Country Ballad

Annotation — My Lai & Lt. William Calley Songs

The song "My Lai Lad" (Daybreak Records # DR 2008) displayed sympathy with Calley, portraying him as a scapegoat, which somewhat conflicts with other songs on the album, which largely promoted peace. Denny Guy, a singer/songwriter born in Nebraska, based his career in Hawaii. This debut album received some coverage in Billboard, which wrote on 26 February 1972: "a strong bid for radio and chart action in this his album debut...Guy has the sound that could easily catch on the first time out".1 However, this album failed to chart, and this appears to also be his last album. Audio magazine also reviewed the album, and praised the political material: "highlights are an anti-war treatise, Marching Song and a pro-humanity, anti-scapegoat piece, My Lai Lad".2 The song "Trouble Maker" also commented on the war, demonstrations, and the counter-culture, while the final album track, "Country Ballad", commented that "the war has ended in Vietnam, we're bringing our boys back home". Back to the My Lai song, the narrator presented Calley as a scapegoat for "the politician man", whom had "put a gun into his hand". Like many other songs, it compared him to the story of Jesus: "they're trying to crucify". Instead, the narrator believed that "the whole world is to blame". It contained several religious, Christian references. A strange mix of anti-war sentiment, with patriotic, pro-soldier content, it perhaps provided a representation of those in 1972 who did not have a strong role in the protest movement, but could see that the war was winding down. Yet the blind defence of Calley seemed to contradict with the narrator's Christian / religious sentiment found throughout the record. Sources1Billboard, 26 February 1972↩2Billboard, 26 February 1972↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs

The song "My Lai Lad" (Daybreak Records # DR 2008) displayed sympathy with Calley, portraying him as a scapegoat, which somewhat conflicts with other songs on the album, which largely promoted peace. Denny Guy, a singer/songwriter born in Nebraska, based his career in Hawaii. This debut album received some coverage in Billboard, which wrote on 26 February 1972: "a strong bid for radio and chart action in this his album debut...Guy has the sound that could easily catch on the first time out".1 However, this album failed to chart, and this appears to also be his last album. Audio magazine also reviewed the album, and praised the political material: "highlights are an anti-war treatise, Marching Song and a pro-humanity, anti-scapegoat piece, My Lai Lad".2 The song "Trouble Maker" also commented on the war, demonstrations, and the counter-culture, while the final album track, "Country Ballad", commented that "the war has ended in Vietnam, we're bringing our boys back home". Back to the My Lai song, the narrator presented Calley as a scapegoat for "the politician man", whom had "put a gun into his hand". Like many other songs, it compared him to the story of Jesus: "they're trying to crucify". Instead, the narrator believed that "the whole world is to blame". It contained several religious, Christian references. A strange mix of anti-war sentiment, with patriotic, pro-soldier content, it perhaps provided a representation of those in 1972 who did not have a strong role in the protest movement, but could see that the war was winding down. Yet the blind defence of Calley seemed to contradict with the narrator's Christian / religious sentiment found throughout the record.Sources1Billboard, 26 February 1972↩2Billboard, 26 February 1972↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

About the artist

Hawaii-associated folk singer-songwriter and guitarist. Recorded the LP 'Introducing Denny Guy' (1972) at Sounds of Hawaii Studio, Honolulu, produced by Charles 'Bud' Dant, containing 'Marching Song', 'The Trouble Maker', 'My Lai Lad' and 'Country Ballad'. [Source: Discogs / AllMusic]

Themes

Soldier's Perspective

In collections

My Lai & Lt. William Calley Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years]