people who grow up in tha 1960s and 1970s okay need ur help?

Question

okay im doing a lil project in us history and i had 2 pick 4 ant-war songs from the 1960s and 1970s.i already picked them but.here they are
Phil Ochs I Ain't Marching Anymore

BO DONALDSON AND THE HEYWOODS(1974)
Billy,dont be a hero

Bob Dylan(1963)
Blowin'in the wind

Black Sabbath (1970)
"Luke's Wall/War Pigs"
okay i search everywhere what the songs means and meant to the people back then so wat did this songs meant to yall back then

Answer 1

Personally, i would have chosen Crosby Stills nash & Young's "Ohio" (1970) or Country Joe's "I feel like I'm fixin' to die rag" (1967) , but........

For Bob, Blowing in the wind was that we had to look within ourselves to find the answerrs to life's strife

Bo Donaldson said to me that Billy was a fool, going to war for ALL the wrong reasons

Phil (who later hanged himself) told me that he would stop the war machine

never heard the Black Sabbath tune

Answer 2

Songs 2 and 4 never made it on my list. The first & third songs evoked and strengthened in me (us) exactly what the lyrics said. I was born in 1953 and grew up/was in highschool when the Viet Nam war was going on. It was a weird time. I started out very patriotic believing "My country, right or wrong!" Over the course of several years...listening to the news, reflecting on my upbringing (being Catholic) and reflecting on the words of Jesus, AND the influence of the many antiwar activists and antiwar songs my beliefs toward the war & patriotism changed. I remained if not grew in patriotism but no longer believed in blindly following anyone, esp. politicians. I became extremly antiwar and remain so to this day. I did spend four years in the U.S. Air Force (1975-79, Honorable discharge) and know that we must act with aggression at times. Nevertheless, much of it is a geo-political game the elite play and the middleclass & poor pay for.

Funny, I was just listening to my CD version of Dylan's "The Times They are a Changin" this morning after mass where we all prayed for peace.

Although you didn't ask I'll provide a short list of other songs.

First, listen to the "Woodstock" album.

"I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag" by Country Joe & the Fish

"With God on Our Side" by Bob Dylan

"Sam Stone" by John Prine

"Take the Star out of the Window" by John Prine

"War" by Edwin Star

another great one about a V-war widow was written by the late, GREAT Steve Goodman

The late, GREAT Marvin Gaye had a great one as well

Peace in our time?

Answer 3

Bo Donaldson's Billy Don't Be a Hero was an anti war song about a young man (Billy) who's girlfriend asked him to not be a hero, protect himself, etc. because she was worried about him going to war. However, he was killed in aciton and a letter from the government was sent to her explaining that she should be proud of him because he died a hero protecting other soldiers. The girl ws so upset that she threw the letter away.

From the citizen's standpoint a hero dying or coward dying still was a wasted life.

Answer 4

well,you can't compare the other 3 to "Blowin' In The Wind" and the effect it had,especially for the civil rights movement. i think his "Masters Of War" is the more specific anti-war song. Phil Ochs had a limited audience,he was preaching to the converted. i think "Draft Dodger Rag" was a more laudable effort by him.I'll listen to "Billy, don't Be A Hero" again,but i don't remember any of us thinking that was even an anti-war song at all(i'm 55)." War Pigs" holds up rather well ,but it was hard to think of Black Sabbath as an anti-war group,per say,what with "Paranoid" and "Iron Man" et al. i remember "Eve Of Destruction" by Barry McGuire as being the first specific anti-Vietnam war song that got a ton of radio air-play.is it too late to change any of your picks?

Answer 5

I was school age during this time. The only one of the songs you mention that I had any feelings about was "Billy, don't be a hero".
Girls didn't join the military, they weren't drafted, so the spirit of the song was more directed to the "girl left behind".
There was the fear that loved ones that went to Viet Nam wouldn't come back alive. The closer to 18 I got, and the closer to 18 my friends got, the more realistic that possibility seemed.
For me it was a time of inner conflict, I was loyal to my country, admired those willing to serve in the military, but scared something would happen to them.

Answer 6

I was born in 1947 just after WWII so was 13 in 1960. So called 'protest songs' surfaced around 1963 with Bob Dylan and Blowing in the Wind being a typical example. Sadly that's all they were to us, songs. They didn't mean anything. You got guys like Dylan pontificating about wars and civil rights and so on and then driving away in their Rolls Royces to count their millions. Others were Peter, Paul and Mary who sang some Dylan songs and many of these people were seen at 'Peace rallies' just for the publicity. Barry Maguire's 'Eve of Destruction' was mentioned. I met Barry many years later when he was touring with a Christian Convention and he sang 'Eve of Destruction' for us. That was, at least, one guy who was really commited to the cause of peace and love.

The Beatle's song 'Revolution' is a good example of Lennon's peace and anti-war sentiments as is 'Give Peace a Chance' and 'Imagine'. The Beatles were a great influence of the youth of the 1960's and people followed them avidly so Lennon and George Harrison in particular were responsible for bringing much of the plight of the world to people's attention. Remember George's concert for Bangla Desh where he raised millions for famine relief and John Lennon's contribution of the royalties of 'Across the Universe' to the cause of combating child poverty. Remember also Lennon in 1969 sending acorns to every world leader with a message saying 'Plant them and watch them grow for peace.'

'Billy Don't Be a Hero' was about the American Civil War when many young men were conned into joining up expecting a glorious victory rather than the undignified and ignominious deaths they received.

I didn't really go for Black Sabbath as, to me, all their songs were just noise and meant nothing.

Listen to Wink Martindale's song 'Deck of Cards' which is about a soldier facing court martial for having a pack of cards in Church.

Answer 7

Cops of the World, Phil Ochs.

Answer 8

I have a few more suggestions.

"Imagine" by John Lennon

"Give Peace a Chance" by John Lennon

"Bring the Boys Back Home" by Pink Floyd.

Answer 9

CCR-Fortunate Son

Answer 10

American pie, don maclean