Lifehouse Lyrics Into The Sun
On the morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941, a lead Japanese pilot sent a crucial message to Vice Admiral Nagumo, commanding the Imperial fleet about to attack the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor. “Tora, Tora, Tora!” signaled the success of the attack; the Japanese had not been detected. Over 2,400 Americans were killed and U.S. naval strength in the Pacific was incapacitated. In the wake of the attack, patriotic Americans turned on their radios to hear songs referencing the “Day of Infamy.” Anti-Japanese lyrics, already fueled by decades of fear and prejudice, set the national attitude toward anyone remotely connected with Imperial Japan.
Pearl Harbor Became the Rallying Cry Against Japan
During the weeks following the Pearl Harbor attack, Don Reid and Sammy Kaye collaborated on the most popular song of the World War II Pacific Theater, “Remember Pearl Harbor.” The song begins with the reminder that, “History in ev’ry century, Records an act that lives forevermore.” The second stanza references the Alamo, a rallying cry in the 19th Century especially dear to Texans fighting for independence from Mexico in the mid-1830s.
Don Reid’s lyrics proclaim: “We will always remember, how they died for Liberty; let’s remember Pearl Harbor, And go on to victory.” The key word is “remember.” In 1898, Americans were told to “Remember the Maine!” as the nation prepared for war with Spain, following the destruction of that U.S. warship in Havana Harbor. In every case, remembrance is tied to action, going to “meet the foe” in the name of “Liberty.”
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