Buffy Sainte-Marie: Universal Soldier

Buffy Sainte-Marie is a multitalented recording artist who was born in Saskatchewan, 1941. Sainte-Marie is “a pioneer and influential singer-songwriter of love songs, and music with a political and social activist focus.” She is famous for her songs about peace and love, the anti-war single “Universal Soldier,” and her use of music to promote awareness of issues affecting Native Americans. Although her evolving sound created her mainstream success, Buffy Sainte-Marie made a name for herself in the film industry as well, co-writing the Oscar winning single “Up Where We Belong” for the film An Officer and a Gentleman. She even spent a number of years as a cast member on the timeless children’s show Sesame Street. Buffy Sainte-Marie was born in Saskatchewan, Canada. She was an orphan living on the Piapot Cree First Nations …show more content…
Which included her first single “Universal Soldier.” The single was not popular at first, but soon became a widely known anti-Vietnam war anthem. The song describes different variations of a person, who represents the “universal soldier,” the “universal soldier” is part of everyone. The lyrics describe the control the government has over the soldiers, and government being controlled by the people, meaning everyone is responsible for war. Universal Soldier makes use of timeless metaphors, which are still relevant today considering the international acts of war being committed on a daily basis. The song was not popular at first, but in 1965, British folk singer Donovan covered it on an EP titled “Universal Soldier. Around the same time, her singles made it to the charts, earning her the title of Billboard’s Best New Artist of 1964. She continued in her career, working with esteemed artists such as Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash. To her surprise, her music idol Elvis Presley covered her song, “Until It’s Time For You To Go,” during a live