Country Joe and the Fish: The War of the Cheer, and the "I-Feel-Like-I-Die-Rag Fixin'-To"

They were increasingly seen as the Vietnam War escalated in the mid-1960, and the young men drafted into military songs of protest has become more mainstream, reaching the pop charts. Once a staple of popular music, like Phil Ochs' "I Is not Marching Anymore" anti-war songs like Barry McGuire's "Eve of Destruction", written by pop composers PF Sloan, the number one hit on the Billboard.

Perhaps the song was longer protest era Country Joe and the Fish "I-Feel-Like-IFixin'-To-Die Rag. "The song with the voice of a military recruiter / salesman (with horns, kazoo and an unheard of hurdy-gurdy organ accompaniment), young people will be encouraged to join the fight in Vietnam is written, encourages parents to be the first to be "with his children. coming home in a box "Its chorus:" Hurrah! We will all die. "

McDonald, 1965, a folk living in San Francisco, wrote "Fixin'-To-Die Rag", in less than 30 minutes and took as part of an EP(Extended play) disc with guitarist Barry Melton, and other musicians were called Country Joe and the Fish.

McDonald, a Navy veteran who grew up in a family of American Communists, wrote that the song tries to put "the blame for the war and the political leaders of the U.S. military and industry that makes money the war, but those who had not the war ... the soldiers to fight. "

Many of them have been introduced "Fixin'-To-Die Rag" to 1970Woodstock documentary. In 1969 the first festival day, many artists do not reach the stage because of the time and the masses. McDonald, took the stage to see a Richie Havens exhausted conclude a three-hour performance, presented was an acoustic guitar and was convinced play.

McDonald, who knew his work was so much fun to kill time, said after the game for 25 minutes, he noticed that some were in the crowd of over 300,000 peopleto listen. That's when he yelled, "Gimme an F!" It 'was the amount of attention, and shouted: "F!"

The song that followed was nothing like you hear of cheerleaders at a football game, was the "Courage to fish", which is always in front of McDonald, which was ignored by the music industry "Fixin'-To Die -Rag ". He explained that the "Courage to fish" was a 1967 recording session was born as a way for the band, themselves a pat on the shoulder. Each member of the band called"Give me an F", "Gimme an I," "Give me an S", "Gimme an H." Then he shouted: "What is the spell?" "Fish!"

The "Fish Cheer" was a staple at concerts, but the item would require a change in 1968, which is subject to both controversial and memorable. In New York City Beer Festival Schaefer, was the drummer Gary "Chicken" Hirsh with the idea of ​​the "FISH" value for another four-letter word change. The public enjoys, but the Festival Schaefer, the group of bandits for life.

Alsowithout the cheer was "Fixin'-To-Die Rag," as so controversial that refused Vanguard Records president Maynard Solomon, the group that includes songs from her debut album, Electric Music for the mind and body. Solomon believed that the song would be too "thorn in the eye and prevent the band to get every single game on the radio." But Solomon would give in and "I-Feel-Like-I-am-Fixin'-To-Die Rag" became the title song of the band's second album in 1967.

McDonaldsaid that he still likes the song because so many viewers, "lived" the song during the Vietnam War, Vietnamese prisoner of war, the song was played to demoralize the prisoners, but was told McDonald that gave them courage . A veterinarian told McDonald that his friend's last words were "Whoopee! We are all dead."

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