In this sound-rich show, the authors of “We Gotta Get Out of this Place”, Doug Bradley and Craig Werner, play songs the soldiers listened from that era and explore how that music became the soundtrack of the war. When we hear a particular song it strikes a cord and helps us relive that time. Be the first to ask a question about We Gotta Get Out of This Place. If that juxtaposition doesn't ring true, read no further. Drawing on interviews with thousands of Veterans and the research of psychiatrist on the power of music they have tracked both what the Vietnam Vets listened to and how it affected them. "We Gotta Get Out of This Place", occasionally written "We've Gotta Get Out of This Place", is a rock song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and recorded as a 1965 hit single by the Animals. U.S. troops turned to popular music as a way of coping with the war in Vietnam. We gotta get out of this place : the soundtrack of the Vietnam War. Housed on the Amherst campus, UMass Press is proud to operate the Juniper Literary Prizes and publish the Bright Leaf imprint. There was always at least one former vaudevillian available to play. Music can serve as a powerful historical lens and these authors do a splendid job of creating a perspective on the Vietnam War through the era's soundtrack. Werner and Bradley have done so much more than you imagine when you first pick up the book. It has become an iconic song of its type and was immensely popular with United States Armed Forces GIs during the Vietnam … In We Gotta Get Out of This Place, Doug Bradley and Craig Werner place popular music at the heart of the American experience in Vietnam. Music in Vietnam was an escape from the war. For instance, I learned about the true story of Adrian Cronauer (of "Good Morning Vietnam" fame); spoiler: he was nothing like how Robin Williams portrayed him. The template for the writing is organized by stages of the war; from support by the soldiers and from the folks at home through the turbulent times as the fighting dragged on. “A whole group of vets who were gathered around us talking about music and Vietnam. Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2018. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 16, 2016. In 2006, a University of Wisconsin-Madison study of hundreds of Vietnam veterans found that "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" was the song veterans most identified with the war, even stating in the report, "We had absolute unanimity, this song being the touchstone. It's a collection of first person accounts from Vietnam veterans of the songs that got them through the war. We Gotta Get Out of This Place. Hosted by Stax Museum of American Soul Music. Every bad band that ever played in an armed forces club had to play this song.” “Chain of Fools,” by Aretha Franklin. U.S. troops turned to popular music as a way of coping with the war in Vietnam. One tank driver's brutally honest account of the Vietnam War. This book has it all and expresses it beautifully. Play on Spotify The book is written in three sections: the early part of the war, the later, post-Tet Offensive war, and the aftermath when Vets tried to forge a new life in a country that both hated and betrayed them. There are a lot of books on the Vietnam war, this was a joy to read. There are a lot of books on the Vietnam war, this was a joy to read. "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" The Animals (Rock) "Hello Vietnam" Johnny Wright (Country) "Soldier Boy" The Shirelles ( Motown) "Dear Uncle Sam" Loretta Lynn (Country) "The Ballad of the Green Berets" Sgt. The men who are featured in the video are all Vietnam Veterans who have helped to build the exhibit. This shopping feature will continue to load items when the Enter key is pressed. For those of us a certain age just reading the song titles starts the music playing in your head, bringing back that time. "We Gotta Get Out of This Place is chock full of materials that present multi-voiced memories of how popular music related to the experiences of American GIs in and after the Vietnam War. We Gotta Get Out of This Place is highly recommended to scholars and popular audiences interested in understanding the individual experiences of American troops who served in Vietnam, as well as to returning veterans seeking to overcome distressing memories of their own wartime experiences. Welcome back. I particularly enjoyed reading the individual stories of how music defined, helped, and/or healed the Vietnam veterans quoted and interviewed for the book. "I've read several Vietnam War memoirs over the years, 'Boys For Men' is the best.". When we hear a particular song it strikes a cord and helps us relive that time. 'We Gotta Get out of This Place' became an anthem for [the] Vietnam soldier, antiwar protesters, and young people who viewed it as an anthem of greater opportunities." In We Gotta Get Out of This Place, Doug Bradley and Craig Werner place popular music at the heart of the American experience in Vietnam. My favourite music from the Vietnam Era (give or take a few years either side!) General CommentI know this song is more about society than the war, but when I hear it, it makes me think of the soldiers in vietnam thinking the war is pointless, and "We gotta get out of this place. Thirteen stories following the wayfarer, Frank, from his birth during WWII to the turning of the 20th century. Music in Vietnam was an escape from the war. Now my girl you’re so young and pretty And one thing I know is true, yeah You’ll be dead before your time is due, I know it Watch my daddy in bed a … Width in pixels px I'm pleased to confirm what others have said. But the fact is that We Gotta Get Out of This Place is regarded by most Vietnam vets as our We Shall Overcome, says Bobbie Keith, an Armed Forces Radio DJ in Vietnam from 1967-69. I found it interesting how even songs that are not considered anti-war songs such as Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made For Walking" held a deep meaning or brought back specific memories for the soldiers. Looking back on them as an adult I realize they were no more than thinly veiled propaganda. We were surprised by the strong appeal of this song … There was always at least one former vaudevillian available to play. Werner and Bradley have done so much more than you imagine when you first pick up the book. Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2018. I also found it interesting to see how music changed during the length of the war and how music continues today with the healing process. I expected a story about how all the G.I. I would recommend it though it brings back a lot of memories of the time and they are definitely not all good. In We Gotta Get Out of This Place, Doug Bradley and Craig Werner place popular music at the heart of the American experience in Vietnam. I thought it was a music CD I had put on hold, not a book. Every bad band that ever played in an armed forces club had to play this song.” “Chain of Fools,” by Aretha Franklin. Thrilling air combat and passionate romance span the skies of time. The draft was still alive and well so GIs stationed OCONUS everywhere related. Drawing on interviews with thousands of Veterans and the research of psychiatrist on the power of music they have tracked both what the Vietnam Vets listened to and how it affected them. They did so because of their timid policies, foolish strategies and ignorance of their enemies. Welcome to the online home of University of Massachusetts Press. If you're a seller, Fulfillment by Amazon can help you grow your business. Well worth reading. “We’ve Gotta Get Out of this Place,” by the Animals. The authors explore the music important to men and women who served in Viet Nam. For a Kentucky rifleman who spent his tour trudging through Vietnam’s Central Highlands, it was Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’.” For a “tunnel rat” who blew smoke into the Viet Cong’s underground tunnels, it was Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze.” For a black marine distraught over the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., it was Aretha Franklin’s “Chain of Fools.” And for countless other Vietnam vets, it was ”I Feel Like I’m Fixin’ to Die,” “Who’ll Stop the Rain,” or the song that gives this book its title. This was the Vietnam anthem. . Bit of self-promotion here. But almost as if by secret vote many decades ago, one song emerged as the unofficial hymn for those who served in Southeast Asia. In short, the book is a quick, interesting read, and a real pleasure for anyone who is a fan of the music of the 1960's. This book explains why US leaders failed in Vietnam. I found this book incredibly interesting! When we hear a particular song it strikes a cord and helps us relive that time. We work hard to protect your security and privacy. “We’ve Gotta Get Out of this Place,” by the Animals. The many lengthy recollections bring this book down to a personal level and add richness to the topic. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published Did it ever. Awesome book about the Vietnam War, the culture of the soldiers in Vietnam and back home, and the music that influenced it all. Vets listened, sang, performed, parodied and eventually remembered and were healed by music. They did a ton of interviews and the thoroughness of the authors' research really makes this book that much more informative and interesting. The book's divided into chapters keyed to each of the presiding presidents--JFK, LBJ, Nixon--along with one on the various ways music reached the soldiers (radio, tape decks, live shows, GI musicians) and one on what music meant/means "back int he world." When we hear a particular song it strikes a cord and helps us relive that time. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. In 2004 it was ranked number 233 on Rolling Stone's The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time … A book for anyone interested in how the music of the sixties and seventies influenced and still affects the men and women who served in Vietnam. It reminded them of home. Fascinating book and a tribute to the role music played in this unique war and the anti-war movement in the US. Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2019. Music and Vietnam go together. When the order arrived, it was a book, I have to say it was a good surprise. They explore how and why U.S. troops turned to music as a way of connecting to each other and the World back home and of coping with the complexities of the war they had been sent to fight. Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a service we offer sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. As all the other reviews of this book were from the US I thought I'd add a British perspective. Bradley and Werner start the book out with an. My friend and co-author, Vietnam vet Doug Bradley, and I have been working on this for over a decade, so it's a huge relief to see it in physical form. I expected a story about how all the G.I. This book does an excellent job of not only giving the most popular music soldiers listened to in Vietnam, but also talked about how those musical experiences differed from person to person. Not only could I virtually hear the songs that were talked about but, I could truly relate to the times and remember what I was going through and where I was in nam when they were played and I heard them for the first time. We Gotta Get Out of This Place concludes, appropriately enough, with a revealing and often painful discussion of the travails of Vietnam vets in the 40 years since the war’s end. It took me a while to finish this book and I'm glad I did as the last chapter really brought it together...enough time had to pass for the veterans to be able to start addressing the experiences they had gone through in Vietnam and their return home to the U.S. Start by marking “We Gotta Get Out of This Place: The Soundtrack of the Vietnam War (Culture, Politics, and the Cold War)” as Want to Read: Error rating book. Follow a squad of paratroopers with the 101st Airborne after Tet '68, west of Hue into the highlands, where they fought continuously for months. The solos and duets written by the people who were there are incredibly interesting. The music video was filmed in the museum’s Vietnam Experience Exhibit. We did our best to get out of the way and let the voices of the men and women who served in that nightmare of a war take center stage. There are a lot of first person narratives in the book from soldiers about music in their lives, before, during and after Vietnam. There were more than two and a half million of them." True tales of the war, both funny and frightening, by a woman who was in the thick of it. It formed a powerful connection to home, emotions and fellow soldiers. In We Gotta Get Out of This Place, Doug Bradley and Craig Werner place popular music at the heart of the American experience in Vietnam.They explore how and why U.S. troops turned to music as a way of connecting to each other and the world back home and of coping with the complexities of the war they had been sent to fight. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. It is a great read. Fascinating, music I love from a time and event I’m too young to have experienced. The music of the time was so important to those who served in Nam (and to the rest of us too). Each veteran had his own visceral reaction to the music of their personal story and particular era of the war, including before and after they returned "to the world." But the fact is that We Gotta Get Out of This Place is regarded by most Vietnam vets as our We Shall Overcome, says Bobbie Keith, an Armed Forces Radio DJ in Vietnam from 1967-69. When ordered I thought I was going to get a CD. In 1987, she was inducted with her husband, Mann, into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Deadful. We Gotta Get Out Of This Place Michael Lazares In this collection of memories about being involved in the American invasion of Vietnam one story stands out. 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