War and Music
Exploring the profound impact of music in warfare, from inspiration, propaganda, and solace.

In Biblical times, whenever the nation of Israel was marching into war, one of the most integral parts of the setup was the trumpet-blowing lineup of priests. Once victory was assured, the streets would explode in celebration and song. The Roman Empire later used musicians and poets to fire up their soldiers and intimidate their opponents ahead of the war. To this day, music remains a big part of war.

Over time, music was used not only to inspire and intimidate but to pass messages. Horn blasts were used to signal an advance, a retreat, or whatever movement had been pre-arranged before the battle. Music became an official part of military operations. Different armies had different sounds and used those sounds to identify friendly fire when all else was uncertain. So music and war have long been related.

Music has been used in war plenty of times throughout history, but war has also affected the music in the civilian world. War provides songwriters with an ample amount of material for new music. Whether for or against the war, there's always material for songwriters to use. It goes beyond being a tool for the military, it's also a copium for the general population.

There are many angles to write from, but in this article, I'm exploring how music is used during war, whether by the military, the government, or the people.

Propaganda

Once you control the narrative, you've won the first part of any war. Governments at war always want to be seen as the good guys, and that's where propaganda comes in. Have you noticed that almost every Hollywood movie paints Americans to be good people? They're always the good guys while the likes of Russia, China, and North Korea are tagged evil. 

Now, here's a disclaimer. I'm not saying that these guys are good or that Americans are bad, I'm only pointing out the power of propaganda. If you look at movies from those countries, the roles are reversed. It's all a fight to control the narrative.

Music is also a powerful means of propaganda. When you can get your people singing about how the heroes on the battlefield are doing God's work, it achieves three things. It drums up support for the war from the civilian population, reassures your soldiers that they're fighting a just cause, and convinces the civilian population of your opponents to oppose their government’s efforts.

Leisure

When at war, strategy is a major part of achieving victory. Another important factor that some people ignore is the morale in the camp. You can't keep pushing your soldiers all the time to keep fighting. They'll burn out physically and mentally. The key to avoiding physical burnout is rest. To avoid psychological burnout, however, there are different methods. Contact with their families is one good way, but music has proven quite effective too.

Whenever I'm worked up, I calm myself down with music. It's the same thing for soldiers. Music is healing to the soul because it can transport one into a different space.

Torture

Music is great for leisure, but it can also be used to agitate. I've seen some movies where music has been used as a form of torture for captured spies or prisoners of war. You might be thinking, that movies aren't real life. You're right but stay with me. Music has been used for torture in real life too.

In December 1989, Americans played heavy rock music for weeks until they flushed out Manuel Noriega, a dictator they were hunting, from an embassy. There are several other cases of music being used to torture prisoners as far back as German concentration camps. You can read more about that in this CNN report.

Intimidation

The same music used by an army to inspire themselves can be used to strike fear in the hearts of their opponents. Music has been historically used to intimidate the enemy. From Israelite priests blasting their rams’ horns and trumpets to American soldiers playing heavy rock at full blast to intimidate the Iraqis, examples are littered throughout history. If you watched Game of Thrones, you know how scary the Dothraki scream was to everyone else.

Even rugby teams have taken a leaf out of that book with different teams striking up different routines meant to intimidate their opponents. Boxers and wrestlers from the WWE, MMA, and several other companies have their entrance songs that hype up their fans and attempt to intimidate their opponents. Music to inspire, but also to intimidate.

Comfort

No matter which side wins in war, casualties are unavoidable. The loss of life is the one thing that has remained constant about war throughout time. No matter how far technology advances, war will continue to cost lives. It's tragic enough that the lives of the soldiers will be lost, but that's not where it stops. Civilian lives are also always affected during war. It's especially sad when you see someone who has nothing to do with the conflict suffer for it. Soldiers lose their friends in arms, civilians lose their loved ones. No one really wins in war.

During the war, everyone needs comfort, and music is great for that. Sad songs about lost loved ones are so powerful because everyone is united in loss. Whether you fought on opposing sides, the one thing everyone has in common is loss. The right music will help to soothe you, remind you of the good days, and remind you that you're not alone in your pain.

Unity

Speaking of unity, music is said to be a global language. It doesn't matter what language the lyrics are, music always unites people. Nigerian artists will sing songs that only Nigerians can actually understand and relate to, but audiences all over the world will dance to them. It's the most powerful thing about music for me, how it crosses borders and makes the whole world one.

Final Thoughts 

It's incredible how one thing can be used to achieve different results. Music can be used for comfort but also torture. It can be used to unify people but also to spread propaganda that causes division. One thing remains true. Music is powerful and a part of everything we do, even war.

Will your music unite the world or tear it apart? Will your music be used to torture people or will it mend broken hearts? As you create your music, what's your goal and vision for it? Ponder on these questions, dear artist.