Country Joe McDonaldof the psychedelic rock band Country Joe and the Fish developed a popular track that would be a concert hit. His track became one of the most recognized protest songs against the Vietnam War, with a chant that led to a TV ban.
“I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag” became known for its lyrics using dark humor and ragtime rhythm. It gained traction when it was released as part of the band’s second album in 1967, but was first composed two years earlier. What caught attention amongst fans was its message of America’s involvement in the Vietnam War. McDonald himself enlisted in the U.S. Navy at 17 and served for three years, stationed in Japan.
The track was developed after McDonald founded and edited a local counterculture magazine called Rag Baby that had a left-wing agenda. He wanted to develop a “talking issue” of the magazine and worked on an early recording of “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag” in 30 minutes. Its purpose was to reflect the growing escalation of soldier involvement in Vietnam, which was heavily opposed by younger adults.
According to SongFacts, the track was an attempt to blame the war on politicians and US military leaders who profit from it, and not those who enlisted and soldiers fighting the war. Its lyrics also address the horrific reality of war by using “GI Humor,” a dark, sarcastic form of humor used to help a soldier from going insane.
“I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag” never landed on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, but became a staple for the band’s live performances.
The track led to an altered cheer that banned them from TV
The now-known protest track became a hit among audiences during the band’s live performances. Not only because of its subject matter, but because the band would start the song with a “Fish Cheer.” They would have audiences spell out “fish” like a football cheer. In the summer of 1968, the cheer was altered during the Shaefer Summer Music Festival in New York to say “F*ck,” per the suggestion of drummer Gary “Chicken” Hirsh.
The altered version was popular among the fans and led to the album getting more radio exposure. It was sadly not well-received by the higher-up executives ofThe Ed Sullivan Show. According to reports, the executives were at the concert and weren’t happy with the use of profanity and barred the band from their scheduled TV appearance and any future appearance on the show.
Years later, McDonald would perform the song with the profanity chant at Woodstock in 1969. He would tell Entertainment Weekly that “My most famous song really couldn’t get airplay. It got me banned from municipal auditoriums for a long time after. So I paid a price. But I’m proud to say that I’ve carried with me the reality of the Vietnam War. I’m the elephant in the room.” He would add before his death that the chant “ruined” his career.
Related: 1970 Folk Rock Classic, Misinterpreted as an Anti-War Anthem, Ranked Among the ‘Greatest Songs of All Time’
