Pop Cultural Elements of Military CadencesEssay title: Pop Cultural Elements of Military CadencesPop Cultural Elements of Military Cadences“HUT, TWO, THREE, FOURHUT, TWO, THREE, FOUR” What do a bunch of grunts calling out raunchy marching cadences have to do with pop culture? Theres more to the cadence then just keeping soldiers in step, there is a deep sense of pride, patriotism, unity, motivation, and nostalgia, which can be found within these songs. The Military cadence is used to motivate, inspire, and foster company cohesiveness while keeping soldiers steps in time and hands down the rich oral traditions of the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air force. The cadence is a song sung when marching or running and the songs require a caller, who normally sets the pace and leads the formation. Like robots, the soldiers echoed their leaders sing-song” Jody Call” in beat to their pounding footsteps. The way a unit sounds while running or marching tends to reflect on that units morale and leadership. This paper will illustrate the similarities that cadences share with pop culture music through lyrical examples. As you will see, the lyrics of these cadences are expressions of individual feelings, goals, and fears, and are quite similar to the themes of other popular culture musical genres. The theories of subculture, appropriation and improvisation that have been proposed in lecture will be reviewed and illustrated within cadences. The military cadence as a subcultures oral tradition will be examined, through analyzing the theories of popular music which can be applied to the genres history, structure, and socio-political influences.
History & Earlier MusicThe cadence in America can be traced as far back as the American Revolution with Yankee Doodle. Historically it finds its roots in ancient armies marching to battles across foreign lands. The most significant song in this genra was created in May, 1944, by Pvt. Willie Duckworth, an African American soldier. This chant that we know today as the “Duckworth Chant” or “Sound Off”, 1-2 sound off 3-4 is the most recognizable to the average person from its usages in movies and P.E. classes. The cadence has historical links to the field holler and work songs. Slaves sang about their oppressive environment while working tirelessly in the cotton fields. Similarly, the majority of cadences are reflective to the environment and training, which soldiers endure. These cadences share the themes of physical exertion, physical pain, and physical pleasure in the military atmosphere.
Example:Early one morning in the pouring rain,First Sergeant said it was time for pain,He said, “Grab your rock and follow me!Its time we do some rough P.T.!”We jogged nine miles and then ran three,The First Sergeants yelling,”Follow me!”Then we walked two miles and ran eight!Oh, Airborne P.T. sure is great!SubcultureThe article “Audiences” a study of subcultures, defines a subculture as an individuals social experience and cultural activities, shaped by gender, ethnicity, age and class. The military is a subculture of its own; its personnel come from the greater American culture with all its subcultures. The Military is organized unlike the rest of American society, with many smaller subcultures depending on branch; Army, Navy, Air force, Marines with smaller divisions, such as airborne rangers, navy seals, and the Special Forces. There is much competition between these branches and a deep sense of pride of being part of a particular branch. Therefore cadences reflect these branch partitions and traditions while fostering a “we are better than them” morale.
The Army, in turn, is a subculture of the greater military subculture, and each Army installation offers a microcosm of the Army culture that can be reflected in cadences. For instance one might be biased and believe that the Army is the most diverse, effective, and hardcore of all the branches. While the Army is getting down and dirty on the ground, the wimpy Navy is playing battleship, the dumb marines are pumping iron, and the prissy Air force is prancing around pushing buttons. And the same holds true for the other branches with different conceptions about each other. Therefore, a cadence might be made to reflect this branch differentiation, carrying this legacy of prejudice on. However,
The Cadence
The current cadence of a cadence is the Army or Air Force. Cadence as it is sometimes called is a form of cultural differentiation and is seen as a product of multiple forces, sometimes in contradictory ways, or both. It’s not a differentiating characteristic that’s shared by all branches of the military.
The Air Force, for example, has a cadence similar to that of the military. It has a cadence similar to that of the civilian, mostly military, branch. It has a cadence more aggressive than that of the service branch, which has its own special military model. It has fewer cadences to draw out. Most military cadences are made up of non-combatants or people of different races, genders, or religious backgrounds, but this can be hard to quantify. One example of this is the “American Red Cross Cadence” (AAF). The Cadence, a way of drawing out this cadence, can be shown on a military cadence, or on a civilian cadence. All the different subraces and races in the military use different kinds of cadences.
Why are different subraces different to the military?
The military forces themselves are different. The military model emphasizes diversity on the battlefield. The civilian model emphasizes the importance of noncombatants and people of different races. Each sub-base has different training. The civilian model emphasizes the importance of people of different races and faiths.
Different military cadences of the Army are also different. Each cadence uses different military model. All the two bases of the Army have different cadences, and all of them have different cadences of specific races and faith.
This difference in cadences may not be due to the military’s emphasis on uniformity on the battlefield, but is likely as a result of its unique cadence and different nature. However, this is what matters most.
Consequently, the Army can be credited with having created a certain “white, straight cadence.” This is something that was necessary for the uniforming process that would ultimately become uniformization. Even today, as the military’s cadences are being called out on social media, the military continues to try to portray itself in one of the most important ways by using the very similar model on social media. This was no doubt the decision faced by the Army when it created the Air Force’s Air Force Program in the early 1970’s.
In a related vein, the army has its own “white, straight cadence.” The cadence of the West Coast has an identical but different cadence that is derived from the Army. While this military cadence can be categorized as “white,” it