Body of War: Songs that Inspired an Iraq War Veteran
Encyclopedia
"Body of War: Songs that Inspired an Iraq War Veteran" is an album produced for the documentary
Body of War
. It was created to help make profits towards Young's organization, aside from complementing the film. Curated by Iraq war veteran Tomas Young, it was released by Sire Records on March 18, 2008 — two days before the fifth anniversary of the United States’ invasion of Iraq.
Young personally selected each of the tracks that appear on Body of War: Songs that Inspired an Iraq War Veteran, including Eddie Vedder's previously unreleased, live version of "No More," which was written specifically for the Body of War documentary and performed with Ben Harper at Lollapalooza 2007 in Chicago's Grant Park. The double-CD set also features incisive songs from John Lennon
, Bruce Springsteen
, Bright Eyes, Neil Young
, Lupe Fiasco
and Serj Tankian
.
This music, Young says, serves as his personal ‘soundtrack for Iraq.’ “The compilation record was an idea that grew out of my love of music and my reliance on it before, during, and after the war,” he says. “The songs I selected for the record were tracks that inspired, motivated, and at times, literally saved me over the past few years.”
CD 2
All proceeds from "Body of War: Songs That Inspired an Iraq War Veteran", which features original cover art designed and donated by acclaimed political artist Shepard Fairey
, go to benefit the non-profit organization Iraq Veterans Against the War
(IVAW), as chosen by Young. Founded in 2004 by Iraq war veterans, IVAW’s goal is to give voice to the large number of active-duty service people and veterans who are against the war, but are under various pressures to remain silent. In September, Sire Records donated $100,000 to IVAW in the name of Young, who is a spokesperson for the organization.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Body of War
Body of War
Body of War, directed by Ellen Spiro and Phil Donahue, is a 2007 documentary following Tomas Young, an Iraq War veteran paralyzed from a bullet to the spine, on a physical and emotional journey as he adapts to his new body and begins to question the decision to go to war in Iraq.As Tomas's journey...
. It was created to help make profits towards Young's organization, aside from complementing the film. Curated by Iraq war veteran Tomas Young, it was released by Sire Records on March 18, 2008 — two days before the fifth anniversary of the United States’ invasion of Iraq.
Young personally selected each of the tracks that appear on Body of War: Songs that Inspired an Iraq War Veteran, including Eddie Vedder's previously unreleased, live version of "No More," which was written specifically for the Body of War documentary and performed with Ben Harper at Lollapalooza 2007 in Chicago's Grant Park. The double-CD set also features incisive songs from John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, Bright Eyes, Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
, Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco , better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco , is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, Lupe is the CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food...
and Serj Tankian
Serj Tankian
Serj Tankian is a Lebanese-born Armenian-American singer–songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, playwright, record producer, poet, and political activist...
.
This music, Young says, serves as his personal ‘soundtrack for Iraq.’ “The compilation record was an idea that grew out of my love of music and my reliance on it before, during, and after the war,” he says. “The songs I selected for the record were tracks that inspired, motivated, and at times, literally saved me over the past few years.”
Track-listings
CD 1- "Hero's Song" - Brendan JamesBrendan JamesBrendan James is an American singer-songwriter originally from Derry, New Hampshire, who started in New York City but is currently residing in California...
- "American Terrorist" - Lupe FiascoLupe FiascoWasalu Muhammad Jaco , better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco , is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, Lupe is the CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food...
- "Light Up Ya Lighter" - Michael Franti & Spearhead
- "Guerilla Radio" - Rage Against The MachineRage Against the MachineRage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
- "Son Of A Bush" - Public Enemy
- "Empty WallsEmpty Walls"Empty Walls" is a song by musician Serj Tankian. The song was released as the first official single and first track off of Tankian's debut solo album Elect the Dead. The song has been described as a "traditionally pummeling rocker"....
" - Serj TankianSerj TankianSerj Tankian is a Lebanese-born Armenian-American singer–songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, playwright, record producer, poet, and political activist... - "Let Them Eat War" - Bad ReligionBad ReligionBad Religion is a punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Their current line-up consists of Greg Graffin , Brett Gurewitz , Jay Bentley , Greg Hetson , Brian Baker and Brooks Wackerman . Gurewitz is also the founder of the label Epitaph Records, which has released almost all of the...
- "White People For PeaceWhite People for Peace"White People for Peace: is a 7" single by punk band Against Me! released in 2007, containing two new songs: the title track, and "Full Sesh". In the United States, it was pressed on both black and red vinyl, with a reported 4,500 and 500 copies pressed respectively...
" - Against Me!Against Me!Against Me! is an American punk rock band formed in 1997 in Naples, Florida and relocated to Gainesville, Florida in 1999. Their first full-length album, released on No Idea Records in 2002, was Against Me! Is Reinventing Axl Rose. They have released music on Misanthrope Records, Crasshole Records,... - "Letter From Iraq" - Bouncing Souls
- "War" - Dilated PeoplesDilated PeoplesDilated Peoples is an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California. The group achieved notability in the underground hip hop community, although they have had little mainstream success in the US, with the exception of the song "This Way," a 2004 collaboration with Kanye West and Xzibit...
- "Overcome (The Recapitulation)" - RX BanditsRx BanditsRX Bandits is a four-piece band based in Seal Beach, California. The band formed in 1995 in Orange County, California. They have appeared on the Vans Warped Tour, at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and at The Bamboozle.-Early years :Originally known as...
- "Fields Of Agony" - No Use for a NameNo Use for a NameNo Use for a Name is a punk rock band from San Jose, California, United States formed in 1987 by Chris Dodge , Steve Papoutsis , Rory Koff and John Meyers...
- "Bushonomics" - Talib KweliTalib KweliTalib Kweli Greene , better known as Talib Kweli, is an American hip-hop artist and poet from Brooklyn, New York. His first name in Arabic means "student" or "seeker" ; his in Swahili means "true"...
& Cornel WestCornel WestCornel Ronald West is an American philosopher, author, critic, actor, civil rights activist and prominent member of the Democratic Socialists of America.... - "The 4th Branch" - Immortal TechniqueImmortal TechniqueFelipe Andres Coronel , better known by the stage name Immortal Technique, is an American rapper of Afro-Peruvian descent as well as an urban activist. He was born in Lima, Peru and raised in Harlem, New York. Most of his lyrics focus on controversial issues in global politics...
- "B.Y.O.B.B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Bombs)"B.Y.O.B." is the first single released from System of a Down's fourth album Mezmerize. Like their earlier song "Boom!", it was written to protest the Iraq War. B.Y.O.B. means "Bring Your Own Bombs", as opposed to the common interpretation "Bring Your Own Bottle", referring to the Iraq War as a...
" - System Of A DownSystem of a DownSystem of a Down, also known by the acronym SOAD and often shortened to System, is a rock band from Southern California. The band was formed in 1994. It consists of Serj Tankian , Daron Malakian , Shavo Odadjian and John Dolmayan... - "No More" (Live) - Eddie VedderEddie VedderEddie Vedder is an American musician and singer-songwriter who is best known for being the lead singer and one of three guitarists of the alternative rock band Pearl Jam. He is widely considered a cultural icon of alternative rock.He is also involved in soundtrack work and contributes to albums...
& Ben HarperBen HarperBenjamin Chase "Ben" Harper is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae and rock music and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live performances and activism. Harper's fan base spans several continents...
CD 2
- "Devils & DustDevils & Dust (song)"Devils & Dust" is the title track on Bruce Springsteen's thirteenth studio album Devils & Dust, and was released as a single in 2005. Concerning the Iraq War, the song gained critical praise, a Grammy Award for Song of the Year nomination.-History:...
" - Bruce SpringsteenBruce SpringsteenBruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band... - "Masters Of WarMasters of War"Masters of War" is a song by Bob Dylan, written over the winter of 1962-63 and released on the album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan in the spring of 1963. The song's melody was adapted from the traditional "Nottamun Town"...
" (Live) - Pearl JamPearl JamPearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready... - "When the President Talks to GodWhen the President Talks to God"When the President Talks to God" is a protest song by Bright Eyes, with a very pointed political message directed towards George W. Bush and his policies...
" - Bright Eyes - "Gimme Some TruthGimme Some Truth"Gimme Some Truth" is a protest song written and performed by John Lennon from his 1971 album Imagine.Like several songs on the album, such as the title track "Imagine", "Gimme Some Truth" has blatant political references emerging from the time it was written, during the latter years of the Vietnam...
" - John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music... - "The Restless Consumer" - Neil YoungNeil YoungNeil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
- "Battle Hymns" - The NightwatchmanThe NightwatchmanThe Nightwatchman is the alter-ego and solo act of Rage Against the Machine, Street Sweeper Social Club and former Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello...
- "Anthrax" - Kimya DawsonKimya DawsonKimya Dawson is an American singer-songwriter, best known as a solo performer and as one half of The Moldy Peaches. In Swahili, "Kimya" means "silence" or "silent".-Career:...
- "WMD" - Blow Up HollywoodBlow Up HollywoodBlow Up Hollywood is an underground American rock band. Their eclectic sound, built over a decade of recording, incorporates many different styles, diverse as progressive rock, post-rock, experimental, pop, classical, jazz and ambient soundscapes...
- "State of the Union" - David FordDavid Ford (musician)David James Ford is a British singer-songwriter, currently living in Eastbourne, East Sussex. He first achieved prominence with the indie rock group Easyworld, who released an independent mini-album, ...Better Ways to Self Destruct and two full-length albums on Jive Records before disbanding in...
- "Yo George" - Tori AmosTori AmosTori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
- "Love Vigilantes" - Laura CantrellLaura CantrellLaura Cantrell is a country singer-songwriter and DJ from Nashville, Tennessee. She used to present a weekly country and old-time music radio show on WFMU in New Jersey called The Radio Thrift Shop...
- "Black Rain - Ben HarperBen HarperBenjamin Chase "Ben" Harper is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae and rock music and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live performances and activism. Harper's fan base spans several continents...
- "To Kill The Child" - Roger WatersRoger WatersGeorge Roger Waters is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. He was a founding member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, serving as bassist and co-lead vocalist. Following the departure of bandmate Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became the band's lyricist, principal songwriter...
- "Day After Tomorrow" - Tom WaitsTom WaitsThomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
All proceeds from "Body of War: Songs That Inspired an Iraq War Veteran", which features original cover art designed and donated by acclaimed political artist Shepard Fairey
Shepard Fairey
Frank Shepard Fairey is an American contemporary graphic designer, and illustrator who emerged from the skateboarding scene. He first became known for his "André the Giant Has a Posse" sticker campaign, in which he appropriated images from the comedic supermarket tabloid Weekly World News. His...
, go to benefit the non-profit organization Iraq Veterans Against the War
Iraq Veterans Against the War
Iraq Veterans Against the War is an advocacy group of active-duty United States military personnel, Iraq War veterans, Afghanistan War veterans, and other veterans who have served since the September 11, 2001 attacks who are opposed to the U.S. occupation of Iraq...
(IVAW), as chosen by Young. Founded in 2004 by Iraq war veterans, IVAW’s goal is to give voice to the large number of active-duty service people and veterans who are against the war, but are under various pressures to remain silent. In September, Sire Records donated $100,000 to IVAW in the name of Young, who is a spokesperson for the organization.
External links
- Official site
- Body of War music site
- Official trailer at Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZpeh3C5YGQ
- Eddie Vedder interviewed on Body of War at Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCP1dPKFEDE
- Donahue and Spiro talk about Young's album Body of War at Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGtpfehw-qM
- Body of Warhttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt1068634/ at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Body of Warhttp://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/body_of_war/ at Rotten TomatoesRotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
- Body of Warhttp://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/bodyofwar at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
- Body of Warhttp://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=bodyofwar.htm at Box Office MojoBox Office MojoBox Office Mojo is a website that tracks box office revenue in a systematic, algorithmic way. Brandon Gray started the site in 1999. In 2002, Gray partnered with Sean Saulsbury and they grew the site to nearly two million readers when, in July 2008, the company was purchased by Amazon.com through...
- Body of Warhttp://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=1:410791 at Allmovie