"El Salvador" is a 1982

protest song A protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of ''topical'' songs (or songs connected to current events). It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre. Among social mov ...

about

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

involvement in the

Salvadoran Civil War The Salvadoran Civil War ( es, guerra civil de El Salvador) was a twelve year period of civil war in El Salvador that was fought between the government of El Salvador and the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), a coalition or ...

, written by

Noel Paul Stookey Noel Paul Stookey (born December 30, 1937) is an American singer-songwriter who was famous for being in the 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary; however, he has been known by his first name, Noel, throughout his life. Nowadays, he continues to w ...

and performed by

Peter, Paul and Mary Peter, Paul and Mary was an American folk group formed in New York City in 1961 during the American folk music revival phenomenon. The trio consisted of tenor Peter Yarrow, baritone Paul Stookey, and contralto Mary Travers. The group's repertoir ...

. The song originally appeared on the 1986 album ''

No Easy Walk To Freedom ''No Easy Walk to Freedom'' is a 1986 studio album by American folk music trio Peter, Paul and Mary. Its release coincided with the group's 25th anniversary. Produced by John McClure and Peter Yarrow, the album was nominated in the Best Contempor ...

''. It was included on the 1999

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

Songs of Conscience and Concern ''Songs of Conscience and Concern: A Retrospective Collection'' is a 1999 compilation album by American folk group Peter, Paul and Mary. It was the group's second compilation, following 1970's ''Ten Years Together: The Best of Peter, Paul & Mary ...

''Sarah Hankel. "Peter Paul & Mary still at it," ''The Gazette'' (Cedar Rapids, IA), April 16, 1999, page 3W: "This compilation also serves as a yardstick, measuring PPM's growth from rebellious young adults to adamant older Americans. ... 'El Salvador' served to expose the injustices incurred in Central America in the '80s." and as part of a 25th anniversary concert in New York's

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

The Bitter End The Bitter End is a 230-person capacity nightclub, coffeehouse and folk music venue in New York City's Greenwich Village. It opened in 1961 at 147 Bleecker Street under the auspices of owner Fred Weintraub. The club changed its name to ''The Ot ...

."Peter, Paul, Mary at home", ''Lethbridge Herald'' (Lethbridge, AB), Associated Press. July 24, 1985, p. B-8.

Overview

Stookey wrote the song on

Mother's Day Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the ...

, 1982,"Peter, Paul, and Mary still at it", ''The Capital'' (Annapolis, MD), Associated Press. December 27, 1983, p. 30. inspired by an article in a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

magazine,Christopher Dickey. Flying circus' of U.S. fact finders delves into El Salvador 's war", ''Washington Post'', January 24, 1983, p. A15. and has said that the song was controversial even with the group's fans. In a 1997 interview with the ''Houston Chronicle'', Stookey commented, "The most recent surprise we had was in the mid- to late-'80s, when we were singing a song called 'El Salvador'. The last line was, 'Don't you think it's time we leave El Salvador?' We actually got booed at our concerts, which was something we hadn't heard since the

civil rights movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...

or the anti-war movement."Rick Mitchell. "Peter, Paul & Mary still finding causes", ''Indiana Gazette'' (Indiana, PA), September 11, 1997, p. 12. Segments of the lyrics often were quoted in articles of the period, including this verse: Group member

Mary Travers Mary Allin Travers (November 9, 1936 – September 16, 2009) was an American singer-songwriter who was known for being in the famous 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, along with Peter Yarrow and Paul Stookey. Travers grew up amid the burge ...

traveled to

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...

in January 1983Saundra Smokes. "Peter, Paul & Mary: from the '60s to the '80s, Mary and partners have found plenty to sing about", ''Syracuse Herald-Journal'' (Syracuse, NY), July 26, 1984, p. D1. with Rep.

Ed Feighan Edward Farrell "Ed" Feighan (born October 22, 1947) is a former American politician. He served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives, and as a Democratic Party U.S. Representative from 1983 to 1993, serving Ohio's 19th congressional di ...

Gary Hengstler. "Peter, Paul, Mary remind fans times are a'changin, ''Chronicle-Telegram'' (Elyria, OH), July 20, 1984, p. A-11. in the early years of the war and subsequently was highly vocal in protest of U.S. support of "the terrorism, the rapes, and the murders", saying that as an American taxpayer, "I'm paying these murderers' salaries."

References

{{authority control 1982 songs Peter, Paul and Mary songs Protest songs Songs written by Paul Stookey Songs about El Salvador Songs based on actual events Salvadoran Civil War *

Overview

See also

References