1973 - Wounded Knee
A single that was of importance
A song written in tribute not only for the massacre of 1890 but also for the site of a 71-day standoff between federal authorities and militants of the American Indian Movement.
There were two victims amongst the militants amongst which Franck Clearwater who was resting in a church !
I have the feeling this is the event that changed the history of the band too. After that "Come and get your love" made a huge success but strangely after this song they never reached success again in the States although they made big hits in Europe. Were they censored by the government or the american medias?
In 1973 Redbone released the politically oriented "We Were All Wounded At Wounded Knee", recalling the massacre of a band of Sioux Indians by the Seventh Cavalry in 1890. Pat quotes: "CBS/Epic wouldn't record it, so I paid for it myself. They did me a favour and pressed up 500 copies, and I put it under my arm and carried it to Europe. I distributed it to the radio stations in Holland and before you know it it was number one across Europe. But they still wouldn't release it in the US. Even on the 1973 Wovoka album and other later on US releases, “Greatest hits” and the recently “Essential” 2003 release, the song seemed unknown at all. It's too political, too controversial for the US government even in 2005."
Wounded Knee reached the number one position in all of Europe. Also the follow up, Wovoka, did very well in Europe. In both the US and UK the songs didn´t chart at all. Also “The best of Redbone” album from 1973 became a huge selling hit in the Netherlands and other European countries.
The songs
We are all wounded at Wounded Knee - Lyrics
The Band Members
Lolly Vegas: vocals, guitar
Pat Vegas: vocals, bass
Tony Bellamy: vocal, guitar
Pete DePoe: drums
Produced by Pat and Lolly Vegas
Lyrics
We are all wounded at Wounded Knee
We were all wounded at Wounded Knee -
you and me
We were all wounded at Wounded Knee - you and me
In the name of manifest destiny
You and me - you and me - you and me
They made us many promises but always broke their word
They penned us in like buffalo, drove us like a herd
And finally on the reservation
Where we'd gone for our preservation
We were all wiped out by the seventh cavalry
You and me - you and me
We were all wounded at Wounded Knee - you and me
We were all wounded at Wounded Knee - you and me
In the name of manifest destiny
You and me - you and me - you and me
Now we make our promises, we won't break our word
We'll sing, sing, sing out our story 'till the truth is heard
There's a whole new generation
Braves who dream of veneration
Who were not wiped out by the seventh cavalry
You and me - you and me
We were all wounded at Wounded Knee - you and me
We were all wounded at Wounded Knee - you and me
We were all wounded - by Wounded Knee...
