Big Parade
1989 · Elektra 9 60815-1 · New York City, New York
- Artist
- 10,000 Maniacs
- Title
- Big Parade
- Release
- Blind Man's Zoo
- Year
- 1989
- Label
- Elektra # 9 60815-1
- Format
- CD · Album
- Language
- English
- Country
- New York City, New York, USA
- Genre
- Pop · Folk Pop
- Primary theme
- Post-War
Annotation
10,000 Maniacs, a popular alternative rock / jangle pop group formed in 1981, in Jamestown, New York, USA, which included the members Rob Buck, Natalie Merchant, Steve Gustafson, and Dennis Drew. They had several charting albums, including Blind Man's Zoo (Elektra Records # 9 60815-2), which reached # 13 in the US Billboard chart. (1) The album dealt with several contemporary political issues, such as U.S. interventions in Central America and the Iran-Contra Affair, and environmental pollution. The song "The Big Parade" looked at a family visit to the Vietnam memorial wall in Washington - a man recalled his brother's letters: "in a jungle town postmarked Saigon". The brother knew the exact location of the name: "it's 40 paces to the year that he was slain". He witnessed others visiting the wall, including a "tour of Japanese", an "ex-marine", and a "widow" with her "Purple Heart" - a reference to the military medal. At the end of the song, the narrator wondered who was to blame for the war and the deaths: "was it Washington or the Viet Cong?". It ended on an anti-war note, although slightly strange, suggesting the Civil War was not an honest war (no mention of slavery!): "toward…
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
About the artist
American alternative rock band formed 1981 in Jamestown, New York. [Source: Wikipedia]
Themes
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall · Vet · Purple Heart · Medals · VC · Saigon