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January 3, 2009

1938 to 2008: The World's Longest Anti-War Song?

Ben-Peter Terpstra
In 2008's "Back in Vietnam," the singer/seasonal actor Lenny Kravitz sarcastically sings:

We're gonna keep on riding
`til the enemy's been severed
We'll never turn around,
we don't care if it takes forever
Men women children will
die we're all in this
together

Here we are again my friend
We're back in Vietnam
Back in Vietnam
We're back in Vietnam
Back in Vietnam

Do do do do do
Do do do do do
Do do do do do
Do do do do do

My. This is Kravitz's third major anti-war number, by the way. He also opposed Bush Senior's liberation of Kuwait.

Granted, we've heard all this before.

In 1938, Hollywood presented an operatic anti-war plea for peace because fighting Hitler articlewould appear mean-spirited:

Hollywood, Sept. 24-AP - While the threat of war gripped Europe, Hollywood presented the world premiere of "Gettysburg." An operatic plea for peace.    

Producers presented a symphonic sorrow over war, expressed by five people of Gettysburg after the battle. They are a negro, a chaplain, a mad young woman whose husband has been killed, and a young wife and her husband who goes off to war and is killed...

 Florence Lawrence of the Los Angeles Examiner wrote:

"The spectacular finale - a field of illuminated crosses was one of the great moments in (Hollywood) bowl history."

Predominant features were Lincoln's Gettysburg address, delivered in an off-stage voice, and the Lord's prayer. Both are set to music, with impressive choral treatment.  

Do, do, do, do, do, indeed.

Unfortunately, dictators "do" holocausts. They "do" Vietnamese people in post-war camps. They "do" gas weapons. They "do" more men. They "do" more women. And, yes, they tried to "do" my grandpa in the Dutch Resistance. So, do shut up Hollywood.

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