Soundtracking Iraq
Jonathan Pieslak
Music is no longer the preserve of artists protesting about war, it is now a key part of the sounds coming from the battlefield itself. Jonathan Pieslak, author of Sound Targets,reflects on the musical culture of soldiers in the Iraq war.
‘Let the bodies hit the floor, let the bodies hit the floor,
let the bodies hit the floor, let the bodies hit the… FLOOR!’
– ‘Bodies’ by Drowning Pool
The refrain lyrics to Drowning Pool’s ‘Bodies’ seemed innocent enough in the summer of 2001. The band was emerging as one of best new hard rock/metal acts and ‘Bodies’ was surging to the top of the charts. When the band toured on Ozzfest (a heavy metal festival) that summer, the song was a mosh-pit anthem as thousands of fans literally ‘hit the...
