Marching Off to War
1966 · Stax S-191 · USA
- Artist
- William Bell
- Title
- Marching Off to War
- Release
- Share What You Got / Marching Off to War
- Year
- 1966
- Label
- Stax # S-191
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- USA
- Genre
- Soul, Gospel & Funk · Soul
- Primary theme
- Home Front Perspective / Soldier's Perspective
Annotation
Another Vietnam related single from the southern soul singer William Bell, from Memphis Tennessee, the song "Marching Off to War" (Stax Records # S-191) focused on that moment when the troops left their homes and headed off to Vietnam - "standing at the station, troops waiting in line". The soldier's loved one said that "she'd wait three years or more", which made the soldier's "life worth living". The single entered the R&B Billboard charts on 9 July 1966 at # 40, reaching its peak on 13 August, at # 27. It stayed in the top 50 for 8 weeks. See his two other Vietnam singles: "Soldiers Good-bye" (1966: Stax Records # 45-199) & "Lonely Soldier" (1970: Stax Records # STA-0070).
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
About the artist
American soul singer and songwriter, born 16 July 1939 in Memphis, Tennessee; Stax artist ('Marching Off to War'); long based in Atlanta, Georgia. [Source: Wikipedia]