A Letter From Vietnam
1968 · Westbound W-143 · USA
- Artist
- Emanuel Laskey
- Title
- A Letter From Vietnam
- Release
- More Love (Where This Came From) / A Letter From Vietnam
- Year
- 1968
- Label
- Westbound # W-143
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- USA
- Songwriter
- M. Hanks
- Genre
- Soul, Gospel & Funk · Soul
- Primary theme
- Home Front Perspective / Soldier's Perspective
Annotation
The 1968 song "A Letter From Vietnam" (Westbound Records # W-143) by Detroit soul singer Emanuel Laskey, displayed sympathy for those fighting. In a first person account, a soldier in Vietnam send home his love. The soldier is there "not by chance nor choice" - thus a draftee - yet the soldier has "no remorse" and that it is "a burden to bare". In the spoken-word section the soldier expressed his fear of the war, and that the US needed to win for those that had died: "I've lost a many a friend, that's why we've got to win". Subsequently re-released in 1969 - "Never My Love / A Letter From Vietnam" (Westbound Records # W-151).
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English: I'm over here not by chance nor choice / And you better believe it, I have no remorse / Now if I had my way I'd be back in your arms to stay / So hold on there, this will be over before long / It's a burden to bare but somebody somewhere cares about are future... / Now I could start this letter by saying I'm doing just fine / And hope by time this letter reaches you, you'll be doing just the same / I could even go so far to say that I'm really not afraid, but I'd only be lying... / I've lost a many a friend, that's why we've got to win / Meanwhile, I'll keep writing these letters home
Notes
Westbound Records W-143B, light-blue label, matrix ZTSC-141441; "A Letter From Vietnam" (M. Hanks), time 2:35, Bridgeport Music (BMI); produced by M. Hanks; artist printed "Emanuel Lasky". A second label is Westbound W 151-B on the psychedelic Westbound design, "Westbound Records, Inc. – Detroit, Mich.", with the same song, writer, time, publisher and producer, credited to Emanuel Laskey. [From the record sleeve and labels]
About the artist
James Emanuel Laskey, American soul singer, born 20 June 1945 in Detroit, Michigan; died 23 June 2006 in Detroit after a long battle with cancer. A leading voice of the 1960s Detroit soul scene, he recorded for Thelma Records ('I'm a Peace Loving Man' / 'Sweet Lies', 1965) and later Westbound; started out at The Village club alongside Nathaniel Mayer and Mitch Ryder. [Source: Soul Source (Rob Moss) / Rate Your Music / Soulful Detroit]
Themes
In collections
Draft Songs · Soul, Gospel, & Funk Songs · US Combat Perspective Songs [War Years]