Folk and country music reflect the shifting attitudes of war

[caption id="attachment_15594" align="alignleft" width="220"] Molly O'Day[/caption]

Country musicians and folk musicians separate themselves into two different genres. The fact remains, however, that there are similar narratives both groups bring to the social and political history of the world. No more is that found than with songs of life and death, of love lost, and of the human joys and tragedies that take place across generations. War is one of those topics, and it is through music that patriotism or protest become part of the dialogue.

Music was part of war. In ancient times, the battle harp was held in esteem and played as men marched into war. The bugle sound signals the rising of the soldier from his bed to meet the duties of the day. Often times those duties meant putting one's life in danger. Music was also part of the soldier's funeral, battle, with taps played at the graveside of those to be honored in death.

Songs of protest and patriotism showed the varying emotions brought about by conflict. Whereas songs such as Over There and the Ballad of the Green Berets were patriotic pieces, there were also songs of protest. Country songs  narrated the conflict that many men and women had about war, such as the song by Kris Kristofferson called Good Christian Soldier. The ambivalence of battle and faith was reflected by the song Kristofferson understood because he too had been in the Vietnam war.

During the Second World War patriotic themes became part of the country music songs.  These songs underlined values related to one's country, and in America the red, white, and blue were the keywords for nearly every song that was written. Still within the verses, one can find the words of protest and the pain that told the story of the human toll of war.

The Letter Edged in Black was taken from the elements of an old folk song and adapted with new words to tell the story of a mother receiving a letter from her son who died in battle. The old folk song Tramp on the Street was also changed by country music artists who added the verse about the death of a soldier, comparing it to the Jesus' mother's pain in losing her son with the pain of the mother who has lost a son in war.

One of the most heartfelt tunes to come out of the second world war was done by Molly O'Day, a singer who was lauded by musicians everywhere for her pure country tones. She was a country star during the country music heydays of the 1940's and 50's.  Those who identify country music as brusque and harsher sounding at times, or corny, in some ways, would likely agree with the music critics of the day that Molly O'Day was a special singer who could  present a song with great compassion and feeling,  and with great beauty of tone, as she did the song Teardrops in the Snow. The song has all the ingredients of the conflict that was felt following the war and the loss families had from the battle fought by their sons. The image of the mother at the gravesite became embedded in the minds of many throughout the world, and no more was that image pronounced than in this song Teardrops in the Snow.

The healing hopes from music countered by politics

[caption id="attachment_15162" align="alignleft" width="225"] Ted Nugent - wikimedia commons[/caption]

Carol Forsloff --Elvis Presley was asked about his political opinions and reminded people of his status as a musician whose goal was to entertain,  as a troubadour who crossed the political and social barriers to unite folks with his music.   Unlike many entertainers today, he underlined his role as an entertainer.  So what is the function of music and how does it relate to Presley's view?

Presley was asked the question: “You were in the Army and were drafted. What is your opinion of war protesters? And would you today refuse to be drafted?”

Elvis: “Honey, I’d just soon to keep my own personal opinions about that to myself? Cause I’m just an entertainer and I’d rather not say.”

It is that function of being an entertainer that most musicians translate with their music, and when that function is not held as an ideal, society in some ways withers and divides even further as a result as the safe harbor of the arts becomes instead a way for the musician to target more than an issue but the personality of the politician he or she may not like, as Ted Nugent did at the NRA convention.

In North Louisiana, like much of the rest of the state, politics is a hot button issue.   Everyone has an argument,  including some that echo the struggles of a war that divided America north and south, resulting in civil war.  But Louisiana  is also the cradle that in many ways birthed some of the music geniuses, like Louis Armstrong, Elvis Presley, Tony Jo White and others.

The music of Louisiana, across most of the State, continues to reflect much of the unity that occurs when people put aside their politics and reflect on what unites rather than divides people.  Most of Louisiana's best musicians are part of multiracial, multi-religious groups.  Whether one is Republican or Democrat has no place on stage when musicians translate for us the message that we are all creatures finding our way in a world that is sometimes dark and hurtful.

Music is known to have a healing effect, to bring the old and the sick to a higher state of consciousness and  health.    That's why music is played in hospitals, nursing homes,  and places of healing.  Harp musicians often sit by the bedside of those who are dying, as they have done throughout history, taking the beauty of music's harmonies to help in the process of death.

Musicians were some of the world's original historians, those troubadours who traveled from one region to another singing songs about the death of a king, the execution of someone who betrayed a lover or the kingdom.  Musicians followed the armies as they marched into battle.  The battle harp is part of that history, as it was taken into war.    Music was to give relief, offer emotional strength, so that men could handle their pain, fears and loneliness.

The value of music remains, as most musicians have a common purpose, to share that part of the soul that can unite with others on a stream of melody and lyrics that bypasses prejudices and politics.  While some might stumble into quagmires of controversy, given the struggles folks have as they are tempted by the social issues of the day, most folks who play music know there is something that unites us.  They recognize the spirit that evolves from an open heart from which music comes and reminds us of our humanity and of the wonders of life itself.

Artists struggle to achieve, to support themselves, to be noticed so they can share what they create.  In a world where music is discarded as easily as the napkins used to wipe our chins, we listen and leave, not remembering the great effort and time that is often put into an artist's work.  For the lifetime artist, musician it is often when the life has ended, or one has grown old beyond the practice of the craft, that there is that discovery made.  Stephen Foster, for example, died drunk and virtually penniless, even as he advocated for the rights of others, especially the poor.  He was appreciated during his era but the pennies were few for the work he had done.  Now he is considered by many historians as the father of American music.

This article honors those artists, those painters of great art, writers who form words into quotations and phrases that inspire, and to the musicians who give us all a respite from our grief and help us focus instead on something that offers a glimpse of our capacity for beauty and for love.  It is that higher purpose that is "The Dreamer's Dance," inspired from what can makes us all truly divine.