Ragged Old Flag
1974 · Columbia 4-46028 · New York City, New York
- Artist
- Johnny Cash
- Title
- Ragged Old Flag
- Release
- Ragged Old Flag
- Year
- 1974
- Label
- Columbia # 4-46028
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- New York City, New York, USA
- Songwriter
- Johnny Cash
- Genre
- Country · Country
- Primary theme
- Post-War
Annotation
Johnny Cash (1932-2003), a key country singer, and one of the most influential musicians in the 20th century, released in 1966 the anti-protest single "The One on the Right Is on the Left" (Columbia Records # 4-43496), which called on folk singers to keep politics out of their songs. It also referenced the draft. Several years later his views had changed, and in March 1971 he released the single "Man in Black" (Columbia Records # 4-45339) in which he explained that "I wear the black...for the thousands who have died", which displayed support for the anti-war movement. He followed this up in May 1971 with the song "Singin' in Vietnam Talkin' Blues" (Columbia Records # 4-45393) which recalled a trip that Cash and June Carter took to Vietnam in 1970 to visit US troops. In 1974, for the US Bicentennial, he released the patriotic, flag-waving song "Ragged Old Flag" (Columbia Records # 4-46028), which listed many American wars, including Vietnam, expressing loyalty to the US flag as a symbol of freedom. This song also featured on the album Ragged Old Flag (Columbia Records # KC 32917). Several artists released covers of this song, including John Mathews Family and Jay Conder.
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
About the artist
Born 26 February 1932, Kingsland, Arkansas, USA. Died 12 September 2003, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Themes
Patriotic · Flag Burning · American Revolution · Civil War · WW1 · WW2 · Korea · Watergate