“Bring the Boys Home” (Freda Payne)

Yesterday’s classic song of the day was Edwin Starr’s “War.” Continuing the anti-war theme, today’s socially conscious classic song of the day by a top R&B artist is “Bring the Boys Home” by Freda Payne. This powerful protest song was released in May of 1971 and peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on Billboard’s Best Selling Soul Singles chart.

“Bring the Boys Home” was written by Angelo Bond, General Johnson, and Greg Perry. General Johnson was the lead singer of the group Chairmen of the Board (“Give Me Just a Little More Time“) and Greg Perry co-wrote and produced songs for that group and the female group Honey Cone (“Want Ads“). Chairmen of the Board, along with Freda Payne, recorded for the Invictus Records label; Honey Cone recorded for the sister Hot Wax label. Both labels were formed by former Motown songwriter/producers Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland (AKA H-D-H), after they left Motown over a financial dispute.

Freda Payne had a previous hit for Invictus with “Band of Gold,” which peaked at #3 on the Billboard charts. “Bring the Boys Home” echoed the sentiments of a large number of Americans at the time who were tired of and angered by the country’s continued involvement in the Vietnam War. It may be difficult for younger folks today to comprehend, but virtually everyone in the U.S. knew at least one young man who had been sent to fight in that pointless war. It tore the country apart and all most people wanted was for the war to end and the government to “bring the boys home.”

As with most of the protest songs of the ’60s and early ’70s, “Bring the Boys Home” has just as much import today as it did then. The song’s lyrics still resonate:

Fathers are pleading
Lovers are all alone
Mothers are praying
Send our sons back home (tell ’em ’bout it)
You marched them away
Yes, you did now
On ships and planes
To the senseless war
Facing death in vain

Senseless wars still abound. The world hasn’t changed much in the past fifty years, unfortunately.