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| The 60s produced by far the most songs ever written in opposition to the military adventures of the day. From Tom Paxton's Lyndon Johnson Told The Nation to The Fugs' Kill For Peace, we tried (and partially suceeded) to stop the senseless activities of the US military. There are humorous songs (Romping Thru The Swamp, Draft Dodger Rag) to deadly serious (Some Mother's Son, What Now America?) and everything in-between. President Johnson may have lamented that when "you've lost Cronkite, you've lost the nation," but when Grand Funk Railroad records a 'get out of Vietnam now' song, you're really in trouble. I tried to be fair & balanced, but after SSgt Barry Sanders' Ballad Of The Green Beret† and the totally distorted The Battle Hymn of Lt Calley, there just aren't that many songs exploring the joys of killing people. Just so we're clear here: Anti-war ≠ anti-soldier. Ask Country Joe or many other rockers who support our soldiers, but have a real problem with never-endings wars for "democracy." |
| 2 + 2 = ? | The Bob Seger System | 4/68 |
| 7 O'Clock News/Silent Night | Simon & Garfunkel | 10/66 |
| Alice's Restaurant | Arlo Guthrie | 10/67 |
| American Woman | The Guess Who | 1/70 |
| Ball Of Confusion | The Temptations | 7/70 |
| A Ballad From Vietnam (The Rain On The Leaves) • | Mitch Miller & The Gang (yes, you read that right, listen to it) |
12/65 |
| The Ballad Of A Crystal Man | Donovan | 11/65 |
| Brainwashed | David Clayton-Thomas With The Bossmen | 7/66 |
| Bring 'Em Home | Pete Seeger | 8/69 |
| Bring The Boys Home | Freda Payne | 5/71 |
| Child In Time | Deep Purple | 7/70 |
| Come Away Melinda | The Big 3 | 12/63 |
| Tim Rose | 11/67 | |
| Cops Of The World | Phil Ochs | 3/66 |
| The Cruel War | Peter, Paul & Mary | 5/62 |
| Chad & Jill Stuart | 3/66 | |
| Despair Tire | Sea Train | 9/71 |
| Does Anybody Know I'm Here | The Dells | 12/68 |
| Draft Dodger Rag | The Chad Mitchell Trio | 9/64 |
| Phil Ochs | 2/65 | |
| Pete Seeger | 6/66 | |
| Draft Morning | The Byrds | 1/68 |
| Draft Resister | Steppenwolf | 11/69 |
| Draft Time Blues | The Midnight Sons | ?/67 |
| Eve Of Destruction | Barry McGuire | 8/65 |
| The Fiddle And The Drum | Joni Mitchell | 5/69 |
| Find The Cost Of Freedom | Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young | 5/70 |
| Fighting For Strangers | Steeleye Span | 1/68 |
| For What It's Worth (Stop, Hey What's That Sound) | Buffalo Springfield | 12/66 |
| King Curtis & The Kingpins | 11/67 | |
| Cher | 7/69 | |
| For What Was Gained | Eric Andersen | 8/68 |
| Foreign Policy | The Buckinghams | 5/67 |
| Fortunate Son | Creedence Clearwater Revival | 9/69 |
| Fourth Day Of July | Tom Rapp | 11/72 |
| Get Together[some as Let's Get Together] | The Kingston Trio | 6/64 |
| Hamilton Camp | 12/64 | |
| Jefferson Airplane | 9/66 | |
| The Youngbloods | 7/67 | |
| H P Lovecraft | 9/67 | |
| The Stone Poneys | 4/68 | |
| Buzzy Linhart | 9/71 | |
| Give Peace A Chance | John Lennon | 7/69 |
| Give Peace A Chance[different song] | Joe Cocker | 8/70 |
| God Sheds His Grace On Thee | Al Kooper | 8/70 |
| Goodbye And Hello | Tim Buckley | 9/67 |
| The Great American Eagle Tragedy | Earth Opera | 3/69 |
| Handsome Johnny | Richie Havens | 8/67 |
| Hey, Mr Draft Board | David Peel & The Lower East Side | 2/70 |
| I Ain't Marching Anymore | Phil Ochs | 2/65 |
| I Come And Stand At Every Door | The Byrds | 7/66 |
| I Don't Wanna Be A Soldier Mama, I Don't Want To Die | John Lennon | 9/71 |
| I Don't Wanna Go To Vietnam | John Lee Hooker | 4/69 |
| I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag | Country Joe & The Fish | 10/65 |
| I Should Be Proud | Martha Reeves | 2/70 |
| It Better End Soon suite | Chicago | 1/70 |
| Industrial Military Complex Hex | Steve Miller Band | 7/70 |
| It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) | Bob Dylan | 3/65 |
| Jackson-Kent Blues | Steve Miller Band | 7/70 |
| Jimmy Newman | Tom Paxton | 12/69 |
| Keep Your Mind Open | Kaleidoscope | 3/67 |
| Kill For Peace | The Fugs | 3/66 |
| Kiss My Ass | Country Joe McDonald | 5/71 |
| Lives And Ladies | Family | 11/70 |
| Lyndon Johnson Told The Nation | Tom Paxton | 10/65 |
| Machine Gun | Jimi Hendrix | 3/70 |
| Man In Black | Johnny Cash | 5/71 |
| Marblehead Messenger | Sea Train | 9/71 |
| Masters Of War | Bob Dylan | 5/63 |
| [as Old Masters] | Leon Russell | 2/70 |
| Moratorium | Buffy Saint-Marie | 3/71 |
| Mushroom Clouds | Love | 3/66 |
| My Son, John | Tom Paxton | 9/66 |
| My Uncle | The Flying Burrito Brothers | 3/69 |
| The New Recruit | Michael Blessing [Michael Nesmith] | 10/65 |
| No Man Can Find The War | Tim Buckley | 9/67 |
| Ohio | Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young | 5/70 |
| Ohio/Machine Gun | The Isley Bros[killer version] | 9/71 |
| One More Parade | Phil Ochs | 4/64 |
| One Tin Soldier | The Original Caste | 8/69 |
| Only A Pawn In Their Game | Bob Dylan | 1/64 |
| Orange Fire | Mad River | 12/67 |
| The Patriot Game | Judy Collins | 11/70 |
| Peace Brother Peace | Bill Medley | 10/68 |
| Peace Song | Jesse Colin Young | 6/70 |
| Peace Will Come (According To Plan) | Melanie | 7/70 |
| People Got To Be Free | The Rascals | 7/68 |
| People Let's Stop The War | Grand Funk Railroad | 11/71 |
| Requiem For The Masses | The Association | 6/67 |
| Roll Call | Johnny Cash | 11/67 |
| Romping Through The Swamp | Dave Van Ronk & The Hudson Dusters | 3/68 |
| Run Through The Jungle | Creedence Clearwater Revival | 4/70 |
| Saigon Bride | Joan Baez | 8/67 |
| Sam Stone | John Prine | 7/71 |
| Save The Country | Laura Nyro | 5/69 |
| Brian Auger & The Trinity with Julie Driscoll | 8/69 | |
| A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara'd Into Submission) |
Simon & Garfunkel | 10/66 |
| Simple Song Of Freedom | Tim Hardin | 6/69 |
| Sky Pilot | Eric Burdon & The Animals | 3/68 |
| So I'm Wrong And You Are Right | Bloos Magoos | 2/66 |
| Society's Child | Janis Ian | 10/66 |
| A Soldier's Prayer, 1967 | Archie Bell & the Drells | 9/67 |
| Some Mother's Son | The Kinks | 10/69 |
| Stop The War Now | Edwin Starr | 11/70 |
| The Story Of Isaac | Leonard Cohen | 4/69 |
| Superbird | Country Joe & The Fish | 4/67 |
| Suppose They Give A War And No One Comes | The West Coast Pop Art Experimetal Band | 10/67 |
| Talkin' Green Beret Super Yellow Hydraulic Banana Teeny Bopper Blues |
Jaime Brockett | 5/68 |
| Talking Vietnam Blues | Phil Ochs | 4/64 |
| Talking Vietnam Pot Luck Blues | Tom Paxton | 5/68 |
| Tell Me Mr President | Gene McDaniels | 5/71 |
| There's A War On | The Rainbow Press | 10/68 |
| Three-Five-Zero-Zero | Hair (Broadway Show) | 6/68 |
| The Times They Are A Changin' | Bob Dylan | 1/64 |
| To Susan On The West Coast Waiting | Donovan | 2/69 |
| Tricia (Tell Your Daddy) | Jay & The Americans | 5/70 |
| Tricky Dicky | Country Joe McDonald | 5/71 |
| Uncle John | Pearls Before Swine | 5/67 |
| Universal Soldier‡ | Buffy Saint-Marie | 3/64 | Donovan | 9/65 |
| Glen Campbell | 9/65 | |
| The Unknown Soldier | The Doors | 3/68 |
| Veteran's Day Poppy | Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band | 6/69 |
| Vietnam | J B Lenoir | ?/66 |
| Vietnam[different song] | Jimmy Cliff | 2/70 |
| Vietnam Love Song | Judy Collins | 11/71 |
| Volunteers | Jefferson Airplane | 9/69 |
| Waist Deep In The Big Muddy | Pete Seeger | 7/67 |
| War (What's It Good For) | Edwin Starr | 6/70 |
| The War Drags On | Donovan | 7/66 |
| War Games | The Lovin' Spoonful | 12/68 |
| The War Goes On | Mad River | 10/68 |
| The War Is Over | Phil Ochs | 7/68 |
| War Pigs | Black Sabbath | 1/71 |
| War Song | The Fugs | 1/68 |
| War Song[different song] | Neil Young & Graham Nash | 1/72 |
| War Sucks | The Red Crayola | 6/67 |
| We Ain't Gonna Party No More | The Turtles | 3/70 |
| (What The...) Is A Going On In Washington? | Bob Withers | 1/66 |
| What Now America? | Lee Michaels | 7/70 |
| What Did You Learn In School Today? | Tom Paxton | 10/64 |
| What's Going On? | Marvin Gaye | 1/71 |
| Where Have All the Flowers Gone? | Pete Seeger | 7/60 |
| Peter, Paul & Mary | 5/62 | |
| The Willing Conscript | Tom Paxton | 10/65 |
| White Boots Marching In A Yellow Land | Phil Ochs | 7/68 |
| With God On Our Side | Bob Dylan | 1/64 |
| The Wonder | Cowboy | 10/71 |
| Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore | John Prine | 10/71 |
Note: Lists updated 3/7/20
Note: If you really want to immerse yourself in the Vietnam experience (from both sides), check out Next Stop Is Vietnam - The War On Record, 1961-2008, a 13-CD and 304 pg book box set examing the war in detail. More info  .
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| Notes: †Bob Seger, in his early days, recorded a parody of this crappy tune as Ballad Of The Yellow Beret. It was withdrawn pending a lawsuit. ‡Jan & Dean (actually just Jan) recorded an "answer song," The Universal Coward. Read a great tear down of this POS recording at Dangerous Minds (what, you don't visit that site everyday?) |
Links!
Vietnam War Song Project