Napalm Blues
1966 · Union of Man · USA
- Artist
- Badger King
- Title
- Napalm Blues
- Release
- Napalm Blues / Drownin' Rain
- Year
- 1966
- Label
- Union of Man
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- USA
- Songwriter
- Michael Lynn Coelho
- Genre
- Blues · Blues
- Primary theme
- Peace, Protest & Anti-War
Annotation
Badger King, born Michael Lynn Coelho on 3 January 194 in Fresno, California, USA, and died 12 April 1987. (1) (2) A contemporary folk artist, who participated in anti-Vietnam War demonstrations in the 60s, released the blues style song "Napalm Blues" about chemical weapon Napalm B - a jellied gasoline mixture, with polystyrene, benzene, and gasoline. Declared a war-crime since 1980, the US government extensively used this weapon during the Vietnam conflict, dropping 388,000 tons on Indochina between 1963 and 1973. (1) (2) (3) It lyrics contain a graphic description of its devasting impact: "it's a gasoline jelly, burn your arms and your legs, and your back and your belly". It compares the use of napalm to Hitler's use of gas during World War Two: "well Hitler had the gas, US has the bomb". The narrator called for an end to the war: "all you people fighting... lay down your guns".
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
About the artist
Born 3 January 3, Fresno, California, USA. Died 12 April 1987. Birth name Michael Lynn Coelho.