Alternative Weekend: War songs

The world is becoming an unsafe place. The upheavals are accelerating the possibilities of a global war. Man seems not to have learned from the mistakes of the past. In this fuse where fear reigns, music is also a weapon.

In this context, and respecting the administration of the community, I bring you three songs that address the issue. In the fervent hope that peace will win the war.

I won't go into too much detail about the bands and musicians in question. They are well known.

Released in 1983 and included on the album “War”, Sunday Bloody Sunday is one of the most iconic protest songs of the 80s.

The song is about the conflicts in Northern Ireland, specifically the incident known as Bloody Sunday in 1972, when British soldiers killed 14 unarmed civilians during a peaceful march in Derry.

The lyrics, full of emotion and criticism, reflect the horror and indignation at the violence that marked that period.

However, the significance of this song goes beyond this bloody episode. It happened in U2's country of origin, Ireland. Sunday Bloody Sunday criticizes society's lack of sensitivity to violence (”And it's true, we are immune / When fact is fiction and TV reality"). The song refers to the trivialization of human suffering, where news of war becomes nothing more than a spectacle on television.

It's a powerful reminder of the urgent need for peace in the world.

The song is about Operation Shingle, when British forces landed in Italy (Anzio) to liberate Rome from the power of the III Reich in the Second World War.

The curious thing is that the song was written by Roger Waters and his father served in the company of British Royal Marines who were involved in the operation.

It's a critique of war and a reflection on memory and mourning.

The song was to be included on the album “The Wall” but the band felt it was too personal. It was added to the movie The Wall and recorded as a single.

It's an extremely complex piece of music from which you can glean various meanings or premonitions. The most obvious refer to social and political criticism, and the relationship between technology and war.

This musical masterpiece addresses the militarization and influence of the United States of America, referenced in “Here come the planes, they're American planes, made in America”. The mention of airplanes could be a reference to the military power of the USA and perhaps a criticism of American imperialism.

Musically it's an innovative song, the first to use vocoders (voice effects) with loops and sequencers. Later popularized by pop artists such as Madonna and Britney Spears at the end of the 90s. The song was recorded in 1981 and a year later was included on the album “Big Science”.

🎙 Other options

In addition to these 3 songs, many others could be included. I share my Top Ten (random order).

Masters Of War — Bob Dylan, Aces High — Iron Maiden, Protect The Land — System Of a Down, Fortunate Son — Creedence Clearwater Revival, One — Metallica, War — Edwin Starr, Buffalo Soldier — Bob Marley, Spanish Bombs — The Clash, The Words That Maketh Murder — PJ Harvey and The War Song — Culture Club.

☮️ This is the true pacifist anthem that has become a symbol of the anti-war movement: Give Peace a Chance — John Lennon.

✍️ My native language is Portuguese. The translation was done through DeepL.com (free version).