The Music of War…And some other stuff.
Issue number 4 of The Sanford Report.
Welcome back to The Sanford Report. We’re going to take a little break from talking about Iran for this issue and talk about something else. Don’t worry, we will be getting back to Middle East geopolitics and military forces, we haven’t even scratched the surface of that subject yet. In issue number 1, the introduction to The Sanford Report, I warned you that I occasionally fall down rabbit holes. This is one of those rabbit holes. This time we’re going to talk about music and art that is related to war, propaganda and nationalism. But this might not be what you’d imagine. I’m going to begin by talking about an artist that you probably haven’t heard of before, a Bosnian Painter named Mersad Berber. [1]
For the three of you who might have just Googled Mersad Berber, you will probably be wondering what his work has to do with war art, propaganda and nationalism, let alone music. Not much honestly. I wanted to talk about Mersad Berber because of an accident. You see the Iranian copy of the Hawk air defense missile system is called…Mersad. That’s how I found him, I was researching Iranian air defense systems and his work popped up in the search feed. But what struck me was the vibrant use of color that Mersad Berber used in his paintings. They struck me. I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for bright reds, blue, and all that. Then I found one specific painting.
Above: Painting by Mersad Berber.
I’ll be honest, it wasn’t the colors in this painting that captured my imagination. It was her eyes. Her expression. Unlike some of his work, this painting is more subdued, but I don’t know how I feel when she (whoever she is) looks at me. She reminds me of my wife when she was younger. I showed this picture to my wife, who does not agree at all. But still, the painting of that girl’s face is the same face I see when I close my eyes and remember that summer many years ago. That summer before war, death, pain, and the hell of recovery. That is the face I remember as she looked at me and playfully splashed her feet into the waves of Lake Michigan. It’s the hint of a smile in her eyes… But my wife today isn’t the same woman I was married to when I went to Iraq. It was someone else.
The memory of someone you love is one of the things that enables someone like me to come home, to live, to keep fighting as our blood pours out and flows down a dirty street just before dawn. But it wasn’t the girl in the picture that I remembered as my life force ran into the street and I held the body of my friend that morning in November. It was the face of another woman, a different wife, and the thought of her in a flower print baby doll dress that was burned into my mind. And that brings us back to art. The movies I’d seen, the books I’d read, the songs I’d listened too, all informed my mind as to how I should act in those last fleeting moments of my young life.
(Authors Note: My wife is insisting that I make very clear that she and I were not married during my wartime military service. “Make sure they know I’m not… that woman…” My current wife and I had a summer fling as teenagers, and then reconnected after my divorce.)
During my military training at Fort Benning Georgia we recruits, for some reason, got to watch a movie. I don’t remember the reason, but I’ll never forget the movie. It was We Were Soldiers with Mel Gibson. At a point the drill instructor paused the movie, got up and walked to the front. He pointed to the screen and glared at all of us. He said “That’s the standard. That is the fucking standard. Don’t let me down.” He played the movie and sat back down. To this day I can still find that exact moment in the movie where he paused it. I was being prepared for war. I was being conditioned to act, behave, and be the way the army wished me to be. Granted, in many ways I probably am not the Army ideal. But some things stuck. [2]
“I will always place the mission first. “
“I will never accept defeat.”
“I will never quit.”
“I will never leave a fallen comrade.”
I think I lived up to those ideals, at least I hope so. The very thought of leaving one of my brothers on the field, living or dead, was simply never an option for me. I had a standard to live up to. Don’t mistake my words please, I wasn’t brain washed. I volunteered to join the army during a time of war. I knew where I was going. I wanted to be there. I wanted to fight my nation’s wars. I was more than willing to kill my nation’s enemies long before I ever took the oath. Even still, I was trained and prepared to do so. Generations of young men like me have been given those same lessons. Many, but not all, may have had those same motivations. Regardless, since the invention of the written word, poems, songs, paintings, statues, have all been commissioned to remind future generations of idealistic youth of the standards.
“Hold the Line.”
“SHIELD WALL!”
Or perhaps the rumored words of a Spartan mother to her son as he departed for battle.
“Return with your shield… or on it.”
Perhaps the words of Alfred Tennyson? [3]
“Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
“Charge” was the captain’s cry;
Their’s was not to reason why,
Their’s was not to make reply,
Their’s but to do and die,
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.”
Art, poetry, music, painting and statues all remind those who do not fight what other’s fight for. Those who fight are reminded of the standards they must uphold. It seems that war is a fantastic motivator of art, both for and against. Let me ask, have you ever seen the movie Full Metal Jacket? I can’t say that Full Metal Jacket is known currently as a film that was made to inspire people to ask questions of war, but it was. The thoughtful contemplation of the price of war is sometimes cast aside in the blood, profanity, and dark humor of the film.
“Is that you John Wayne?”
Sometimes an artist isn’t remembered for what they were trying to say, they are remembered for what people think they said. Intent and perception, in all things, are very different. While not specifically about war, or a specific war, there is a song that perfectly illustrates my point. You may have heard it, maybe not. It is Deutschland, by the German band Rammstein. It would be helpful now if you would search for that song on YouTube and watch the official video that band made to go with the song. Turn on the closed captions if you can’t stand the music. [4] Warning, the video isn’t easy to watch, there are scenes that I should probably warn you aren’t for the sensitive, which was the point, I’m sure. (Consider yourself warned, now suck it up and go watch it anyway. It’s art, even if you hate it.)
Did you watch it? Did it make you feel uncomfortable? Now, the hard question, what did you think? You may or may not be surprised to learn that the video for Deutschland caused something of a political-fecal- typhoon. The band were called “Nazis” “Holocaust deniers” “White Nationalists” and everything else you might be able to think of. What about you, what do you think the band was trying to say? Because it probably isn’t what you think, severed heads of lead singers aside…
Let me give you a few clues. The actress, Ruby Commey, is portraying Germania in the video. Yes, she is black. Yes, she is stunning. Yes, she is portrayed wearing an S.S. uniform. (And Stazi, if that makes you feel any better…) Yes, it was supposed to make you uncomfortable. In one scene members of the band are costumed as Monks and are eating the entrails of Germania on a table that is holding people in black latex masks in a glass box. Germania is awake while the band devours her. There is a deeper meaning here apart from a band pretending to eat a stunning black actress while dressed as monks.
In the last scene of the song, before the credits, Germania is giving birth to dogs which represent the members of the band. Germans, who devour themselves, are products of Germany. It’s some circular logic, but its there. The band is a product of Germany, and Germany isn’t perfect, but they love it anyway. They acknowledge the faults, the mistakes and failures of Germany, but they love it anyway. They see the horror and pain their beloved Germania has caused, they see the mistakes, and they aren’t looking through rose-colored glasses. It causes them pain, but they love their country. Oh, and if you didn’t make it that far… the credits in the video are accompanied by some of the most beautiful piano music.
The band Rammstein is sometimes viewed as some sort of White Nationalist Metal Band by people who only see a thumbnail of one of their videos… Though the band themselves say they produce German Techno Industrial Metal and deny any association with white nationalism or the Nazis. I won’t lie and say that “Deutschland” the music video isn’t uncomfortable to watch, it is. But the last thing the band is trying to promote is Nazi causes, white nationalism, or German Superiority. They are however, trying to make people think.
Speaking of European militarism, and while we’re talking about music, let’s talk about Sabaton. Sabaton is a Swedish metal band who mostly sings about famous battles, wars or acts of heroism. One of the songs of Sabaton is titled Winged Hussars.
Above: A historical reenactor in the uniform of a Polish Winged Hussar. Image credit: [5]
The song begins; “When the Winged Hussars Arrived.” The event being referenced in the song is the September 1683 battle of Vienna. The city was under siege by the Ottoman armies. Poland, and it’s King John III Sobieski, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, responded to the call for help. He brought with him the Winged Hussars. The Winged Hussars are probably one of the more famous military units in Europe, partly at least because of their uniforms. Yes, they really did wear wings into battle. Apart from their uniforms, the Winged Hussars were also extremely well trained, very well equipped, and had a rather fine reputation as fighting men. That reputation was cemented into historical memory, and war art, by their actions at the siege of Vienna.
“A cry for help in time of need, await relief from holy league. 60 days of siege outnumbered and weak. Sent a Message to the sky, wounded soldiers left to die, will they hold the wall or will the city fall.”
The line sets the scene carefully for the band to promote a great military victory.
“Dedication, Dedication, they’re outnumbered 15 to 1 and the battle’s begun.”
Then the chorus repeats with; “Then the Winged Hussars Arrived…coming down the mountain side.”
“Then the winged hussars arrived, coming down they turned the tide.”
The song goes on, but I won’t spoil it for you. Regardless of the intention of the band, listening to Sabaton’s Winged Hussars makes me want to mount a horse and spear some Turks…figuratively of course. It is an extremely powerful piece of militaristic music.
(Authors Note: Sabaton did another song that would fall within the purview of this issue, it’s about the Swiss Guards saving the Pope in 1527 from the French armies of Charles V. Sorry that I can’t include everything that might be relevant. But it’s worth looking up. The title is “The Last Stand.” )
“We remember, in September, when the Winged Hussars arrived…” [6]
It may not be your kind of music, but listen anyway, at least once. On a side note, the video I linked above uses scenes of the Winged Hussars from, The Day of the Siege: September Eleven, 1683. [7] If you like military history, it is a movie I highly recommend watching. It is not perfect, far from it. But it is a good story about a battle most people know little about. I believe you can stream it on Netflix. The horses in the movie are simply beautiful, and the horseman ship displayed in the film is reason enough to watch it. Hundreds of horses were used in the filming of the movie, and the costumes of the Winged Hussars are historically accurate. The rest of the movie? Well, it isn’t a documentary…
Since we’re on music, let’s go back a few years. Or perhaps going forward if you were still in Vienna in 1683. One of the most universally popular songs by soldiers of all nations who were fighting in Europe during the Second World War, Lili Marleen by Marlene Dietrich. [8]
“Underneath the lantern
By the barrack gate
Darling I remember
The way you used to wait
'Twas there that you whispered tenderly
That you loved me
You'd always be
My Lili of the lamplight
My own Lili Marlene
Time would come for roll call
Time for us to part
Darling I'd caress you
And press you to my heart
And there neath that far off lantern light
I'd hold you tight
We'd kiss good night
My Lili of the lamplight
My own Lili Marlene
Orders came for sailing
Somewhere over there
All confined to barracks
'Twas more than I could bear
I knew you were waiting in the street
I heard your feet
But could not meet
My Lili of the lamplight
My own Lili Marlene
Resting in our billet
Just behind the line
Even though we're parted
Your lips are close to mine
You wait where that lantern softly gleamed
Your sweet face seems
To haunt my dreams
My Lili of the lamplight
My own Lili Marlene
My Lili of the lamplight
My own Lili Marlene.”
Those are the official English lyrics (not a perfect translation…), and I believe it’s easy to see why the song was popular with lonely soldiers from all sides. Interestingly, even American soldiers seemed to prefer the German version. I must agree. Marlene Dietrich singing Lili Marlene in German is something that can’t really be explained, it can only be felt. If you were ever a soldier, ever fought far from home, and thought about that girl you left behind, you will feel it. Not all war songs are about war, some are only about the way that a young man doing his duty for his country far from home feels in the uneasy hours before battle. There is hope that that girl will be waiting when you return…if you return.
Songs played an important role in the morale of soldiers in all wars, but some of the most famous today come from or were inspired by the Second World War. It would not be logical to fail to mention the one song from the Second World War that probably more people one earth know the words to. Millions upon millions of old soldiers, their wives, their children, their grandchildren all know the words. It was sung by soldiers, famous singers, and even the occasional politician after too much to drink at a victory celebration. I’ll give you a hint…
“The apple and pear trees were blooming
The mist floated over the river…”
Did you guess what song it is? I’m going to assume that you probably didn’t, as the song isn’t as popular here in the United States as it is in other parts of the world. Unlike Winged Hussars, this song isn’t about victory in battle, or elite soldiers. No, it’s closer to Lili Marlene, but without the happy ending [?]. The song doesn’t actually tell you what happens, but most people believe that the soldier never comes home. The song isn’t about the great deeds of soldiers. No, it is about the sacrifice of an entire people. It is about common everyday people doing their duty to fight an invader, and many paying the ultimate price. It is easily the most played song that became famous after the grand opening of a Hell franchise in 1939. Every Russian soldier in the past seventy years has sung the words to this song, out loud. Here are the words that have defined generations of Russian soldiers.
“The apple and pear trees were blooming
The mist floated over the river
Katyusha was walking out to the shore
To the tall, steep shore
She was walking out, beginning to sing
about the blue-gray eagle from the steppe
about the one, who she loved
about the one, whose letters she treasured
Oh, you, song, the song of the maiden
You, fly along behind the cloudless sun
And, to the soldier on the far border,
send regards from Katyusha
May he remember the modest girl
May he hear how she sings
May he protect his motherland
And Katyusha shall treasure their love
The apple and pear trees were blooming
The mist floated over the river
Katyusha was walking out to the shore
To the tall, steep shore”
You tell me, does Katyusha reunite with her soldier and live happily ever after? Or does the grey fog engulf the young soldier in one of the many fields of slaughter on the eastern front? To me, Katyusha is a kinder, yet very Russian way for the girl to tell her soldier, “Return with your shield, or on it.” When I went to Iraq, my [ex]wife kissed me goodbye, tears in her eyes. She said “Please try and come home. Don’t be brave.” But she wasn’t Russian… I was more important to her, at that time, than the national security interests of the United States…she wasn’t Russian.
Take a few moments and listen to Katyusha, I’ve included a link. The performer is a Russian singer named “Varvara”, and let me tell you, she’s got pipes. [9]
Yet not all war music is about duty, honor, or the glory of war, or even lost love. There certainly is the other side of the coin. There are songs which speak of the pointlessness of conflict, asking “why?” Specifically, the song Zombie, by the Cranberries comes to mind. The haunting voice of lead singer Dolores O'Riordan seems to be asking why? What is the point of the never-ending cycle of violence? The song is referring to the Irish troubles, the IRA, and the British Armed forces who for many decades were simply trading blows. Atrocities were certainly committed by all sides, IRA bombing promoting violent British reactions.
I don’t know if the Cranberries song made any impact on the negotiations that mostly stopped the violence and resulted in a much more peaceful Ireland. I do know that almost everyone who knew anything about the struggle for a united Ireland was and still is surprised that the peace agreements have mostly held. Yes, there are still those who will fight, conduct terrorist attacks, and never stop. But those extremes seem to be the minority today. Personally, I believe the Irish peace is highly underrated, and should be regarded as one of the most successful peace accords in modern history. Just getting all sides talking was an accomplishment, to actually reach even a minor agreement would have been remarkable. [10] As to the song, I leave it to you to form your own opinion on that.
Many songs today can evoke emotion or memory of a specific war or battle by the soldiers that fought in them. Some songs because of popular culture, movies, etc, seem to be linked with specific wars. CCR’s Running Through the Jungle, or Fortunate Son are two specific examples that are usually linked to the Vietnam war. Songs like Katyusha, or Lili Marlene are linked to the Second World War. Zombie references the Irish Troubles as does U2’s Sunday Bloody Sunday. 99 Luftballons reminds us of the Cold war and the potential of a nuclear exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union. Yet the 20th century didn’t invent the music of war by any means.
Since before written history mankind has used drums, trumpets, horns and voices to control or direct military units on battlefields or during marching drills. One example which I’m sure you’ve heard of is the story of the fall of Jericho from the Bible. Marching around the city and blowing of trumpets (or horns) were God’s orders to the Israelites. “…and the walls came tumbling down.” The actual historical reasons why the city of Jericho fell isn’t relevant to this topic, what is relevant is that for more centuries the oral and written tradition speaks of trumpets or horns at the battle. One of the more famous of historical horns is the Celtic Carnyx. Historians have recreated this instrument from archaeological fragments, and today you can hear the sound that sent shivers running down the spines of countless thousands who faced a Celtic army in the field. [11]
The Carnyx isn’t the oldest musical instrument, or even piece of music. One commonly credited piece of music which is said to be the oldest, intact, and playable music, is called the Hurrian Hymn Number 6. The tablet which was found containing the instructions for playing this music is believed to have been made around 1400 BCE. Music has been around for a very long time, and there are musical instruments which have been found by archaeologists which may be up to 35,000 years old.
The cuneiform tablet upon which Hurrian Hymn Number 6 is inscribed, was found at the Royal Palace at Ugarit, present day Ras Shamra, Syria. I cannot personally read music, but for those of you who can, I am providing a link to the sheet music for the Hurrian Hymn. This is the translated and decoded version which is generally agreed to be the most accurate. The music was meant to be played on a Lyre and is accompanied by vocals translated and included from the tablet. [12], [13]
Music, for and against war, has been intertwined with humanity for all our history. Songs extol the virtues of those who paid the fullest measure of devotion. They bring tears to the eyes of mothers and fathers who have laid such a heavy sacrifice on the alter of freedom. Or sometimes the alter of something else. Songs stir the souls of men and boys who hear the whistle blow and go over the top, into German guns and the fate those bring. Music sets the beat by which armies march into the field, and down broad avenues in victory parades. The sounding of horns signaling changes in direction, or for units to attack or retreat. And then at the end, which always comes, there are other songs. [14]
On the 19th of November 2005, before dawn in Mosul Iraq, a young man died in my arms. We lay together on the field of battle, our blood mixing in the dirty street. He was my friend. And while I lay in a hospital bed, the doctors explaining to my family that the odds were not in my favor, my friend was laid to rest. Soon after leaving the hospital I was on another airplane. This time I was in a dress uniform and watching another of my brothers being laid in the ground. More since, and each time the same song played. One day it will play when it is my turn to be lowered into the ground. One day the piper will play over my grave. I hope on that day I have left my country and this world a little better than I found it. Have you?
I love the thrill of battle and have never felt more alive than when the bullets are flying, but I don’t want my children to see it, to have their friends die in their arms, or to have to kill others. I suppose it is two sides of the same coin. I know the pain, I’ve seen the blood, and marched to the tunes. Yet I relish the thrill of combat, it’s really the only thing I’ve ever been good at. Perhaps humans simply have complex and sometimes opposing opinions, emotions and convictions? There are many more songs that I did not include. I’m limited to about 5000 words and can only just scratch the surface. This is me falling down a rabbit hole. I’m sorry I didn’t include any Beethoven, or Wagner… (not really sorry about the Wagner.)
Let me leave you with words that are not my own, they have always struck me as poetic and heart wrenching. Music of war and glory sometimes is the only thing we remember. But there is more. Sometimes we should remember the pain that wars cause. And sometimes it’s something else. They are the words of Chief Joseph as he surrendered to General Howard, on October 5, 1877.
"I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed. Looking Glass is dead. Toohoolhoolzote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say, 'Yes' or 'No.' He who led the young men [Olikut] is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are — perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever."
I hope that you were enlightened and learned something. We’ll be getting back to weapons and geopolitics in the next issue of The Sanford Report. Thank you for taking the time to read this, I hope you’ll subscribe and share with your friends. The links to all the music, songs, and videos are included below.
Notes and Sources for Issue Number 4 of The Sanford Report.
[1] https://albemarlegallery.com/artists/36-mersad-berber/biography/
[2] https://www.army.mil/values/warrior.html
[3] https://poets.org/poem/charge-light-brigade
[4] Rammstein’s Deutschland video
[5] By kdkirina5@mail.ru - http://unicorna-mira.livejournal.com/615882.html, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25759124
[6] Sabaton’s Winged Hussars
[7] The day of Siege https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1899285/
[8] German version of Lili Marleen
[9] Katyusha
[10] Zombie
[11] Historians speak of the terror that the Celtic war trumpets, called a Carnyx evoked during battles. https://www.ancient-origins.net/artifacts-other-artifacts/carnyx-ancient-trumpet-leading-celtic-warriors-battle-006019
[12] Hurrian Hymn Number 6 sheet music. http://www.flutekey.com/pdf/HurrianTabLtd.pdf
[13] If you’d simply like to hear what it may have sounded like, here is a link to a video with vocals performed in the original language and based on the same sheet music.
[14] Amazing Grace, on Bagpipes.
[15] List of war or anti-war songs. Most of which I didn’t talk about but might interest you anyway. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_anti-war_songs