Greetings - This Is Uncle Sam
ARV A-5012 · McAllen, Texas
- Artist
- George Jay
- Title
- Greetings - This Is Uncle Sam
- Release
- Another Lonely Night / Greetings - This Is Uncle Sam
- Label
- ARV # A-5012
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- McAllen, Texas, USA
- Songwriter
- Boteman, Horn, Dumbar
- Genre
- Soul, Gospel & Funk · Soul
- Primary theme
- Home Front Perspective / Soldier's Perspective
Annotation
The track "Greetings - This Is Uncle Sam" (ARV International # A-5012) was a cover of The Valadiers' Vietnam draft song Greeting (This Is Uncle Sam) (1961), also recorded by The Monitors in 1966 (Greetings (This Is Uncle Sam), both on the Motown Records label. Unlike those other versions, this one actually specified the conflict: "I need you boy, to fight in Vietnam". George Jay was part of the Texas-Mexican music scene - referred to as Tejano Music, a hybrid of conjunto and Norteño music, performed by Mexican-Americans and influenced by Mexican folk music. On this track it contained strong soul influences.1 On 25 November 1972, Billboard reported on the explosion of Tex-Mex music, referencing Arnaldo Ramírez, the owner of the ARV label which released this record. Additionally, he owned the labels Falcon and Bronco, also featured on this list.2& Vietnam War: Soul, Gospel, & Funk SongsSources1Tejano Proud: Tex-Mex Music in the Twentieth Century (Guadalupe San Miguel, 2002)↩2Billboard, 25 November 1972↩
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Annotation — Mexican-American / Hispanic Songs
The track "Greetings - This Is Uncle Sam" (ARV International # A-5012) was a cover of The Valadiers' Vietnam draft song Greeting (This Is Uncle Sam) (1961), also recorded by The Monitors in 1966 (Greetings (This Is Uncle Sam), both on the Motown Records label. Unlike those other versions, this one actually specified the conflict: "I need you boy, to fight in Vietnam". George Jay was part of the Texas-Mexican music scene - referred to as Tejano Music, a hybrid of conjunto and Norteño music, performed by Mexican-Americans and influenced by Mexican folk music. On this track it contained strong soul influences.1 On 25 November 1972, Billboard reported on the explosion of Tex-Mex music, referencing Arnaldo Ramírez, the owner of the ARV label which released this record. Additionally, he owned the labels Falcon and Bronco, also featured on this list.2Sources1Tejano Proud: Tex-Mex Music in the Twentieth Century (Guadalupe San Miguel, 2002)↩2Billboard, 25 November 1972↩
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English: Greetings, this is Uncle Sam / And I'm gonna take you to a far off land / You'll say goodbye to all you buddies / And say hello to your new friends / Cause you're in the army now and your new life has just begun / I need you right now boy to fight for gun and land / I can just see me now with a rifle in my hand / I don't want to have to say goodbye to my friends / And I hope to see them once again / And darling while I'm away please write to me everyday / Oh no, you're in the army now... / I need you boy, to fight in Vietnam... / I need you baby, please don't forget about me darling / 'Cause I'm going to Vietnam
About the artist
Formed Corpus Christi, Texas, USA
Themes
In collections
Draft Songs · Mexican-American / Hispanic Songs · Soul, Gospel, & Funk Songs