The Big Draft
1962 · Capitol 4716 · Los Angeles, California
- Artist
- The Four Preps
- Title
- The Big Draft
- Release
- The Big Draft / Suzy Cocroach
- Year
- 1962
- Label
- Capitol # 4716
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- Los Angeles, California, USA
- Genre
- Folk · Folk Pop
- Primary theme
- Home Front Perspective / Soldier's Perspective
Annotation
Possibly the earliest reference to "Vietnam" in the lyrics of a song identified on this list to date. The track "The Big Draft" (Capitol Records # 4716) was a medley recorded in December 1961 at North Hollywood High School. It is a comedy piece, calling on the government to draft competing musicians, in order to eliminate the artistic competition. The insensitive approach may be due to it being written many years before the US had a serious troop commitment to Vietnam. Support for South Vietnam largely consisted of military/intelligence experts and financial support in 1961. Also on the 1962 album Campus Encore.
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Annotation — Draft Songs
Possibly the earliest reference to the Vietnam War in the lyrics of a song on this list so far. The track "The Big Draft" (Capitol Records # 4716) was a medley recorded in December 1961 at North Hollywood High School. It is a comedy piece, calling on the government to draft competing musicians, in order to eliminate the artistic competition. The insensitive approach may be due to it being written many years before the US had a serious troop commitment to Vietnam. Support for South Vietnam largely consisted of military/intelligence experts and financial support in 1961. Also on the 1962 album Campus Encore.
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English: Why don't you draft all the other groups? / Give them a chance to go see the world... / Our new record's a bomb (Doot doot doo doo) / They never heard of us in South Vietnam / Why don't you draft all the other groups?... / The draft is a many-splendored thing
Notes
Capitol 4716 (45-36902), orange and yellow swirl label, "Mfd. by Capitol Records, Inc., U.S.A."; "The Big Draft" (BMI), 4:49, a medley listing "I'll Never Smile Again", "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing", "The Mountain's High", "Heartaches", "Anchors Aweigh", "Michael" and "Runaround Sue"; The Four Preps with orchestra under the direction of Lincoln Mayorga; produced by Voyle Gilmore. [From the record sleeve and labels]
About the artist
American vocal group formed 1956 in Hollywood, California. [Source: Wikipedia]