While Memorial Day Weekend marks the unofficial start of the summer and is thought of more as a weekend for fun than a weekend of remembrance, we can’t help but think of all the sacrifices those in the armed services have made over the years to keep us safe and free. With that in mind we’ve put together a mix of six tunes that pay tribute to those who gave their lives for their country.
We start with Born In The U.S.A., Bruce Springsteen’s ode to the difficulties those who served in the Vietnam War had to deal with upon their return. Iron Maiden’s The Trooper comes next and discusses the Crimean War. From there, we give you The Rooster by Alice In Chains about guitarist Jerry Cantrell’s relationship with his Vietnam Vet father. After that, Dropkick Murphys give us Last Letter Home, a tune detailing the correspondence between an American solider and his family before he died in Iraq. Our penultimate selection comes from Creedence Clearwater Revival – Fortunate Son is about a youngster who was drafted for Vietnam because he wasn’t from the world of privilege. Finally, Dispatch delivers their anti-war homage The General.
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Hey, nice list! Another great, really sad one is Gordon Lightfoot’s “Home From the Forest”, perhaps best known from Tony Rice’s great cover version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRNeLb2tkWE
And still on the bluegrass tip, of course “The Hobo Song” famously done by Old and In the Way is about an old soldier. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRFl9UUpkns
How about the Pogues: The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
“Darkness and Light”, Yonder? They have a couple actually, “A Father’s Arms” as well.