Soldier Blue by Buffy Sainte-Marie

Album: Soldier Blue (1970)

Charted: 7

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Written by folk icon Buffy Sainte-Marie, this is the theme song to the 1970 movie Soldier Blue, which depicts the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre - a brutal attack on the Cheyenne and Arapaho village by the Colorado State Militia. Ever hear of the movie? If you're from the US, probably not – and there's a reason for that. "No one knows Soldier Blue in North America. I can guarantee you won't find three people in the US who know it. It was taken out of the theaters after a few days," Sainte-Marie told The Guardian. "Why? What year did Soldier Blue come out? 1970? Oh, that'll be Richard Nixon."
Despite the atrocities committed by the government against her people, the Cree singer expresses love for her country – on a sacred level. She explained on her website: "As there's a difference between love and rape, the same differences exist in how one views their country. 'Soldier Blue' is not about loving one's 'nation state.' It's about loving the natural environment in which all nations are related as children of the Sacred."
This was included on her 1971 album She Used To Wanna Be A Ballerina.

Comments: 1

Lino Franich from Perth, Western AustraliaI saw the film, Soldier Blue, when I was about 13 and I've remembered it ever since. The final scene, the song...just devastating. I'm now 56.

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