Friday, January 13, 2012

New Oldies - The Ballad Of The Yellow Beret by Beach Bums

http://musicmasteroldies.com/2012/01/13/new-oldies-the-ballad-of-the-yellow-beret-by-beach-bums/
Posted by joeknapp at 10:52 AM

2 comments:

  1. dragonflyAugust 15, 2015 at 9:05 AM

    Hi Joe, thanks for the memory jog and clips. I remember hearing 2+2 on Detroit radio back then but not the Yellow Beret song. What's your take on what Bob was thinking when he wrote that. It doesn't seem that he could flip from anti to pro war so quick, although we in the blue-collar neighborhoods had plenty of early casualty knowledge via family and friends. Gratzi, John, Austin, TX

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    1. joeknappAugust 15, 2015 at 10:15 AM

      I think the song pokes fun at protesters, but I doubt Bob was fully sold on the Vietnam war. Most people back then, including myself, were against the war. That did not mean we didn't love our country and respect our troops. That's the beautiful thing about America: we are free to speak out against our own government when we think they're doing something wrong. It's something worth fighting to preserve. But it was impossible to see Vietnam as a threat to America, even if you stretch the point and say that containing or destroying Communism anywhere in the world protects America. Ironically, Communist China eventually embraced Capitalism and a free market economy, albeit with full control by the central government's ruling class. The Communist economy of the USSR finally collapsed under its own weight, too, and left them forced to accept free market principals. Socialist countries all around the world, like Greece, are now teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and failure. Meanwhile, America, despite a very strong push toward Socialism by Progressives who demonize Capitalism and the free market, is still quite rich, innovative, successful and powerful. If Bob Seger were writing songs today, I'm quite sure they'd be anti-Obama protest songs, probably with a very Liberal take on social issues. That seems to be just the right direction for this country at the moment. We'd better do it quick before our skyrocketing national debt pushes us over an economic cliff.

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