Soldier Boy

May 1962

Oh, the Shirelles. How far you've fallen. You'll recall that this is the very same group who brought us such great classics as "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" and "Tonight's the Night." Often cited as the first girl-group, they certainly were not the most prolific. Among their small handful of hits was this curious little number.

It's a little shocking, really, how poor of an effort this is, compared to the Shirelles' other material from around the same time. Musically it's trite, and lyrically it's hardly inspiring. Historically it makes sense, though, as the years 1961 and 1962 saw a dramatic escalation of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, and I suppose the sentiment of a woman waiting at home for her soldier was one that resonated with the public. When we think back on Vietnam-era popular music, we tend to remember the anti-war protest side of things, and it's easy to forget the more mainstream songs like this one. It's totally complacent with the war, even optimistic—a very real attitude that is underrepresented in most nostalgic views on this time period. You'll note that "Blowin' in the Wind" did not chart at all on the singles chart.

But oh boy, "Soldier Boy" just has not aged well at all. Even on the level of production values, it just sounds cheaper compared to the Shirelles' other major hits. There always is a certain random element that decides which songs become #1 and which ones don't. Maybe there wasn't much else out at the time to compete with this one? At any rate, the group's hits from the previous year were much stronger musically, my personal favorite being the wonderfully catching "Mama Said." And when I think of this group, that's the kind of song I'll think of, not this unfortunate disappointment.

D