From George Clinton's Some Of My Best Jokes Are Friends from 1985 comes this funky anti-war song with lyrics that sounds like they've been written recently:

The whole world is on red alert
Believe me when I say
No one has to get hurt

I ain't bulletproof
I won't wear the ball and chain

Everyday I read the paper
There's a brand new hotspot
A so-so somewhere
Tryin' to take what so-and so's got

I don't want your war

Stevie has recorded quite a few songs that critize the political situations at times of recording, like You Haven't Done Nothing, Village Ghetto Land, Pastime Paradise, Front Line or Living For The City. But the one song that fits best for this compilation is - for me - Saturn...even if the lyrics come at first a little spacey (there's no life on Saturn after all we know today) it's message is still relevant today:

We have come here many times before
To find your strategy to peace is war
Killing helpless men, women and children
That don't even know what they're dying for
We can't trust you when you take a stand
With a gun and bible in your hand
And the cold expression on your face
Saying give us what we want or we'll destroy

This was a rare song with a meaning back in 1994 with Leena singing about the horror and injustice of war:

Bounderies
Territorial disputes
Talkin' about bounderies
They said he had a job to do
No questions asked
No answers given
Just pull the trigger and win a blue ribbon
No compromise
What's the score
No compromise
Let's shoot 'em some more
When I did not raise my hand
The man in the uniform came to me
And insisted I did
I was afraid
We were all afraid

Deep House music is not only about love, dance, being happy and carefree, especially in the beginning house also incorporated meaningful lyrics and the wish for a better world where's peace and understanding. We All Must Live Together was the first single lifted from Blaze's brilliant album 25 Years Later (the only one they've released on a major label, i.e. Motown) in 1990. Ok, it deals more with problems in Blaze's native country USA but how can one have peace or try to fight for peace (which is more of an euphemism for going to war) when there are so many problems still to be solved in one's own country. And, of course, the money spend on the military could be used for better things.

The title song from Marvin Gaye's What's Going On is of course an obvious choice even if I had included it only for the line 'You see, war is not the answer'

From McCoy Tyner comes this fine piece of instrumental jazz. Ok, I've included it because the song title matches perfectly to the no war issue here.

From Rachelle Ferrell's second album (and first album released in the USA) comes this fine song that's just Rachelle playing piano and singing. Written in 1992 it looks like nothing really has changed (and like I've mentioned on Blaze's We All Must Live Together above Rachelle expresses her concern about trying to 'help' others before you haven't solved your problems at home):

How can we have peace in the Middle East
When there's none at home?
How can we have understanding in the land
When there's none in the woman and there's none in the man?

Ho can we heal the wounds of the world
If we cannot heal our own?
And where does this peace on earth begin
If not in the home?

From Cutis Mayfield's Roots album comes this obvious choice that says it all in the title!

Oh no-there's got to be a better way
Say it again
There's got to be a better way-yeah
What is it good for?
*War has caused unrest
Among the younger generation
Induction then destruction
Who wants to die?
War-huh
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing
Say it again
War-huh
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing
Yeah
War-I despise
'Cos it means destruction
Of innocent lives
War means tears
To thousands of mothers how
When their sons go off to fight
And lose their lives
I said
War-huh
It's an enemy of all mankind
No point of war
'Cos you're a man
*(Repeat)
Give it to me one time-now
Give it to me one time-now
War has shattered
Many young men's dreams
We've got no place for it today
They say we must fight to keep our freedom
But Lord, there's just got to be a better way
It ain't nothing but a heartbreaker
War
Friend only to the undertaker
War
War
War-Good God, now
Now
Give it to me one time now
Now now
What is it good for?

The The may not be the obvious choice for this website since Matt Johnson, The The's mastermind, did more intelligent pop than soul music. But my musical upbringing included some pop/electro/wave music in the 80ies and I always admired The The's Soul Mining and Infected album since the music and lyrics fused the best of pop, dance, electro and even soul (Slowtrain To Dawn for example featured Neneh Cherry on vocals before she became really famous). There were two songs that spring to my mind that would've fit for a No War compilation: Sweet Bird Of Truth, that tells the story of an G.I. who's above the gulf of Arabia in a crashing plane, and Heartland which is in the first place pure criticism of mid 80ies Great Britian and Magaret Thatcher's politics. But, still, there's something that sounds relevant to me these days:

The ammunition's being passed, and the lord's been praised,
But the wars on the televisions will never be explained,
All the bankers gettin sweaty, beneath their white collars,
As the pound in our pocket, turns into a dollar.

This is the 51st state--of the U. S. A.