I Don't Wanna Go to Vietnam

Annotation

The well-known and influential blues singer / songwriter John Lee Hooker, known for playing an Electric Blues style of the Delta Blues, born on 22 August 1917 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, USA, he died on 21 June 2001 in Los Altos, California, USA. Although born in Mississippi, he largely lived and worked in Detroit. Chicago blues grew in the northern US cities in the post-war electric period. Despite mainly using an electric guitar and performing in the cities of the north, Hooker's style more closely resembled the southern rural blues, such as delta, country, and folk blues. He recorded a few Vietnam War-related tracks - in 1969, he recorded the song "I Gotta Go to Vietnam", although it only appeared as a bonus track to the 1993 CD reissue of the 1968 album Urban Blues (MCA Records # MCAD-10760). He also released the song "The World Today", in collaboration with Canned Heat on the 1971 album Hooker 'n Heat. In the song "I Don't Wanna Go to Vietnam" (Bluesway Records # 61023) he reflected on his friends' involvement in Vietnam, the fear of the draft, and, like J.B. Lenoir, questioned why the US were in Vietnam when "we got so much trouble at home" - presumably a Civil Rights message as well. The song featured on the 1968 album Simply the Truth (Bluesway # BLS-6023).

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — US Domestic Perspective Songs

The well-known and influential blues singer/songwriter John Lee Hooker (1917-2001) wrote a couple of Vietnam related tracks. Born in Mississippi, he largely lived and worked in Detroit. Chicago blues grew in the northern US cities in the post-war electric period. Despite mainly using an electric guitar and performing in the cities of the north, Hooker's style more closely resembled the southern rural blues, such as delta, country, and folk blues. In 1969, he recorded the song "I Gotta Go to Vietnam", although it only appeared as a bonus track to the 1993 CD reissue of the 1968 album Urban Blues (MCA Records # MCAD-10760). In the song "I Don't Wanna Go to Vietnam" (Bluesway Records # 61023) he reflected on his friends involvement in Vietnam, the fear of the draft, and, like J.B. Lenoir, questioned why the US were in Vietnam when "we got so much trouble at home" - perhaps a civil rights message as well. The song featured on the 1968 album Simply the Truth (Bluesway # BLS-6023).

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: I'm sittin' down here thinkin', I don't wanna go to Vietnam / I have all these troubles at home, I don't wanna go to Vietnam / I read the news every day, I read about Vietnam... / I got so much friends in Vietnam, I might not never see them no more.... / I have my wife and my family... / We got so much trouble at home, we don't need to go to Vietnam

Notes

Bluesway 45-61023 ("Bluesway ... is where it's at!", ABC Records logo), side AMP 45-15381; "I Don't Wanna Go to Vietnam" (John Lee Hooker), Pamco Music, Inc., BMI, 3:25; "From Bluesway LP 6023 'Simply the Truth'"; produced by Bob Thiele. "A Product of ABC Records, Inc., New York, N.Y. 10019 • Made in USA." [From the record sleeve and labels]

About the artist

American blues singer-guitarist, born 22 August 1917 near Clarksdale, Mississippi ('I Don't Wanna Go to Vietnam'); died 21 June 2001 in Los Altos, California. [Source: Wikipedia]

Themes

Anti-War · Draft · Civil Rights

In collections

US Domestic Perspective Songs [War Years] · Blues songs · Civil Rights Songs · Draft Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years]