Questions For You

Here are some questions for you to answer about the song Singin' In Vietnam Talkin' Blues:

1. Do you think that the simple background guitar melody is good for the song?

2. How does this change your view of the situation over in the Vietnam war?

3. How does Cash's song delivery affect the vibe of the song?

4. What words or phrases jump out at you in the song?

5. How do you think people of that time reacted to this song?

6. What do you think motivated Cash to write this song?

The Artist

The artist that I am researching is Johnny Cash. Cash was born on February 26, 1932, and died on September 12, 2003, at the age of 71. He was born in Kingsland, Arkansas, and died in Nashville, Tennessee.

His family was very poor, so poor that his father had to become a hobo laborer, after the Depression destroyed his living as a cotton farmer. This was exacerbated by the fact that he was third of seven children. This poverty as a child helped him be able to effectively portray the plight of the underdog.

He was a country music artist, but the thing that made him unique was that he did things with country music that hadn’t been done before. He faced subjects like imprisonment, poverty, and the like. The “heroes” of his songs, while faithful and virtuous, may not be rewarded. His delivery belied the weight of the lyrics in his songs. As Rich Kienzle said, he “did as much as anyone to make the  ‘outlaw’ phenomenon possible.” Along with his great guitar skills, his husky singing voice added a lot of weight to the songs. His signature look was that of a “cowboy undertaker”, earning him the title of the Man in Black. 

His influence stretched far past country music; he is considered a “pioneer of rock ‘n’ roll.” He was influenced by many artists, including Hank Williams, Eddy Arnold, Johnny Horton, Marty Robbins, Kris Kristofferson, Roberta Flack, Linda Ronstadt, Glen Campbell, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Dylan. Country singers were known for not singing political songs. Johnny Cash did, and crossed over into Folk and Rock at the same time. His influences can still be felt today.