We were driving in the car with the radio on when they played Stan Ridgway’s Camouflage. Camouflage is not just a song, it’s a real story. A fascinating story of a young Marine who gets lost in the jungle and is helped by another Marine, a big Marine called Camouflage. It’s really worth listening to the lyrics. While I listened to it, I thought of how often war is a theme in songs. Now, this is a blog on war movies, and so I thought it is fitting to see how many times war isn’t only in the lyrics, like in OMD’s Enola Gay, but how often it’s actually used in the video. How many war-themed music videos are there? One could argue these are mini war movies. I found seven so far, if you know any others, feel free to share. Don’t take it too seriously it’s just a little bit of light Sunday afternoon entertainment.
Which one do you prefer and why? Because of the music or the video?
Some of the links below will redirect you to YouTube.
All About War Movies 
What a fantastic topic. Brilliant. I will let you know what I think of the one’s you picked and then try to find some others. I know a few songs that have lyrics about war, but I do not know if they were made into videos.
There are a lot of songs about war or rather against it mostly but not all that many videos. I’m sure there are more. Of course the ones I found are not of equally good quality.
Metallica – The Day That Never Comes
John Michael Montgomery – Letters from Home
Thanks for these two titles. It’s been quiet on this thread.
1- I liked Ridgway from when he was with “Wall of Voodoo”. He always writes interesting songs, but this one is a bit silly. I laughed at the part where Camouflage ripped the palm tree out of the ground to kill some VC.
2 – This was the best one because of the numerous clips from war movies. I recognized Black Hawk Down, Three Kings, Green Zone, and Transformers and I imagine there were some others. The thing that kept the video from being very good was the repetitiveness of the shots.
3 – The Irish situation was not really what I would call a war. The video fits the song well. I still don’t know why the song is called Zombie.
4 – This could be the best, but I cannot understand the language and could not identify the war.
5 – Is he being rescued from Gitmo? Pretty silly. Video does not seem to fit the lyrics.
6 – Old geezers playing army. Sincere though. Some props to the troops – commendable.
7 – Ridiculous 1970s video symbolism. Reminded me of the early days of MTV.
I will now try to find some others to add to your list.
I enjoy Camouflage, didn’t hear the bit with the palm tree though… I just like the idea of a ghost helping and was immediately imagining a story… Imagine Susan Hill (who is famous for her ghost stories) was going to do a Vietnam one.
I am huge fan of 30 Seconds to Mars and, yes, thought it looks good.
I believe The Troubles were a war, guess every Irish perosn would do so too. Plus I love The Cranberries as well…
Litfiba are great. Italian hard rock band, real machos so it is not always in good tatste to say you like them (depending on who you are taklking to). They gave me the idea… It looks like Eritrea… I guess Italy was meddling around there for a long time… I will have to listen to it again and post maybe the lyrics. Cambodia is almost funny and the one before… Yeah well, Status Quo, what can you say…
Curious to see what you come up with…
Surely this is the best
And the winner is… Not bad at all..Watched that Iron Maiden one “Trooper” as well. What movie this they cut up?
Good job, Sean. You beat me to that one.
And another good one featuring Churchill`s famous speech and actual footage
The music sucks… Don’t tell me you like it…
Another of my favourites, written after 9/11, very patriotic if your American
Nice voice but it sure is patriotic…
“One” by Metallica (using clips from Johnny Get Your Gun) and “Rooster” by Alice in Chains.
Good choices, I agree. I posted them below.
Some good Viet nam footage
Another one I did not know…
Not a bad song. not really a vid though
That is cheating as it is NOT a video.
Not quite sure what to make of this one, but as its only just gone Xmas, good tidings
I’m sure you “enjoyed” the burning airplane.
How about Running with the Shadows of the night by Pat Benetar and Some Nights by Fun?
Gteat suggestions, thanks a lot. I didn’t know that video by Fun. It’s perfect for the topic.
More Military than War, albeit shot on an actual US Navy frigate, the USS Reasoner… Those were the eighties. 🙂
Romanticizing guerilla : Carlos Puebla’s Hasta Siempre by Nathalie Cardone.
I actually like this homage to the Che.
French Canadian Rap – Afghanistan war… on the Taleban’s side. Created quite a controversy in Canada this summer.
Thnks for sharing, I’m not really into Rap so I didn’t know this. But it’s a nice addition. I’m afraid most videos will vanish one after the other when there is a problem with the rights.
More military than war, I agree but it still fits the topic. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this.
There’s a nice cover by the Muppet Show (as Viking raiders)… But the hilarious story is how the Navy actually thought they could use it as a recruiting song… I guess ‘don’t look’ preceded ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Navy
The Seven Years’ War: Mylène Farmer’s Pourvu qu’elles soient douces (1988).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pourvu_qu'elles_soient_douces
That’s interesting in a bizarre and daring way. Certainly a very long video. I wonder why she chose the Seven Year’s War as a setting. Obvioulsy symbolica ne way or the other.
My guess would be that the director and singer never tried to hide their admiration for Kubrick, particularly Barry Lyndon (cf. the music video for Libertine) – a film which features the Seven Years’ War.
Also, the young Donatien de Sade fought in this particular conflict. Considering the subject here, I wonder if this fact was known to the authors.
I see where they are coming from but that doesn’t justify the choice yet. Is it purely esthetical, you think?
French Hip-Hop, Iraq & Afghanistan (& others): La Fin de leur monde (The End of their world, 2006) by Akhenaton feat. IAM. Said to have been officially banned from French TV and radio, although I can’t find any evidence to support the claim. Tough editing of news images, though.
Quite hard to watch actually. I have a hard time following the lyrics. I lose track after a few lines. It’s sounds so repetitive.
On the lighter side, a Cold War classic: Elton John’s Nikita (1985). The music video was directed by Ken Russel but it doesn’t show, and East German GrenzTruppen uniforms are only roughly accurate.
However, I remember that in 87/88 a gorgeous-looking female GT officer was regularly popping out of the border post at Checkpoint Charlie to check the IDs of French superior officers going to East-Berlin. She was some kind of a legend – according to which she was a Captain in the KGB disguised under a GDR uniform.
Sure, the woman was real, a blue-eyed brunette with as far as I could tell a slight slavic accent. But was it a fantasy inspired by the song? Had the song itself been inspired by a soldier’s dream, or by actual events? I’ll probably never know…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikita_%28song%29
I like your story much better than the video or the song. I suppose that It would be very difficult to find, indeed. I can imagine that she made quite an impression.:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOZDKlpybZE early and influential attempt of war-themed MV!
I forgot about that, yes, absolutely, a great example. Thanks.
Try Fade to Black by Metallica.
Thanks, Darren. I will.
How about We Are Skittles? It’s a song I co-wrote and sing. And please share if you think it’s any good. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdR3-Vy0r34
Thanks for sharing, Patsy.
It’s beautiful.
Really appreciate your comment. A big thank you from Scotland!
Thanks for sharing, Patsy. It’s beautiful
here’s is one of my favorite videos from one of my favorite bands… its D-day…
here’s Fun with an american civil war video
also… Coldplay WW1 tribute
also here… its one of her better videos…
also, how about a story about two revolutionaries reminiscing about the mexican war?
also Green Day, the song is actually about the lead singer’s dad dying…
Thanks a lot for your uiggestions, Palawino. Some I didn’t know but I like them a lot.
SABATON swedish band have f.e songs “TALVISOTA”, “ART OF WAR” and “WHITE DEATH” about ww2 winterwar Sovjet Union vs.Finland
Thanks, Timo. I might include a few.