"Did anyone become a pacifist because they heard "Masters of War" or "The Universal Soldier" ?"

Yes. At least one, anyway -- me.

Well, I might well have adopted such views anyway, but the songs were certainly *part* of the environment to which I was reacting -- and a very important part, indeed.

Songs certainly never converted anyone *suddenly and immediately* to a new political and/or spiritual point of view, and songs undoubtedly have more immediate impact by reinforcing the resolve of those already in agreement with their premises ("preaching to the choir," so to speak). However, songs can have a deeper impact than news reports or logical arguments, and can eventually persuade a person to reevaluate their most basic assumptions about life, politics, eternity, whatever.

Huge numbers of people (mostly, but not exclusively, young people) *did* experience radical changes to their belief systems during "The Sixties" (actually, about 1965-72). The impact of mass-distributed folk and pop music wasn't the sole agent of this phenomenon, but was certainly a major factor.