Published on Apr 26, 2003
John Wayne is a name that rings loud and clear across the
American cultural landscape. More than just an actor and celebrity,
he was a true legend and icon. There are likely very few people in
America, if not the world, who don’t know who he was, even if they
have never seen any of the countless movies that he starred in. Not
a strong character actor, he chose for the most part to play roles
that reflected his own personality as a highly patriotic and moral
man, which connected with audiences to great success and within a
relatively short time he became America’s cultural ambassador,
personifying all the wonderful qualities that make the country what
it is.
Born in 1907, John Wayne began his film career in 1926, and from
that point on appeared in at least one film every year for a grand
total of about two hundred films, in virtually all of which he held
the lead role, until his final silver screen appearance exactly
fifty years later, in1976. Such a tremendous output is unmatched by
any other major or minor Hollywood actor, and throughout that
lengthy career his popularity never waned (awful pun intended),
appearing in dozens of cinema classics that are still highly
regarded today. Unfortunately, a lifetime of heavy smoking took its
toll, and John Wayne died of cancer in 1979 at the age of 72.
This being a music review site however, I will now turn my
attention toward the one album that Wayne recorded. (For more
information about his career and a list of his films, follow
this link.)
In 1970, Wayne began to record the spoken word album
America, Why I Love Her, reciting the unabashed patriotism
in fellow actor John Mitchum’s poetry. At the time, the United
States was embroiled in the controversial and divisive war in
Vietnam, and its own shores had been awash with civil unrest for a
number of years. Wayne, always an outspoken conservative who was
fiercely proud of his country, took every opportunity to promote
the values that he believed made America the greatest country on
Earth. This spoken-word album was the method he used to directly
channel those undiluted feelings during a time in which he felt his
country had lost its way.
A cynic might scoff and arrogantly dismiss this album as nothing
but a tasteless exercise in blind, jingoistic patriotism that
borders on propaganda. After having listened to it, I can easily
understand that point of view, but that is also unnecessarily
close-minded and even naïve.
On the cusp of my first listen, I knew what to expect from a
spoken-word John Wayne album, and believe me, it did not
disappoint. Over the course of ten tracks, the album is practically
a shopping list that systematically recites everything that makes
the United States wonderful, powerful, unique, the envy of the
world, etc, etc, etc. There are songs dedicated to America’s
natural beauty, its ingenious political system with its checks and
balances, the symbolism of its flag, its fallen heroes, and the
tenacity of its people. The rampant optimism and over-the-top
sentimentality can be rather overwhelming at certain points.
But you know what? For the most part, it works very well. While
extremely sappy at times, the mainly orchestral background music
and large choir creates the appropriate tone for the poetic
content, liberally using the melodies of much-loved traditional
standards in a variety of dynamic arrangements ranging from epic
bombast to subtle, mellow passages. These shifts keep the tracks
interesting and do a wonderful job of underscoring the lyrical mood
set by the piece in question. Examples of this would be the
anthemic military march in “The Pledge Of Allegiance,” the
melancholy strings of “Why I Love Her,” the contemporary folk-rock
of “Face The Flag,” and the old-time country tinge of “The Good
Things.”
Of course, the focus of attention is mainly on John Wayne, and
he delivers a wonderful performance. Despite the fact that the
album took three years to complete due to his ongoing health
problems and hectic filming schedule, his speech is full of
confidence, clearly reciting the poems in his trademark laid-back
drawl. He sounds completely natural and at ease, never once giving
in to dramatics. Like a grizzly old uncle, his voice exudes a
warmth and wisdom and passion for his subject that really brings
the material to life.
For an album that could have been rife with embarrassing
missteps (which is, I admit, what I was fully expecting), there are
surprisingly few. Only two moments had me cringing. One is during
the track “Why Are You Marching, Son?”, when Wayne pays tribute to
the brave soldiers who gave their lives for America by specifically
mentioning wars and battle sites, erroneously including a line
referring to the liberation of South Vietnam from its communist
invaders, even though by the time this album was released in 1973
that would clearly not be the outcome of that particular conflict.
The second embarrassing misstep is “An American Boy Grows Up,” a
fictionalized account written from a gushing fatherly perspective
about the coming of age of his boy, a narrative that suffers
heavily under the idealized clichés of making the high
school football team and volunteering for the army. Even Ward and
June Cleaver would struggle to sit through this one with a straight
face.
Those minor misgivings aside, the album won me over with its
absolute sincerity and good intentions and lack of condescension.
It is obvious that both Wayne and Mitchum held a deep love for
their nation, and that passion comes through in spades on
America, Why I Love Her. One may not agree with their
doggedly patriotic stance, but it is impossible not to respect
their undying faith and conviction.
Themes of honor, strength, decency, morality, freedom, justice,
equality, and sacrifice are central to the album, and are repeated
frequently. These are universal and timeless themes, which keep the
content relevant and fresh, particularly in today’s political
climate. In “The Hyphen,” Wayne calls for an end to racial
divisions, for all Americans to stand as one. In other tracks, the
ideas of freedom, individuality and tolerance of dissent are
repeatedly championed. This is a very powerful message that needs
to be revisited in today’s America, where an environment of fear
and a gradual tightening of freedom of expression seem to be taking
place. How could anyone seriously deny the benefits of what Wayne
was saying here?
Fortunately, since its release on CD in November 2001 as a
reaction to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, people have rediscovered
this album (it even charted as high as #18 on Billboard’s internet
album chart in 2002).
I was fully prepared to hate
America, Why I Love Her. The whole concept seemed to smack
of contrived, tactless nationalism in a corny presentation, with
none other than America’s biggest patriot and icon leading the
proceedings. I was wrong. The album serves as a wake-up call to
those who take things for granted, and the ideas contained within
certainly are important to remember for any citizen. And it doesn’t
just apply to America – as a Junior American (i.e. Canadian), I
feel that these themes are equally relevant in my own country, and
should be anywhere else where people are free.
Some will no doubt balk at the glorified idealism and relentless
optimism embodied here to the very core, but should we not
constantly aspire for greatness? I find the ideas promoted here to
be inspirational, and they will stir the emotions of all but the
most hopelessly jaded listener. Just ask yourself – is this
approach really more naïve than viewing everything in life
with skepticism and suspicion?
As John Wayne would say: “I reckon not, pilgrim.”