Chessboard of Vietnam
1968 · Mutual · Australia
- Artist
- Mike Leyden
- Title
- Chessboard of Vietnam
- Release
- Music by Mike Leyden
- Year
- 1968
- Label
- Mutual
- Format
- 7" · EP
- Language
- English
- Country
- Australia
- Songwriter
- Jim Allen and Mike Leyden
- Genre
- Folk · Contemporary Folk
- Primary theme
- Peace, Protest & Anti-War
Annotation
Rare Australian record, featuring contemporary folk protest songs, including "Chessboard of Vietnam" (Mutual Records), with words by Jim Allen, and music by Mike Leyden. A copy is available in the Papers of Warren Fahey. (1) The lyrics of this song featured in The Vietnam Songbook published in 1969, and compiled by Barbara Dane and Irwin Silber (founders of Paredon Records) - containing 100+ Vietnam War protest songs, 9 of which came from Australia & New Zealand. The song was written in 1968 according to this book - but there is no date on this vinyl record. (1) The song focused on the soldiers "shipped on board the Sidney, going overseas to fight". The men "were young and proud", but "did not wonder was it wrong or was it right", as they were "caught up in this giant war machine".
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
The lyrics of this song featured in The Vietnam Songbook published in 1969
Themes
In collections
Australian & New Zealand Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs