing songs and recording records including a 1965 offering supporting the United States' foreign policy in Southeast Asia.
 

     Also a veteran, having spent 1957 through 1959 in the U.S. Army, Reed was also a proponent of defending America and her allies. Reed even states in his song that capture by the Viet Cong and subsequent torture would not change his patriotic fervor.  The song was released as a single in 1965 with the instrumental "Navy Blues" as the B-Side.  Neither song charted well, but the sentiment was certainly there - like many of his contemporaries in country music, Reed supported the war effort as an American duty to protect democracy and defend the United States against foreign threats.