AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 1. 2004
Willie Nelson Pens Anti-War Ballad
Written On Christmas, Will Be Released As Single
-
-
Willie Nelson (above) says he supports presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq, because of the four-term Ohio congressman's support of family farmers. (AP)
-
Nelson says he's backing Dennis Kucinich (above) for president because of the four-term Ohio congressman's support for family farmers. Nelson is president and a co-founder of Farm Aid. (AP)
-
-
Interactive Campaign 2004 Complete election recap – winners/losers, money, issues and more.
-
Interactive Meet The Challengers Get background on the contenders for the presidency in 2004.
-
Interactive Campaign Cash Track fund-raising figures and learn about campaign finance laws.
Nelson said he planned to record "What Ever Happened to Peace on Earth" this week in Nashville, Tenn., and rush-release it as a single.
"Now, I haven't played it for Toby (Keith) yet," a laughing Nelson told the Austin American-Statesman for Tuesday editions. Although the two are close friends, the sentiments of Nelson's song are the polar opposite of Keith's angry-American anthem "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue," with its call to arms.
"Toby wrote that song in reaction to 9/11, which was a totally different thing than watching U.S. soldiers die in Iraq," Nelson said. "Toby's said he's not a Republican or a Democrat; he's a Christian. So we're coming from the same place."
The song asks questions such as "How much oil is a human life worth?"
Asked if the song might anger conservative country music fans, he said, "I sure hope so. I don't care if people say, 'Who the hell does he think he is?' I know who I am."
Kucinich, an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq, is not opposed to all wars but he is perhaps best known for his proposal to create a new Cabinet-level federal agency - the Department of Peace - to explore and implement non-violent approaches to foreign policy problems.
Nelson said he supports Kucinich because of the four-term Ohio congressman's support of family farmers.
That's a cause which hits home for Nelson, the president and a co-founder of Farm Aid, a group which harnesses big names in music for benefits to help preserve family farms.
The 70-year-old country star wrote his new song at the Lake Elsinore, Calif., home of his in-laws.
"There was nothing but bad news, and here it was Christmas Day," Nelson said. "I said, 'There sure are a lot of babies dying and mothers crying,' and (wife) Annie said, 'That sounds like a song.'"
© MMIIV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More From Entertainment
Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie."
