This week we take a little detour into the world of movie music. This week YMV had an article by E.J. Dionne on “Can we Escape 1968” and it got me thinking about that era and in particular a specific movie. Some of the best music ever written was done for movies. While the music might be good, when it is coupled with images playing on the screen at the same time it packs a double emotional impact. One of the great composers of movie music is John Williams whose work is featured in all the Star Wars movies along with movies such as Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones, E.T. etc.
Some of you are the same age as I am and so came of age during the 1960’s. Probably the biggest feature of the 1960’s was not hippies, free love and psychedelic music but at least in America opposition to the Vietnam War was huge. So it is with the movie, Born on the 4th of July which covers the life of Ron Kovic who was shot in Vietnam, paralyzed and wheelchair dependent and who became a real life anti-war protester. It is Ron’s book on his life that was turned into a movie by Oliver Stone with music by John Williams.
In 1966 after my student deferments at the University of Minnesota ran out I got my draft notice. Like thousands of other young men, I went for my physical fully expecting to be designated 4F since I could not walk or stand much less run. Much to my surprise I was designated 1A and when I asked how the Hell am supposed to get through Basic Training, I was told the army would find a way to use me and I had 30 days to get my Life in order. It was a time when the army needed any and all bodies they could get since the Vietnam meat grinder was eating up men. After an intervention from Hubert Humphrey’s office I was reclassified 1Y.
Even though with the reclassification I knew I would not have to serve, I became very anti-war. I joined Eugene McCarthy’s campaign and very active in the anti-war movement. No – I was not at the Democratic Convention being beat up but I had friends who were. So it was when the movie came out in 1989, it was one I simply had to see.
John Williams, born in 1932, who wrote the music has been a fixture on the movie music scene since 1972 with training at the Julliard School. Ron Kovic was born in 1946 and joined the Marines in 1964 and now lives in Redondo Beach, California having never married. While I did not know Ron and never met him, intuitively I understand how a broken body can destroy male confidence. Thankfully, my wife bought me for my brains, not my body.
Back to the movie, when the opening trumpet played, just 4 notes, I lost it totally and completely dissolving into a blubbering idiot. I think every person’s soul is sensitive to certain frequencies – the trumpet and those 4 notes hit my spot. Thank Goodness, no two people have the same sensitivity to the same frequencies so there is a need for millions of pieces of music so everyone on the planet can have their piece of music that becomes their soul scratcher. In my entire music career, listening and playing thousands of pieces of music, those 4 notes on the trumpet has had a bigger impact on my life than any other piece of music.
Hopefully as the music series continues, I will feature a piece of music so that every TMV’er can have the same soul cleansing experience I have had with 4 notes in Born on the 4th of July.