Saigon Bride Essay

Saigon Bride

The Vietnam War lasted from 1954 to 1975 and was a major conflict between communist North Vietnam, commonly referred to as Viet Cong, against South Vietnam. The war was part of a larger, prolonged conflict called the Cold War that pitted the US against the Soviet Union. US involvement was justified as an effort to contain the growing communism and promote democracy, however the war was an extremely divisive war. With the increasing mass production and affordability of televisions, it was the first time that war footage was widely televised. Footage revealed the atrocities of the war, such as the senseless murders of Vietnamese civilians and the mass destruction caused by Agent Orange, a hazardous pesticide. Most importantly, war

footage incited a public outcry over the war’s morality, causing people to rise up in protest of the seemingly unnecessary loss of life.
In 1967, Joan Baez released “Saigon Bride”, an anti-war song.

Her song’s release was in the midst of President Lyndon’s waning popularity, and that year following the release, a protest of 100,000 people took form in Washington. Her song shared the majority of the American public’s sentiments and lists a series of rhetorical questions that emphasize the uncertainty over the war’s merit and questioning the war effort. She references “red” and “yellow”, which respectively symbolize communism and Vietnamese civilian population and later states, “It will not matter when we’re dead”. Baez conveys how her belief that no ideological cause is worth dying for, alluding to the fact that democracy is not worth preserving, if you are not even alive to experience it. In 1967, domestic support for the war had decreased to below 50%, and public skepticism further launched the peace movement. Similarly to Baez, many Americans began questioning whether US was truly fighting a losing battle, contrary to the government’s claims, and people began sympathizing with the struggles and sufferings of the American soldiers, who were presumed to be running to their

deaths.
The “Saigon Bride” is likely an allusion to the city of Saigon as a safe haven for soldiers. Saigon was formerly the capital of South Vietnam, and as non-communist, ally region, it provided American soldiers’ refuge. The song conveys a soldier’s farewell to his “Saigon Bride”, and the city’s personification reveals the soldiers’ difficulty in leaving the safety of Saigon, likely heading to the front lines and according to Baez, embracing their deaths. The overall song expresses a solemn tone, since it repeatedly highlights the idea of death. It urges the audience to sympathize with American soldiers’ dreadful and depressing thoughts of their own incoming deaths. While emphasizing with soldiers, the song also subtly antagonizes the US government for sacrificing soldiers to a lost cause and degrading its own people to cannon fodder. It then mention the murders of children, referencing how many bombings on innocent civilians were publicized on television, stirring the public’s disgust towards the war.
In addition, “Saigon Bride” embodies Baez’s efforts to promote the peace movement, expressing her personal disapproval over US involvement in the war.

Prior to the war, Baez had also demonstrated civil disobedience in her tax resistance and became a civil rights activist. In 1967, she was participant in a series of anti-war rallies, and she was even arrested that year for blocking the entrance to the US Armed Forces’ induction ceremony. “Saigon Bride” was an attempt to further launch anti-war ideals, bringing to light the atrocities and needless death caused by the Vietnam War. I believe her song was effective in changing the American public opinion because of the choice of media. Even though an anti-war newspaper article may share the same sentiments expressed in a song, a song is likely to be more widely accepted. Unlike a newspaper article that is disposed and forgotten about the following week, a song’s popularity continues to survive throughout years. As a form of entertainment, songs are more popular and extensively shared as opposed to other media forms, allowing opinions, such as the Baez’s anti-war beliefs, to continue to stay

relevant.
Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” sparked considerable controversy, since it promoted the “Black Lives Matter” movement against police brutality. Similarly to Baez, Lamar uses his publicity to highlight political issues, inserting his own personal convictions. His song establishes a sense of kinship with his black audience, empathizing with their struggles with the police brutality, rooted in pervasiveness of racism. He repeatedly reassures his audience that it’s “gon’ be alright”, and his overly optimism attitude alludes his desperateness for peace and resolve. Both Lamar and Baez attempt to establish a feeling of unity in their audience. In Baez’s song, she appeals their American identity and moral responsibility. Meanwhile, Lamar’s song rallies his black audience to seek kinship and support in each other. Despite covering different time periods and subjects, Lamar’s song validates music as an effective weapon for combating modern political issues and demonstrates how like Baez, musicians continue to wield the power to induce change through utilizing their publicity.