Year: 2004
Type: Original Soundtrack (OST)
Composer(s): Various Artists
Number of tracks: 11

★★★★★

Vietnumb

When you think of Vietnam these days, images of tropical beaches, monsoon-like rains and, depending on your experience, thoughts of food poisoning probably come to mind. Being born in '92, I am in the privileged position of only having been taught the horrors of the Vietnam War of 1955 (and most other wars) as a subject in history lessons. Guerrilla tactics, napalm bombs, the hippie movement - you kind of know it all. And musically, you have a picture in your mind's eye. Why? Because it's always the same.

When it comes to the Vietnam War, pretty much all media professionals use the same pool of rock songs that originated during this period. Sure, many of them take a critical look at the conflict waged by the warmonger USA, so they fit perfectly into the picture. But in my opinion, the film and game makers make it a little too easy for themselves, which is why many scores seem interchangeable (see the OST to Mafia III). Be that as it may. I like the music, even if I inevitably roll my eyes when someone plays Fortunate Sun over the approach of a Huey UH-1 helicopter these days.

Battlefield 1942 (2002)

Battlefield Vietnam (2004)

Battlefield 2 (2005)

Battlefield 2: Special Forces (2005)

Battlefield2: Euro Force (2006)

Battlefield 2042 (2021)

This track is actually missing from the OST for Battlefield Vietnam and will only appear in the thematically identical add-on for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 . Instead, we encounter other evergreens such as Edwin Starr's War, Wild Thing from The Troggs, Surfin Bird by The Trashmen and On the Road Again by Canned Heat. The score is therefore more for rock enthusiasts than classic soundtrack listeners. It suits my taste over long stretches, with a few original creations by Battlefield 1942-composer Joel Eriksson.

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Ratings
01	War	Edwin Starr	5
02	Surfin Bird	The Trashmen	4
03	Wild Thing	The Troggs	5
04	Hush	Deep Purple	4
05	Somebody to Love	Jefferson Airplane	4
06	On the Road Again	Canned Heat	2
07	I Fought the Law	Bobby Fuller Four	4
08	Shakin' All Over	The Guess Who	3
09	Get Ready	Rare Earth	3
10	The Letter	The Box Tops	3
11	Nowhere to Run	Martha Reeves & the Vandellas	3