P.O.W.
1973 · The Anything, Everything BS 764T10 · USA
- Artist
- The Bitter & the Sweet
- Title
- P.O.W.
- Release
- I Won't Have Any Babies for You / P.O.W.
- Year
- 1973
- Label
- The Anything, Everything # BS 764T10
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- USA
- Songwriter
- Floyd Johnson
- Genre
- Soul, Gospel & Funk · Soul
- Primary theme
- Home Front Perspective / Soldier's Perspective
Annotation — P.O.W. / M.I.A. Songs
The song "P.O.W." (The Anything, Everything Records # BS 764T10) by the obscure soul group, The Bitter & the Sweet, dealt with the prisoner of war issue, which frequently appeared in 1970s songs after the Paris Peace Accords. The narration included a series of patriotic sentiments, such as wanting to "salute the past, present and future service men and woman of this country" for their bravery and fighting for the country. At the end of the song the narrator posed a series of questions about the whereabouts of a soldier, representing the type of questions that families and friends of a P.O.W. would ask. Released in Detroit, Michigan. Floyd Johnson wrote and produced, while the Motown Records guitarist Robert White (former member of the The Funk Brothers) worked on the arrangement. The band members included Adrienne Bolden, Katherine Hamilton, Victor Williams, Kenny Jackson & LeRoi Coleman Jordan. See this advert of the original 7".
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English: Free the man today, he's got to be brave / Fighting in the service for our country /The man is gone to defend our land / The man is strong, he's got to be strong / Carrying out the plans for our country / The man almost died... / Where is he now, when it's all over? / Where is the guy who did so much for us? / Is he a prisoner in some foreign land? / Why isn't he here with us?... / Salute the past, present and future service men and woman of this country, especially the P.O.W. (POW)
About the artist
The Bitter & The Sweet were a 1970s soul group from Detroit, Michigan - members Adrienne Bolden Jordan, Katherine Hamilton, Victor Williams, Kenny Jackson and Baraka LeRoi Coleman Jordan, drawn from Detroit's Northern and Mumford high schools. Their releases include "I Won't Have Any Babies For You" (1973, The Anything, Everything Records). [Source: Discogs artist profile]