One of the best things about music has always been how it can be counted on to reflect the times. Every generation has its songs or musicians that define the era. As past and recent events prove, one thing that has always influenced music is current events, most notably war.

A musical generation that was heavily affected by the events surrounding it was that of the Vietnam War. Due to the unpopularity of the war in Vietnam, protest songs became a common form of expression.

It was not unusual to hear anti-war protestors singing songs such as “Blowing in the Wind” by Bob Dylan or “Give Peace a Chance” by John Lennon. The most popular musicians of the time spoke out against the fighting through peaceful lyrics, while still trying to offer support to those troops fighting overseas.

“People our age weren’t there during that time (Vietnam), so we derive a lot of what we feel from their songs,” sophomore Molly La Fond said. “I just think that we look back and can almost feel what that war was like. I can listen to music and feel a lot more than if someone were to explain it to me or I was to read it in a history book.”

Despite the turbulence present during those years, the music expressed a longing for resolution, and a call for change.

More recent happenings that draw parallels to the Vietnam era are the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001 and the current war with Iraq. Less than a year after Sept. 11, Bruce Springsteen released his album [ITALICS]The Rising[ITALICS], which heavily paid tribute to those lost in the terrorist attacks. Many of those saddened and confused by the deaths of so many Americans found solace in Springsteen’s words of understanding.

Even more recently, songs like “When I’m Gone,” by Three Doors Down, have been adopted as theme songs for the separation of soldiers and their loved ones. John Mellencamp has taken lyrics to a traditional Woody Guthrie protest song and updated them to show his own feelinga about the war.

Sonic Youth’s lead singer Thurston Moore has even started up a Web site (www.protest-records.com) where artists can go and offer anti-war songs and poetry for downloading. Songs by the Beastie Boys, Cat Power and Stephan Smith are already available on the site.

While several musicians are adamant about their anti-war status, there are just as many who feel the war is justified. Though there are typical outspoken musicians, such as David Alan Coe, who make their views public in a more forceful sense, there are the select few who do so quietly.

Recently, country musician Darryl Worley’s song “Have You Forgotten?” has entered the charts at number one with a bang. The lyric “I hear people saying we don’t need this war, I say there’s some things worth fighting for” clearly expresses the artist’s pro-war views without being offensive, a quality that seems more important than ever these days.

“I find it admirable when artists choose to express themselves, whether they are pro or anti war,” freshman James Miller said. “True lyricists never hide behind smoke and mirrors, they will trust in words to convey their opinion to the listener.”