Music is one of the richest sources of historical information we have for the Vietnam War. All periods in history have music associated with them, and through the expressiveness of music we can understand the feelings and opinions of the people in that period of history. This is more-so the case in the Vietnam War than in any earlier period of history, probably because it was the first time in history where high quality music playback technology was pervasive in both civilian and military life - Vietnam War Music featured prominently in the explosion of rock, folk and soul music in the 1960s and early 1970s.

The Protest Movement

The 1960s saw two big protest movements in the US: the civil rights movement, and the anti-Vietnam-War movement. Anti-war sentiment was present in many popular songs. For example, we have Buffy St. Marie's "Universal Soldier", which became a hit when performed by Donovan in 1965. The song isn't explicitly about the Vietnam War in particular, more that responsibility for war ultimately lies with everyday people who are in turn responsible for their politicians (video below). Another example is Country Joe McDonald's "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die-Rag", with its sarcastic lyrics and catchy rhythm (video below). There are dozens (perhaps hundreds) of other examples.

The Patriotic Movement

While the majority of the popular Vietnam War Music was protest music, there were also patriotic songs and songs that supported the troops and their families. Barry Sadler's "Ballad of the Green Berets" is a prime example - it was the #1 song for 5 weeks in 1966 (video below).

Soldier Life

Soldiers stationed in Vietnam had all of the music that was available back home, and they had easy access to affordable stereos to listen to it. Many pieces of popular music that weren't about the War took on special meaning for the soldiers. For example, "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" by The Animals, is one of the best known anthems. And there were plenty of others.

The troop population also included many musicians, who performed a variety of music such as military songs, popular music, and new compositions. The ready availability of music tape recorders meant that recordings of popular performances were quickly duplicated and spread throughout the population.

Post-War Music

In the decades following the War, more music was composed, dealing with memories of the War, or with experiences since the War. For example, Bruce Springsteen's 1984 hit "Born in the USA" is about the experiences of a Veteran returned from the War. Australian band "Red Gum's" 1983 hit (in Australia) "I was Only Nineteen" sung of the experiences of Australian soldiers during the war.

Learn More

There's a fantastic book on Vietnam War Songs called "Battle Notes: Music of the Vietnam War". I've put a link to it below. There are also a handful of web sites that list some songs, and provide commentary. I've put some links below. None of them are comprehensive, but by sifting through Google, you'll find interesting information. I'm also in the slow process of attempting to compile something more comprehensive at http://vietnamwarmusicguide.com.

To get an overview of the Vietnam War, and the events leading up to it, read my Vietnam War Timeline hub.