youtube/watch?v=aQZt0PNU4Es Published on Oct 28, 2012 The track Lonely Soldier (Atlantic Records # 45-2339) by soul singer Mike Williams is narrated from the perspective of a soldier who is off to fight a war that they say will make me free. But all the soldier feels is loneliness, missing the woman he loves and his son. The son wants to know why must this war be? But the soldier is unable to come up with an answer. At the end of the song the soldier emotionally cries Im tired of seeing people dying. So this song dealt with the personal impact of the war both on the soldier and the family left behind, the death and hurt caused by war, and the frustration of having to fight when not really understanding the point / relevance of the conflict. Im a lonely soldier many miles from home With a heart that is heavy but with a will that is strong Behind I left a women so dear to me Im off to fight a war that they say would make me free Im a lonely soldier My son called junior, smiling but with sympathy All confused he asks the question: Daddy, why must this war be? I tried so very hard to explain...it all seemed to be in vain Oh lord, Im tired of hearing people crying Im tired of seeing people dying Billboard included the single in its spotlight section on 18 June 1966, announcing an Exciting debut for the soulful singer with this wailing blues ballad bemoaning a soldiers life. In the same edition Atlantic Records ran a full-page advert promoting the single, which said: As timely as todays headlines! Lonely Soldier Mike Williams, and then it quoted a review: This is R & B dynamite, and such an outstanding performance that it could be a big pop hit. On 2 July 1966 the single bubbled under the Hot 100 at # 130, and then a week later, on 9 July, it entered the top 100 at # 88. It peaked at # 85 on 16 July. But it remained in the R&B chart - at # 38 on 13 August, and then falling to # 41 on 20 August.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 23:49:55 +0000
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