P.O.W - M.I.A.

Annotation — P.O.W. / M.I.A. Songs

The smooth soul group The Whispers formed in Watts, Los Angeles in 1964, by the twin brothers Walter and Wallace Scott, along with Nicholas Caldwell, Gordy Harmon, and Marcus Hutson. They released the track "P.O.W.-M.I.A." (Janus Records # J-212), which centred on the issue of those missing in action and prisoners of war, as stated in the title. The narrator of this song felt that "we have to do better...to bring then home...anyway we can", an attack on the government's lack of progress on the P.O.W. / M.I.A. issue. The narrator thought that people displayed apathy for the issue because it did not involve themselves or somebody that they knew: "give the hero part to some other guy and it really doesn't make much difference if he should live or die". The lyrics also touched on how a P.O.W.'s family was affected by the situation - the narrator sung about a soldier's wife receiving a short letter from the prisoner, who wanted her to tell his parents that he hoped to be home soon. The narrator declared to publicise the issue as much as possible.

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

About the artist

American soul vocal group formed 1963 in Los Angeles, California. [Source: Wikipedia]

Themes

Soldier's Perspective · P.O.W.

In collections

P.O.W. / M.I.A. Songs · Soul, Gospel, & Funk Songs