Although a topic of much music in the 1960s, especially in the folk genre, due to America's involvement in Vietnam, the topic of war has rarely been broached in American pop music in general, with only a few notable exceptions reflected in the Billboard year-end Top 10 charts (1951-2014). Two songs in the charts in the 1950s discuss American fighting forces: the first being "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" (1955), which heralds the efforts of Davy Crockett (and others) in the Creek uprising, then as a congressman in Washington "fighting" for the people of Tennessee, and finally, battling Mexican troops under the leadership of General Santa Anna at the Alamo; the second being "The Battle of New Orleans" (1959), which discusses the American defeat of the British in a famous battle of the War of 1812. (Incidentally, both songs mention Andrew Jackson -- in the first song as a general and the second as a colonel -- making him the most-mentioned, and perhaps the only-mentioned, U.S. president in the collection.) As I have presented "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" in a previous blog, I only present "The Battle of New Orleans" here.

Released in 1966, "The Ballad of the Green Berets" was a patriotic ode to the U.S. Army special forces and was written by Robin Moore and Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler. Sadler debuted the song on the Ed Sullivan show in early 1966.

One of the most popular protest songs ever, "War" was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong and recorded by the Temptations in 1969. By public demand, it was rereleased on the Motown label in 1970, with Edwin Starr on vocals. Several other versions of the song have been recorded and released, including a version by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in 1985.

Although not centered on the concept of war in the same way as these previous tunes are, and known perhaps more for its status as the opening theme of the television show Dawson's Creek than anything else, Paula Cole's "I Don't Want to Wait" talks about a woman anxiously awaiting the return of her lover from war, and then about her dealing with the changes he has undergone when he finally does return. The song was released in 1998.

Aside from the relatively in-depth discussions of war in these five songs, a few songs in the Billboard year-end Top Ten collection mention the subject only briefly, and often seemingly metaphorically, e.g. for instance, in the use of the word war and soldier in songs such as "Get Busy" (2003) and "Don't Cha" (2005). The Shirelle's "Soldier Boy" (1962) talks about actual military service without the mention of war (or necessarily implying its presence, the song being released, if not set, in the early 1960s).

Thus, war does not have a great presence in the Billboard year-end Top 10 charts, and when it is addressed, it is typically presented in somewhat of a positive, or at least neutral, manner (by the number of songs, if not by their impact). In subsequent study of larger collections (e.g. Top 30), we will see if this characterization changes.