I Wonder If They Ever Think of Me

Annotation

Merle Haggard, born in Bakersfield, California, in 1937, especially known as a guitarist, vocalist, and fiddler, developed into one of the most influential artists in the country music genre. (1) In September 1969 he had released the very popular and successful single "Okie From Muskogee" (Capitol Records # 2626) which attacked draft-card burners and the counter-culture, and re-enforced patriotic, conservative views. Shortly after, in January 1970, he followed up with the equally pro-government, flag-waving song "The Fightin' Side of Me" (Capitol # 2719) - both these singles reached # 1 in the Billboard country charts and made it into the Billboard Hot 100. Haggard also referenced the Vietnam War in the 1982 single "Are the Good Times Really Over" (Epic Records # 14-02894), and the song "Me and Crippled Soldiers" on the 1990 album Blue Jungle. During the Vietnam era, he also released the single "Soldier's Last Letter" (1971: Capitol # 3024). Haggard narrated the country song "I Wonder If They Ever Think of Me" (Capitol # 3488) from the perspective of a US soldier in a "rotten prison camp in Vietnam", and thus a P.O.W. song. The prisoner spent every day thinking about his parents…

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

About the artist

Born 6 April 1937, Oildale, California, USA. Country singer-songwriter and pioneer of the Bakersfield Sound (Okie from Muskogee, The Fightin' Side of Me). Died 6 April 2016 at his home in Palo Cedro, California, USA. [Source: Wikipedia]

Themes

Patriotic · Soldier's Perspective · P.O.W.

In collections

P.O.W. / M.I.A. Songs · US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs