Dear Mr. Hanoi
1972 · Lam 2001 · USA
- Artist
- Jerry Silver
- Title
- Dear Mr. Hanoi
- Release
- Dear Mr. Hanoi / Bad Mouthing
- Year
- 1972
- Label
- Lam # 2001
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- USA
- Genre
- Country · Country
- Primary theme
- Home Front Perspective / Soldier's Perspective
Annotation
A slow tempo country track, "Dear Mr. Hanoi" (LAM # 2001), by Jerry Silver, took a similar approach to the P.O.W. issue as the song "Letter to Hanoi" by Don Holiman. Taking the format of a letter written to Hanoi, the capital of North Vietnam, the narrator took the role of a boy, asking Hanoi to send his father (a prisoner of war) back home. The song sought to show the negative impact on a P.O.W.'s family - the soldier's child would not be able to "play ball with his own dad", while his wife "cried, because she's so alone". The record company placed a full-page advertisement in Billboard on 13 January 1973, just as the US government were negotiating the ceasefire agreement and discussing the P.O.W. issue, and thus a very topical subject. (1) Released in Wilson, North Carolina, USA. Distributed by the General Record Corporation (Atlanta, Georgia). Composed by Bob Keiber. Publisher: Blue Surf Music. Performing Rights: BMI.
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer