Joan Baez - Caleb Leamond
Joan Baez - Anti-war Activist, Barefoot Madonna, and Bob Dylan Hater
The two Joan Baez songs I am writing about are "Song of Bangladesh" and "Saigon Bride." Below are the lyrics and videos.
Lyrics: Song of Bangladesh
Lyrics: Saigon Bride
Question:
What lyrics stand out from each song, and how does it reflect Baez's commitment to using her platform for activism?
Answer:
In "Song of Bangladesh," Baez showcases her unrelenting activism via her poignant lyricism. She gets right to the point with the lyrics: "When the sun sinks in the west/Die a million people of the Bangladesh" ("Bangladesh"). She does not shy away from the brutality of the Bangladesh Liberation War. Instead, she emphasizes the sheer amount of death the war has caused, with the number still rising at the time. Once she uses that hook to note the sheer atrocity in the very first verse, she follows it with a verse calling out the dangerous, unrewarding mindset of nationalistic patriotism with the line: "Blind men who carry out commands/[...]to sacrifice a people for a land" ("Bangladesh"). Joan Baez was always an outspoken believer that wars based upon land disputes were especially ludicrous, as soil is never worth human blood. She also mentions the atrocity that began the war, which was essentially a mass murder of hundreds of college students at night, with the lyrics: "soldiers came and shot them in their beds/And terror took the dorm awakening shrieks of dread/And silent frozen forms and pillows drenched in red" ("Bangladesh"). The monstrosity of the Pakistani Army's actions was not unheard of, but her candid recount of their genocide certainly brought a newer, more personal light to the situation.
"Saigon Bride" is one of her most popular political works, and not for no reason. She manages to showcase her clear soprano singing while recounting the tragedy that was the Vietnam War. She begins with the perspective of a young soldier bidding "farewell" to his lover, as he is going to war ("Saigon Bride"). One of the main themes portrayed in this song is the murder of young men being sent off to war as pawns by their uncaring government. She showcases the seemingly never-ending loss of war with the next verse, which begins with the line: "How many dead men will it take" ("Saigon Bride"). She later highlights the impossibility and infutility of the Vietnam War with the lines: "How many men to conquer Mars/How many dead to reach the stars" ("Saigon Bride"). Comparing the war to what was considered science fiction at the time was how she put into words the impossibility of truly winning a war, let alone completely ridding the oceans of the "tide" of communism.
Prompt 1: Create a visual representation, realistic or abstract, regarding the theme, the feelings the songs evoke, the imagery, etc. Then, write a brief paragraph explaining how the image represents the songs to you.
The absolute masterpiece above is something I cooked up in my notes app. It represents how each song carries a message of tragedy. For "Saigon Bride", the wave is the "red tide" oftentimes used in war propaganda. For "Song of Bangladesh", it is the blood of the million people shed by the Pakistani military. The wave contains various music notes, which are meant to represent Baez's words, bringing this horrific wave to anyone able to hear it crashing down on them.
Prompt 2: Focus on who is speaking in the song. Is it the artist, a persona, or an imagined voice/speaker. Write a brief paragraph explaining how does the point-of-view shape your understanding of the songs or message? What might change if the song were written from a different perspective?
"Saigon bride" starts from the perspective of a young soldier saying goodbye to his lover to fight in the Vietnam War ("Saigon Bride"). The speaker is not necessarily the artist herself, but an imagined voice that represents one individual caught in the emotional tension of war. Baez uses this intimate first-person narrative to humanize those being shipped off far, far away, to fight a battle that isn't theirs. If the beginning was shifted to the woman's perspective, the focus might shift to themes of abandonment and isolation.
Works Cited
Baez, Joan. “Saigon Bride.” Joan. Genius, written by Nina Duschek, Vanguard Records, 1967. https://genius.com/Joan-baez-saigon-bride-lyrics
Baez, Joan. “Song of Bangladesh.” Come From The Shadows. Genius. A&M Records, 1972. https://genius.com/Joan-baez-song-of-bangladesh-lyrics
After listening to both songs I preferred "Song of Bangladesh" over "Saigon Bride" because of the composition of the melody, and I felt that the lyrics were more impactful to me. The lyrics that stuck out to me from "Song of Bangladesh" were "And the students at the university
ReplyDeleteAsleep at night quite peacefully
The soldiers came and shot them in their beds
And terror took the dorm awakening shrieks of dread
And silent frozen forms and pillows drenched in red". I felt those lyrics left me with a impression of how brutal the atrocity that sparked the Bangladesh Liberation War. I believe that Joan Baez uses her platform to commit herself to giving the brutal accounts and truths of what happened during wars and conflict without filtering it.
Works Cited
Baez, Joan. “Saigon Bride.” Joan. Genius, written by Nina Duschek, Vanguard Records, 1967. https://genius.com/Joan-baez-saigon-bride-lyrics
Baez, Joan. “Song of Bangladesh.” Come From The Shadows. Genius. A&M Records, 1972. https://genius.com/Joan-baez-song-of-bangladesh-lyrics
I'll start by saying that despite what you told me this post seems well thought out. Your post flows well and gives a good outline for the people who need to write a post next. Circling back to your question the first line that stands out to me is "How many children must we kill
ReplyDeleteBefore we make the waves stand still"(Saigon). It stands out because really makes you stop and think about how bad these conflicts have gotten. When people who haven't even had a chance to live, are killed, it really gives the reader perspective. Similarly, in the song of Bangladesh the word that sound out the most are about children "It was given willingly
By boys who took the needles in their veins, And from their bodies every drop of blood was drained, No time to comprehend and there was little pain" (Bangladesh). This line talks about exploiting the young minds of children to contribute to soldiers health. These few lines make me feel especially angry and empathetic of the situations of those involved in war. Both songs clearly demonstrate her dedication to activism by informing people of gruesome truths around the world and making government think about the severity of their actions.
Works Cited
Baez, Joan. “Saigon Bride.” Joan. Genius, written by Nina Duschek, Vanguard Records, 1967. https://genius.com/Joan-baez-saigon-bride-lyrics
Baez, Joan. “Song of Bangladesh.” Come From The Shadows. Genius. A&M Records, 1972. https://genius.com/Joan-baez-song-of-bangladesh-lyrics
When answering the question, “What lyrics stand out from each song, and how does it reflect Baez's commitment to using her platform for activism?”, I think you answered it well. I like how you pointed out how Baez immediately gets to the point in her lyrics starting the song with “When the sun sinks in the west/Die a million people of the Bangladesh" (Bangladesh). Baez continually uses that hook in the song to dig deeper and even graphically describe what happened in Bangladesh so we can really get a grasp on the horrible things that happened. A part in the song, Song of Bangladesh I especially liked was “Once again we stand aside, And watch the families crucified” (Bangladesh). To me this song can also be used to describe many other wars, and other events occurring in this world today which makes me appreciate how timeless the song is, but it also feels heartbreaking that the message is still so relevant. We continue to see families torn apart by war in places like Ukraine and Palestine, and even within our own country through policies and government actions that divide families.
ReplyDeleteI also appreciated the song Saigon Bride, which you describe as a young soldier saying goodbye to his lover before going to war. Like you, the lyric that stood out to me the most was "How many dead men will it take" ("Saigon Bride"). That line just made me think when all the wars and violence will stop, and if it ever will. Joan Baez was making these songs in the 70s, and I think it is crazy that the same question still feels urgent today. I also really enjoyed the image you created, the red wave crashing down with music. I feel like it truly captures the message her music tries to convey. Thanks to you I discovered a new artist today that I truly enjoyed learning more about.
Works Cited
Baez, Joan. “Saigon Bride.” Joan. Genius, written by Nina Duschek, Vanguard Records, 1967. https://genius.com/Joan-baez-saigon-bride-lyrics
Baez, Joan. “Song of Bangladesh.” Come From The Shadows. Genius. A&M Records, 1972. https://genius.com/Joan-baez-song-of-bangladesh-lyrics
I think that in both of the songs, Joan Baez uses powerful lyrics to show her commitment to activism. In "Song of Bangladesh," the line "When the sun skins in the west / Die a million people of the Bangladesh" immediately shows the massive loss of life and forces listeners to face the reality of what is happening (Baez, "Song of Bangladesh"). She also writes that "soldiers came and shot them in their beds," using imagery to make the violence feel personal and real (Baez, "Song of Bangladesh"). In "Saigon Bride," the question "How many dead men will it take" challenge the cost of war and criticizes the government's decisions (Baez, "Saigon Bride"), The lines "How many men to conquer Mars / How many dead to reach the stars" emphasize the futility of war (Baez, "Saigon Bride"), Through Emotional imagery and direct questioning, these show that Baez uses her music as a platform for peace and social justice.
ReplyDeleteWorks Cited
Baez, Joan. “Saigon Bride.” Joan. Genius, written by Nina Duschek, Vanguard Records, 1967. https://genius.com/Joan-baez-saigon-bride-lyrics
Baez, Joan. “Song of Bangladesh.” Come From The Shadows. Genius. A&M Records, 1972. https://genius.com/Joan-baez-song-of-bangladesh-lyrics
The song by Joan Baez "Song of Bangledesh" called out to me more than the other song. With the song talking about the problems inside Bangladesh. One line stood out to me more than all the others being "And watch the families crucified, See a teenage mother's vacant eyes" (Baez, "Song of Bangladesh"). This line talks about what horriffic things have happened in bangladesh as a result of the several wars in the area. Joan Baez writes this way describing the horrific scenes in order to bring the problems to light. In another line in "Song of Bangladesh" it says "When the sun sinks in the west, Die a million people of the Bangladesh" (Baez, "Song of Bangladesh"). Reflecting how many people are dying each day as a result of the war. Both these lines from Baez's song show her use of the platform to talk about the issues in bangladesh.
ReplyDeleteWork Cited
Baez, Joan. “Saigon Bride.” Joan. Genius, written by Nina Duschek, Vanguard Records, 1967. https://genius.com/Joan-baez-saigon-bride-lyrics
Baez, Joan. “Song of Bangladesh.” Come From The Shadows. Genius. A&M Records, 1972. https://genius.com/Joan-baez-song-of-bangladesh-lyrics
Caleb, I definitely knew the song "Saigon Bride" before your post, but I don't think I ever hear "Song of Bangladesh" before. It is moving. Excellent song choices!
ReplyDelete