Christmas in Vietnam
1966 · Rojac Ra-111 · New York City, New York
- Artist
- Private Charles Bowens
- Title
- Christmas in Vietnam
- Release
- Christmas in Vietnam
- Year
- 1966
- Label
- Rojac # Ra-111
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- New York City, New York, USA
- Songwriter
- Jack Taylor
- Genre
- Soul, Gospel & Funk · Soul
- Primary theme
- Home Front Perspective / Soldier's Perspective
Annotation
Another track with the name "Christmas in Vietnam", but it is a different song to the Johnny & Jon single "Christmas in Vietnam". It is credited to a "Private Charles Bowens", accompanied by the Gentlemen From Tigerland, and released on the New York based label Rojac (# RA-111). The song began with a military trumpet, and then a dark soul groove kicked in. In the chorus, the singer sadly moaned that "it's gonna be a dark, dark Christmas for me". The soldier described his situation "in some foxhole, fighting the Vietcong", and missing his sweetheart. He read her letter a "thousand times". Even though the soldier missed home, he expressed support, or acceptance, of the official, government objective of the war: "I got to keep on fighting for liberty so that this world can stay free". Composed by Jack Taylor.
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Annotation — US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs
Another track with the name "Christmas in Vietnam", but it is a different song to the Johnny & Jon single "Christmas in Vietnam". It is credited to a "Private Charles Bowens", accompanied by the Gentlemen From Tigerland, and released on the New York based label Rojac (# RA-111). The song began with a military trumpet, and then a dark soul groove kicked in. In the chorus, the singer sadly moaned that "it's gonna be a dark, dark Christmas for me". The soldier described his situation "in some foxhole, fighting the Vietcong", and missing his sweetheart. He read her letter a "thousand times". Even though the soldier missed home, he expressed support, or acceptance, of the official, government objective of the war: "I got to keep on fighting for liberty so that this world can stay free". Composed by Jack Taylor.& Vietnam War: Soul, Gospel, & Funk Songs
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
About the artist
Unknown - the artist behind "Christmas In Vietnam" (Rojac Records RA-111, 1966), credited on the release as "Private Charles Bowens And The Gentlemen From Tigerland", has never been identified: even Sir Shambling's Deep Soul Heaven treats him as unknown and closes its own writeup by asking readers for help. The record is a celebrated deep-soul Christmas side - it opens with a quotation from Taps, and the narrator spends the holiday in combat. "Tigerland" is the nickname of the infantry training area at Fort Polk, Louisiana - an Army post, not a birthplace or residence. Rojac was a Harlem…
Themes
Christmas · Soldier's Perspective · Foxhole · Combat · VC · Religion
In collections
Christmas Songs · US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs · Soul, Gospel, & Funk Songs