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Love, Peace and War songs, 1960's/1970's

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  • edited January 16
    No, I did not realize that song from The Boss was an anti-war ditty. Lyrics:
    https://genius.com/Bruce-springsteen-born-in-the-usa-lyrics
  • I hope this one fits. Just remembered it. From the Deja Vu album. CSN&Y. "Carry On."

    LYRICS:
    https://genius.com/Crosby-stills-nash-and-young-carry-on-lyrics
  • K. Hensley! Hard-driving sax! Thanks.
  • Being an older person; at times, I cringe when I hear partial songs from my younger days being moved through commercials on tv. I understand why certain song pieces are used for marketing of product 'x'. They want to trigger a good feeling in hopes the masses will want to purchase their product from a 'good vibe' sensibility.

    The below lyric may be 'perverted' to what could be a theme song or tv ad for the folks pushing 'ICE' upon on society. You may choose your own thoughts as to the lyric, while keeping 'ICE' in mind; and hearing the song in your mind.

    Apologies to Steppenwolf.


    Get your motor runnin'
    Head out on the highway
    Looking for adventure
    In whatever comes our way

    Yeah, darlin' gonna make it happen
    Take the world in a love embrace
    Fire all of your guns at once
    And explode into space

    I like smoke and lightnin'
    Heavy metal thunder
    Racing with the wind
    And the feeling that I'm under

    Yeah, darlin' gonna make it happen
    Take the world in a love embrace
    Fire all of your guns at once
    And explode into space

    Like a true nature's child
    We were born, born to be wild
    We can climb so high
    I never wanna die

    Born to be wild
    Born to be wild
  • Thought to potentially be the earliest use of "heavy metal", though not the musical genre, rather motorcycles.
  • I hate the overuse of great songs, particularly as sales tools. I really hate foreign cars being sold with American Rock and Roll.
  • motorcycles= 2-wheeled noise machines.

    First time those lyrics made sense to me. Thanks, catch.
    Love, Peace and War songs...

    Here's to human understanding, harmony, toleration and an egalitarian society.
    "Ripple." Missing Bob Weir.


  • Thank you everyone. Did anyone mention Masters of War?
  • edited January 16
    @larryB It hasn't been posted. Got it right here on the laptop. You may go first. I'm pillow time in 15 minutes.
  • edited January 17
    Thank you @larryB for the lead to this song.

    Reportedly written more towards the Cold War, nuclear buildup of the period. The song link is the album cover with scrolling lyric. Just below the image, one may select 'more' to view the entire lyric. This action 'will not' disable the music.

    Masters of War, Bob Dylan, 1963

    Side note: Bob Dylan famously refused to play "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues" on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1963, walking off the set in protest when CBS censors insisted he change the satirical lyrics mocking the conservative John Birch Society. He was offered to perform another song, but Dylan insisted, "If I can't play my song, I'd rather not appear on the show".
    The Song: "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues" was a talking-blues song satirizing the anti-communist paranoia and conspiracy theories surrounding the John Birch Society.

    The Incident: After auditioning the song for Ed Sullivan with no issues, CBS Standards & Practices executives blocked it during dress rehearsal due to potential defamation and the song's political content, fearing lawsuits.

    The Outcome: Dylan, refusing to compromise, left the show, gaining publicity and a reputation for standing by his artistic principles.

  • Good story. For me music is often about "the story".
  • edited January 18
    Listened to Brother in arms by Dire Strat this morning. The haunting lyric depicts the Falkland Island war.
    https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=dZXlQp0aKPU
  • That one from Dire Straits surely is haunting. Quite apt, ya?
  • edited January 19
    Did not know that was about the Falklands. Thanks

    My favorite Dire Straits song (besides Telegraph Road) is The Man's Too Strong - considered an anti-war song.


  • edited January 19
    R.E.O. Speedwagon, Golden Country, 1972, lyrics in image

    Another excellent road song with meaning. Turn up the volume to '12', so that those 6 x 9 speakers mounted in the rear window deck want to jump out of the mounts (well, the old days anyway).

    --- I didn't highlight/bold any word groups; as it would be easier to bold the whole lyric. Choose your appropriate meanings.....


    Golden country your face is so red
    With all of your money your poor can be fed
    You strut around and you flirt with disaster
    Never really carin' just what comes after

    Well your blacks are dyin' but your back is still turned
    And your freaks are cryin' but your back is still turned
    You better stop your hidin or your country will burn
    The time has come for you my friend

    To all this ugliness we must put an end
    Before we leave we must make a stand
    Mortgage people you crawl to your homes
    Your security lies in your bed of white foam

    You act concerned but then why turn away
    When a lady was raped on your doorstep today
    Well your blacks are cryin' but your back is still turned
    And your freaks are dyin' but your back is still turned

    You better stop your hidin or your country will burn
    The time has come for you my friend
    To all this ugliness we must put an end
    Before we leave we must make a stand, oh yeah......

    Golden country your face is so red
    With all of your money your poor can be fed
    You strut around and you flirt with disaster
    Never really carin' just what comes after

    Well your blacks are dyin' but your back is still turned
    And your freaks are cryin' but your back is still turned
    You better stop your hidin or your country will burn
    The time has come for you my friend

    To all this ugliness we must put an end
    Before we leave we must make a stand
  • Whew, finally this one got mentioned:

    And I hope that you die
    And your death will come soon
    I'll follow your casket
    By the pale afternoon
    And I'll watch while you're lowered
    Down to your deathbed
    And I'll stand over your grave
    Till I'm sure that you're dead.


    The other great line befitting today, also by a Canadian:

    We're finally on our own
  • Excellent choice. You are correct, no need for specific emphasis. This particularly song is a gem.
  • .... GET A LOAD OF HIM, HE'S SO INSANE .....
    .... YOU BETTER GET YOUR COAT DEAR, IT LOOKS LIKE RAIN .....
    I've referenced 'Madman' previously here and at the 'original' FundAlarm, but with different circumstances.

    I place this song and lyric now towards, you know who and the other evil doers .....

    Many of us think about the perspective of the 'world', from the common folk view, as well as all the government views, as THEY currently view our country. We watch foreign tv broadcasts for the non-U.S. view. An interview today, on the street, from the UK, with a mid-age women revealed that the lady then asked the journalist, 'How do you deal with this (ICE) everyday in your neighborhood?' Many do not realize the size of the U.S. or the locations involved. Not surprisingly, many likely think the 'war' is everywhere. But the question provided a valuable view from abroad.

    I happened to be living in New Jersey in 1970. FM radio was beginning to find it's way with 'stereo' broadcast and formats; especially NYC and Philadelphia in the east. I became instantly pleased with Elton John's music (and the wonderful words from Bernie Taupin) from a live studio broadcast via FM stereo in November, 1970. I still have a pristine 'Madman' album on the shelf.

    ENJOY !!!

    Madman Across The Water, Elton John,1970, w/lyrics in image.

    "Madman Across the Water" by Elton John tells the story of a man in a mental institution, exploring themes of societal judgment, inner turmoil, and the line between sanity and madness, with lyricist Bernie Taupin creating a character to represent these struggles, though fans often speculated it was about Richard Nixon, which Taupin found amusing. The song is a metaphorical tale about feeling like an outcast or a spectacle, questioning one's place and sanity, and the disconnect between an individual's reality and public perception.

    Key Interpretations:
    The Patient's Perspective: The lyrics place the listener in the viewpoint of a patient in an asylum, asking if visitors are there to understand or just to see another "madman".
    Societal Judgment: It touches on how people often judge what they don't understand, hiding behind their own "tiny minds" and "sacred cows".

    Elton's Struggle (Speculated): Some interpret the song as reflecting Elton John's own internal conflict with his sexuality and the pressure to conform, with the "madman" being someone hiding their true self.

    Bernie Taupin's Intent: Taupin created the character as a general representation of feeling alienated, finding the Nixon theories genius but not his original intention.

    In essence, the song is a dramatic, metaphorical portrayal of alienation, the performance of self, and the struggle for acceptance, all framed around a mysterious figure across the water from the observer's world.
  • We have a winner! I can totally identify. When I was still an infant, someone kidnapped me and brought me here, to this screwed up planet.
  • I wonder if this iteration from Brandi Carlile and the boys is even better than the original?
  • @Crash. Excellent. Very well done. Brandi and Sir Elton are tight buds, and produced an album last year; 'Who Believes in Angels?'. We also watched a tv production last year, in March. A CBS music special of them. It may be available for viewing.....I have not checked.
  • cool. thank you.
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