The Shirelles: "Soldier Boy

April 30, 1962 (3 weeks)

It's perhaps natural to assume that "Soldier Boy" is about Vietnam, especially in light of all that went down there over the next decade. And while the former French Indochina is certainly a part of where US troops were being sent in the early sixties, it was far from the only destination. A ceasefire had only been declared in Korea nine years earlier and who was to know if and when tensions there would escalate back to those deadly levels. Meanwhile, the Berlin Wall had only just been completed and the situation in the divided Germany was in question.

The Shirelles' "Soldier Boy" isn't sung as a tragedy, rather than as a pledge from the young woman left behind in the States that she will remain faithful — and that he, in turn, should be equally upright in their relationship no matter where he ends up. There isn't a sense that these girls won't see their guys again, only a question of whether the time and distance separating them will strengthen what they had together or be what ultimately brings about their breakup.

And, to be sure, things aren't going to go well for most of them. Let's say all four Shirelles have bid their boyfriends farewell. Two are sent to the Far East, another one to West Germany and the fourth goes to...uh...Panama. I say that at least two of these boys start cheating on their girls within a month. A third tries to hold out for as long as he can and he might even do what he thinks is the right thing by writing her a letter (or series of letters) to explain his situation but in the end this relationship goes tits up as well. The fourth might end up being tempted away but he stays strong and does his duty without distraction. He eventually returns home but the strain of having been apart for so long does them in too. (At the same time, three out of four Shirelles manages to stay out of trouble with the fourth eventually being tempted away by a guy who is not off serving his country)

The goodhearted nature of the song belies the reality that couples were systemically being broken up by the American Armed Forces. It doesn't matter how much The Shirelles try guilt tripping their guys into fidelity, the vast majority of these relationships just aren't going to survive. And it isn't even anyone's fault. Young men serving halfway around the world are bound to get lonely and depressed and many of them will avail themselves of what's on offer.

"Soldier Boy" is a much better song when considered from this perspective, rather than as a goodbye to young men being sent to die in Southeast Asia. For one thing, the Vietnam War was not what it would be four or five years later. And, as I say, the girls sound way too cheery to be seeing off lads who they must've known had a good chance of returning in coffins. While the Cold War made a number of parts of the world unstable, there was still a good chance the bulk of American men would be returning home someday. This is how they sing it.

The only thing left to consider is how young couples reacted to "Soldier Boy" when it came out. Also an American chart topper, it was evidently popular enough but how were couples like the ones described above taking it? Did girls give their boyfriends copies of the 45 when they were about to depart for Asia or Europe? Did they send them letters with some or all of the lyrics printed out as a not-so-subtle reminder? Conversely, were the young men listening? Did they take these words as a warning — or, indeed, even a threat? Did they find that its lyrics carried greater meaning as they got sent from one part of the world to another or had its meaning dulled on them by that time?

Score: 8

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Hey! Where's...?

The CHUM charts seemed to have a lot more time for British acts than their counterpart listing, Billboard's Hot 100, did down south. For example, Cliff Richard managed to notch his first Canadian Top 10 hit with "The Young Ones" during The Shirelles' reign while it did nothing in America. On the other hand, Mr. Acker Bilk underperformed a little bit compared to in the US when "Stranger on the Shore" only got to number three. It's a fair enough chart position for a lovely trad jazz recording, just not great considering what was a sensation in the States it had been. (Though it only spent a week at the top of Billboard, it would end up being the year's biggest hit) If anything, I would've expected it to have done even better in Canada where inferior singles by Andy Stewart and Charlie Drake found, for whatever reason, appreciative audiences. That said, "Stranger on the Shore" is a different beast from your typical cheery singalong fave from across the pond. Not exactly a form of pop injustice that it failed to get all the way to number one on CHUM, just a little surprising is all.