The patriotic war song pretty much died a lonely death during the Vietnam War with Sgt. Barry Sadler's "Ballad Of The Green Berets" and Tony Orlando & Dawn's "Tie A Yellow Ribbon" proving the last gasp of this once-great genre. During WWII, though, propaganda songs were perfected to a "T," and numerous fascinating examples can be found on reissue records such as the ones listed below. By the '60s, however, war-related songsmithery had turned more towards anti-war anthems, particularly those of the Greenwich Village folk scene and the hippie hordes who came after them, and the Reagan-era leftie balladeers such as Ewan MacColl, Dick Gaughan and Billy Bragg, who carried the torch, even as the Cold War rose to its final (?) crescendo.
Anyway, here's where my (so-called) training as an historian and as a self-taught musicologist collide: an overview of music related to warfare, both from the patriotic and the pacifistic viewpoints. Propaganda songs are an interesting artform; the best songs are so memorable, and even the hack tunes can be very revealing about the cultures they represent. Naturally, it's a delicate balance that separates a tawdry broadside from a gut-wrenching or emotionally resonant work of art. Of course, where you stand on that issue may partly depend on your political leanings... and that's part of the attraction of this particular genre. At any rate, in the continuing struggle to promote some semblance of historical awareness within our ever-shallowing global culture, I now offer a quick look at the musical history of pride, carnage and jingoism.
This page deals mainly with full albums devoted to pro-war themes and jingoism. Antiwar anthems are are reviewed on a separate page.
War Books - A Select Bibliography
"Wake Up America! World War I And The American Poster"
by Walter Rawls
(Abbeville Press, 1988/2001)
A truly stunning collection of gorgeously reproduced full-color prints of American war recruitment and propaganda posters from the First World War. As with WWII, the American government targeted civilian participation at every level of life, from volunteer recruitment and compliance to the draft to increased agricultural efficiency and prompt payment of taxes. Not only is the variety of propaganda subjects bewildering and instructive, the level of artistic expertise in these gloriously rendered paintings and prints is truly amazing. Bold colors and arresting designs abound throughout this generously ample tome, page after page of surprising and stirring imagery. The same techniques that were pioneered and perfected by these wartime artists also applied in civilian advertising, but the added emotional charge of the military subject matter made these old posters even more effective. Although the pictures speak for themselves, there is also plenty of well-researched, informative (and readable!) explanatory text. This is an amazing collection; highly recommended!
"Posters Of World War II"
Compiled and Edited by G. H. Gregory
(Gramercy Books, 1993)
Like the Rawls book (below), this collection documents the stunning poster art targeted at Americans during wartime. As in the First World War, the US government hoped to mobilize civilians at all levels of society, farmers, factory workers, artists and artisans, even little kids, who were brought into the famed recycling drives that gathered paper, metal and rubber for the immense wartime weapons production. This volume is thinner than the Rawls book; it sticks mainly to images and has far less text... Which is fine, since the images it presents are so powerful and striking. And so odd, seen from the vantage point of a contempoary society where we have largely learned to disregard patriotic art, or simply consume it as popular entertainment. But in WWII, everything was deadly serious, and many of the best artists of the day, from Norman Rockwell on down, enlisted to add their talent to the war effort. Well researched, with beautifully reproduced posters, all of which are thought-provoking and eye opening. Highly recommended!
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