A long healthy life, of military-built strength, is supposed to keep a person bulletproof from health issues. Who would have guessed that my Papa’s greatest struggle would be in his own mind after having grazed hails of bullets in Vietnam. I watched my war hero go from a marathon running paratrooper to a man confined to a wheelchair and diapers in the blink of an eye. Lewy Body Dementia (LBD), a fatal combination of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, took from him what no bullet could: his mind, and even the lifelong memories that molded his soul.
It should come with no surprise that my lifelong appreciation for music is fueled by personal experience. Music has impacted everyone in my family and with my Papa’s diagnosis, my family was told: “this was to be expected as one ages.” If that answer wasnt sufficient enough for my family, how could it be for anyone else’s family?
The correlation between music and dementia was something I was completely aware of until one day I casually picked up my guitar and started singing Highwayman, by Johnny Cash. I was frustrated that my papa couldn’t recognize any of us and that we also had no means to communicate with him since the disease took over. His feet started moving. He recognized the beat and suddenly we heard a long-lost, familiar voice singing along.
As we all stopped in awe, my Papa adamantly yelled, “well, are you going to finish the rest of the damn song?” We finally woke up a part of his memory that was so stashed away, had we not played that one familiar song. It was nothing short of amazing.
Music not only made my sense of connection with my Papa grow bigger but it also sparked an interest in music that was produced back during the Vietnam War. During a time that was most often associated with military and war, music around the world was causing an uproar demanding social change. Songs that were being written about a country angry with the current political issues that were ongoing at the time turned these emotionally fueled lyrics and turned them into a social movement.
Music not only made my sense of connection with my Papa grow bigger but it also sparked an interest in music that was produced back during the Vietnam War. During a time that was most often associated with military and war, music around the world was causing an uproar demanding social change. Songs that were being written about a country angry with the current political issues that were ongoing at the time turned these emotionally fueled lyrics and turned them into a social movement.
There was an extremely huge link between protests, war and music, especially classic rock. Classic rock and its lyrics were not only influencing people around the world, however, it was also causing movement for social change, and it worked.
Listen here to music that inflicted social change during the Vietnam War:
Mellifluous Music 