The War Is Over (song)
Encyclopedia
"The War Is Over" is an anti-war
song by Phil Ochs
, a U.S.
protest singer
from the 1960s known for being a harsh critic of the American military-industrial establishment. The song, which was originally released on Tape from California
(1968), has been described as "one of the most potent antiwar songs of the 1960s". One of Ochs' biographers wrote that "The War Is Over" is his "greatest act of bravery as a topical songwriter".
in the Vietnam War
escalated significantly during 1966. The number of American troops fighting in Vietnam increased that year from 184,000 to 450,000.
In 1966, poet Allen Ginsberg
decided to declare that the Vietnam War was over. The idea of ending the war simply by declaring it over appealed to Ochs, who organized a rally in Los Angeles
to announce that the war was over. To publicize the rally, he wrote an article in the Los Angeles Free Press
titled "Have Faith, The War Is Over":
Ochs wrote a song for the rally, in which he, like "thousands of other Americans", declared the war was over.
s and their heroes and asks "what's this got to do with me?" The song describes anti-war protesters as "angry artists painting angry signs" who have become "poisoned players" in a cycle of endless anti-war demonstrations that have failed to end the war. The song mockingly suggests that young men enlist in the army to "serve your country in her suicide", but adds that "just before the end even treason might be worth a try — this country is too young to die". Each verse of the song ends with the words, "I declare the war is over, it's over, it's over".
Ochs recorded "The War Is Over" for his fifth album, Tape from California. The musical arrangement
, by Bob Thompson
, incorporates martial beats, brass horns
, and flute
s. The opening is a theme from the National Emblem March by Edwin Eugene Bagley
. Other parts of the arrangement include quotes from John Philip Sousa
's patriotic march
"Stars and Stripes Forever", implying that opposition to the Vietnam War was patriotic. As the song fades out, the horns play part of Ochs's own "I Ain't Marching Anymore
".
, on October 21, 1967.
In November, Ochs planned a "War Is Over" rally in New York
. After Ochs sang "The War Is Over", several thousand demonstrators marched from Washington Square Park to Times Square
and then to the United Nations
.
In August 1968, Ochs performed "The War Is Over" during the protests outside the Democratic National Convention
, inspiring hundreds of young men to burn their draft cards
. When Ochs sang the line "even treason might be worth a try — this country is too young to die", he was interrupted by five minutes of cheering. He couldn't finish the song and had to leave the stage.
The Vietnam War ended on April 30, 1975, and a final "War Is Over" rally was held in New York's Central Park
on May 11. At the rally, Ochs sang "The War Is Over" for the last time.
released "The War Is Over" as a single
in 1968. The B-side
of the single was "The Harder They Fall", another song from Tape from California. The version of "The Harder They Fall" on the single is a rock
version of the song that has never been released on any album
or compilation.
Anti-war
An anti-war movement is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term can also refer to pacifism, which is the opposition to all use of military force during conflicts. Many...
song by Phil Ochs
Phil Ochs
Philip David Ochs was an American protest singer and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, earnest humanism, political activism, insightful and alliterative lyrics, and haunting voice...
, a U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
protest singer
Protest song
A protest song is a song which is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of topical songs . It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre...
from the 1960s known for being a harsh critic of the American military-industrial establishment. The song, which was originally released on Tape from California
Tape from California
Tape From California is Phil Ochs' fifth album, released in mid-1968 on A&M Records. A step back from its predecessor Pleasures of the Harbor, a sort of cross between that album and 1966's Phil Ochs In Concert, it features folk with shades of rock, bluegrass and baroque music.The best-known track...
(1968), has been described as "one of the most potent antiwar songs of the 1960s". One of Ochs' biographers wrote that "The War Is Over" is his "greatest act of bravery as a topical songwriter".
Background
American involvementRole of United States in the Vietnam War
The role of the United States in the Vietnam War began soon after the Second World War and escalated into full commitment during what is termed the Vietnam War from 1955 to 1975.-Woodrow Wilson :Milestones of U.S...
in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
escalated significantly during 1966. The number of American troops fighting in Vietnam increased that year from 184,000 to 450,000.
In 1966, poet Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
decided to declare that the Vietnam War was over. The idea of ending the war simply by declaring it over appealed to Ochs, who organized a rally in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to announce that the war was over. To publicize the rally, he wrote an article in the Los Angeles Free Press
Los Angeles Free Press
The Los Angeles Free Press , also called “the Freep”, was among the most widely distributed underground newspapers of the 1960s. It is often cited as the first such newspaper...
titled "Have Faith, The War Is Over":
Is everybody sick of this stinking war? In that case, friends, do what I and thousands of other Americans have done — declare the war over.
Ochs wrote a song for the rally, in which he, like "thousands of other Americans", declared the war was over.
The song
"The War Is Over" alludes to war filmWar film
War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...
s and their heroes and asks "what's this got to do with me?" The song describes anti-war protesters as "angry artists painting angry signs" who have become "poisoned players" in a cycle of endless anti-war demonstrations that have failed to end the war. The song mockingly suggests that young men enlist in the army to "serve your country in her suicide", but adds that "just before the end even treason might be worth a try — this country is too young to die". Each verse of the song ends with the words, "I declare the war is over, it's over, it's over".
Ochs recorded "The War Is Over" for his fifth album, Tape from California. The musical arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
, by Bob Thompson
Bob Thompson (musician)
Bob Thompson born Robert Lamar Thompson in San Jose was a composer, arranger, and orchestra leader from the 1950s through the 1980s...
, incorporates martial beats, brass horns
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
, and flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
s. The opening is a theme from the National Emblem March by Edwin Eugene Bagley
Edwin Eugene Bagley
Edwin Eugene Bagley was born in Craftsbury, Vermont on May 29, 1857 and died in Keene, New Hampshire on January 29, 1922. He is famous for composing the National Emblem....
. Other parts of the arrangement include quotes from John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches. Because of his mastery of march composition, he is known as "The March King" or the "American March King" due to his British counterpart Kenneth J....
's patriotic march
March (music)
A march, as a musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a military band. In mood, marches range from the moving death march in Wagner's Götterdämmerung to the brisk military marches of John...
"Stars and Stripes Forever", implying that opposition to the Vietnam War was patriotic. As the song fades out, the horns play part of Ochs's own "I Ain't Marching Anymore
I Ain't Marching Anymore (song)
"I Ain't Marching Anymore" is an anti-war song by Phil Ochs, a U.S. protest singer from the 1960s known for being a harsh critic of the American military industrial complex...
".
Notable performances
Ochs first performed the song in public at the "War Is Over" rally in Los Angeles on June 23, 1967. "The War Is Over" became one of Ochs' best-known songs about the Vietnam War. He performed it in front of 150,000 demonstrators in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, on October 21, 1967.
In November, Ochs planned a "War Is Over" rally in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. After Ochs sang "The War Is Over", several thousand demonstrators marched from Washington Square Park to Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
and then to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
.
In August 1968, Ochs performed "The War Is Over" during the protests outside the Democratic National Convention
1968 Democratic National Convention
The 1968 Democratic National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party was held at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois, from August 26 to August 29, 1968. Because Democratic President Lyndon Johnson had announced he would not seek a second term, the purpose of the convention was to...
, inspiring hundreds of young men to burn their draft cards
Conscription in the United States
Conscription in the United States has been employed several times, usually during war but also during the nominal peace of the Cold War...
. When Ochs sang the line "even treason might be worth a try — this country is too young to die", he was interrupted by five minutes of cheering. He couldn't finish the song and had to leave the stage.
The Vietnam War ended on April 30, 1975, and a final "War Is Over" rally was held in New York's Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
on May 11. At the rally, Ochs sang "The War Is Over" for the last time.
Single release
A&M RecordsA&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
released "The War Is Over" as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in 1968. The B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of the single was "The Harder They Fall", another song from Tape from California. The version of "The Harder They Fall" on the single is a rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
version of the song that has never been released on any album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
or compilation.