7 O'Clock News/Silent Night

Annotation

The song "7 O'Clock News / Silent Night" is the well known Christmas hymn with a monologue of the news bulletin from 3 August 1966 played in the background. It included several references to Vietnam, in particular a speech by Richard Nixon. Officially out of politics since losing the 1960 presidential election, in 1966 Nixon re-emerged from the political wilderness, in an attempt to run for the presidency in 1968. He attacked the anti-war movement, as being unpatriotic and the "greatest single weapon working against the U.S." He also expressed fear that the war could go on for a significant period of time. Released as a single in Europe, in the US it featured on the 1966 album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (Columbia Records # CS 9363).The Hopeful - 7 O'Clock News (Silent Night) (Mercury Records # 72637). The Shurfine Singers – Silent Night & the 11 O'Clock News (Josie Records # 969)

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: In Washington the atmosphere was tense today as a special subcommittee of the House Committee on Un-American Activities continued its probe into anti-Vietnam war protests / Demonstrators were forcibly evicted from the hearings, when they began chanting anti-war slogans / Former vice-president Richard Nixon says that unless there is a substantial increase in the present war effort in Vietnam the U.S. should look forward to five more years of war / In a speech before the convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in New York, Nixon also said opposition to the war in this country is the greatest single weapon working against the U.S.

About the artist

Formed 1956, Forest Hills, New York, USA

Themes

Anti-War · Anti-Protest · Christmas · MLK · Civil Rights · Demonstration · Nixon

In collections

Christmas Songs · Civil Rights Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years]