Murakami performs antiwar songs on radio to protest Ukraine warfare

Playing James Taylor’s “Never Die Young” and going again to songs that marked the antiwar motion within the Nineteen Sixties, creator Haruki Murakami added his voice to protests in opposition to the warfare in Ukraine with a particular version of his Japanese radio present.

“Does music have the power to stop war? Sadly, the answer is no,” Murakami mentioned. “But it has the power to make listeners believe that war is something we must stop.”

For Friday’s 55-minute program referred to as “Music to put an end to war,” broadcast throughout Japan by Haruki Murakami, Ukraine, Russia, antiwar songs, Murakami, russia ukraine warfare, Russia’s invasion of ukraine, Tokyo, Radio, World information, Indian specific, Indian specific information, present affairs, Murakami selected 10 tracks from his collections of information and CDs at house that “in my mind best fit our theme.”

Some have been extra simple antiwar songs and others “songs that deal with the importance of human life, love and dignity, they can be considered antiwar songs in some broader sense.”

“Lyrics are going to play a big part in tonight’s show, so be sure to keep an open ear,” Murakami reminded his listeners. “By the end of the show, I have a feeling that you’ll be more inspired to bring an end to war. Time will tell.”

For some songs he rehearsed passages of the lyrics he translated into Japanese in his personal phrases, including historic background that included racial and social disparities whereas conveying the message of anger, sorrow and love.

The antiwar songs from the Nineteen Sixties included Peter, Paul & Mary’s “Cruel War,” which he used to play as a part of a folks track band in highschool, and “Unknown Soldier” by the Doors, which he remembered at all times enjoying on the radio in his faculty days.

With his youth years overlapping with the antiwar motion, his phrases — and selection of songs — gave a deeper which means and relevance to the battle in Ukraine.

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He opened his program with James Taylor’s “Never Die Young,” a track aimed toward younger folks within the metropolis shedding their lives to medicine and crime.

“There’s a clear connection here to young people sent to war,” he mentioned. “In a war started by an older generation, it’s the younger generation that gives up their lives. That’s the way it’s been for a long time, and it’s truly heartbreaking.”

As he performed “Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream,” written by folks singer Ed McCurdy in 1950, he recalled the yr the Korean War began, the Cold War turned scorching and the specter of nuclear warfare intensified. Murakami selected the model carried out by the Weavers, whose information have been banned on the radio due to their antiwar message.

Murakami offered his Japanese translation of passages from reggae singer Eddy Grant’s “Living on the Front Line,” explaining that the entrance line additionally was about “a society on the brink of destruction.” Grant principally needed to get African tribes cease killing one another, however “his heartfelt lyrics could really apply to any war.”

He selected “Blowin’ In The Wind” that Stevie Wonder sang for Bob Dylan’s thirtieth anniversary live performance celebration in 1992, and summarized what Wonder, earlier than performing, advised the viewers — that regardless of the civil rights motion and the Vietnam War, the world’s troubles haven’t ended and the track remained related.

After enjoying John Lennon’s “Imagine” carried out by Jack Johnson, Murakami mentioned that the lyrics sounded “pretty optimistic” as a result of they have been written in 1971, when “we could still believe in the future, when we still had our ideals.”

In closing, Murakami quoted Martin Luther King Jr. as saying in his speech that “Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.” Murakami mentioned that King in all probability meant that particular person rights could possibly be the primary to be taken away when the legislation says so.

He by no means explicitly talked about Russia or President Vladimir Putin.

But he famous that many individuals, annoyed by consultant democracy, are drawn nearer to authoritarianism. “That might seem efficient, but it’s important to remember that if things take a turn in a dark direction, where we end up is truly dangerous, so please be careful.”

“I hope there will be some peace in our world.”