Stop The War Now

Annotation

The track "Stop the War Now" (Gordy Records # 7104), while musically very similar to Edwin Starr's "War", contained more content, calling for people to protest and the politicians to act. Kicking off with the whistle of a bomb dropping, and then an explosion, it told of the draft letter arriving: "there's a letter from the war...greetings, we want you". But the narrator wanted to know "why must I kill against my will". He then asked what do the mothers of dead soldiers get: "a few measly pennies a month, a medal, a grave". Starr strongly criticised the government for claiming that victory was near when "the death list keeps right on growing". Certainly the strongest anti-war song to come out of Motown Records. But coming so soon after "War", with its similar sound and content, it looks like an attempt to cash in on the growing anti-war sentiment of the early 1970s. Motown's advertising in Billboard adds support to this, as it claimed: "Edwin Starr knows the mood of the times", as he "cries out for stronger action" - the word are written over a photograph of a wounded soldier in pain, sitting in the jungle.1 Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, who wrote "War", also composed this track, which reached # 5 in the Billboard R&B charts (9 January 1971), and # 26 in the Billboard Hot 100 (26 January 1971).23Sources1Billboard↩2Billboard, 26 January 1971↩3Billboard, 26 January 1971↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — Soul, Gospel, & Funk Songs

The track "Stop the War Now" (Gordy Records # 7104), while musically very similar to Edwin Starr's "War", contained more content, calling for people to protest and the politicians to act. Kicking off with the whistle of a bomb dropping, and then an explosion, it told of the draft letter arriving: "there's a letter from the war...greetings, we want you". But the narrator wanted to know "why must I kill against my will". He then asked what do the mothers of dead soldiers get: "a few measly pennies a month, a medal, a grave". Starr strongly criticised the government for claiming that victory was near when "the death list keeps right on growing". Certainly the strongest anti-war song to come out of Motown Records. But coming so soon after "War", with its similar sound and content, it looks like an attempt to cash in on the growing anti-war sentiment of the early 1970s. Motown's advertising in Billboard adds support to this, as it claimed: "Edwin Starr knows the mood of the times", as he "cries out for stronger action" - the word are written over a photograph of a wounded soldier in pain, sitting in the jungle.1 Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, who wrote "War", also composed this track, which reached # 5 in the Billboard R&B charts (9 January 1971), and # 26 in the Billboard Hot 100 (26 January 1971).23 Sources1Billboard↩2Billboard, 26 January 1971↩3Billboard, 26 January 1971↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: Make the sound of peace and sing now / Stop the war now / Don't put it off another day, make your voices roar... / A knock on the door, there's a letter from the war / Sayin', greetings, we want you / If I refuse to fight they say that that ain't right... / What is war all about / And why must I kill against my will / I just can't figure it out / This is bout all the soldiers that are dead and gone today / If you asked them to fight again / What do you think they'd say / I'm not trying to be funny, I'm just trying to get my point across / War is world's enemy number one / And it's time that we called it off / War casualties pile up each day, cemeteries are overflowing / The leaders of the world claim victory's near / But the death list keeps right on growing / And what does a mother get in return for the life of the son she's lost / A few measly pennies a month / A medal, a grave and a doggone cross

Notes

Gordy G 7104 (N-T2-N-846M01), purple and yellow label, ℗ © 1970; "Stop the War Now" (N. Whitfield-B. Strong), Jobete-BMI, time 3:35; produced by Norman Whitfield, arranged by David Van De Pitte; "A trademark of Motown Record Corp." [From the record sleeve and labels]

About the artist

American soul singer, born 21 January 1942 in Nashville, Tennessee ('War', 1970); died 2 April 2003 in Bramcote, England. [Source: Wikipedia]

Themes

Anti-War

In collections

Draft Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years] · Soul, Gospel, & Funk Songs