“The unknown soldier” is the title of the song I have chosen. It was written in 1968. It was written by the group The Doors, formed by Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, John Densmore.  Jim Cherry, author of The Doors Examined, stated that the song specifically avoided being overtly about the Vietnam War because the band wanted it to be more timeless and universal.

-Through simple lyrics, it recalls the death of a faceless soldier in combat, while life goes on at home (“news is read” and “children fed”)-.

But there is also another message to it: as the rest of America sits at their breakfast table whilst their children goggle at the television, the unknown soldier is shot. It almost seems that war is normalised in everyday life, and that people continue to live their normal lives and stick to their usual routines when their soldiers are dying. The fact that the soldier has no name is also a strong message towards the ignorance and lack of emotion of people towards these men who are fighting ‘for them’.

I have chosen this song because I like that it does not say the name of a soldier. It represents that many people die and we do not stop to see who has died or why.