Charlie Don't Surf

Annotation

The Clash, a British Punk Rock band that formed in London in 1976, which featured Joe Strummer (guitar, vocals), Paul Simonon (bass, vocals), Mick Jones (guitar, vocals, 1976-83), and Topper Headon (drums, vocals, 1977-82). In 1981 they released the single "This Is Radio Clash" (CBS # CBS A1797), which referenced the Vietnam War and napalm (a jellied gasoline mixture which the US government extensively used during the war, as previously discussed). The group followed this up in 1982 with the track "Straight to Hell" (CBS # A 2646) which mentioned Vietnam in the second and third verses. In 1981 they released the song "Charlie Don't Surf" on the album Sandinista! (CBS # FSLN 1), a reference to the 1979 Vietnam War film Apocalypse Now directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The song referenced the use of napalm. So as noted above, on this album was the song "Charlie Don't Surf". The reference to surfing, napalm, and a beach party displays the influence of Vietnam War films on American culture. In the film Apocalypse Now (1979), directed by the political liberal and dove Francis Ford Coppola. Captain Kilgore (Robert Duvall) of the Air Cavalry attacks a Vietcong held village while playing Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" on the loud speakers of his helicopter. Once on the ground, Kilgore strips of his shirt and scarf and prepares to go surfing with explosions and gunshots all around. As fighter jets bomb the forest behind the Vietcong village, Kilgore says happily "I love the smell of napalm in the morning….smells like victory".

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — Punk Songs

The Clash, a British Punk Rock band that formed in London in 1976, which featured Joe Strummer (guitar, vocals), Paul Simonon (bass, vocals), Mick Jones (guitar, vocals, 1976-83), and Topper Headon (drums, vocals, 1977-82). In 1981 they released the single "This Is Radio Clash" (CBS # CBS A1797), which referenced the Vietnam War and napalm (a jellied gasoline mixture which the US government extensively used during the war, as previously discussed). The group followed this up in 1982 with the track "Straight to Hell" (CBS # A 2646) which mentioned Vietnam in the second and third verses. In 1981 they released the song "Charlie Don't Surf" on the album Sandinista! (CBS # FSLN 1), a reference to the 1979 Vietnam War film Apocalypse Now directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The song referenced the use of napalm. So as noted above, on this album was the song "Charlie Don't Surf". The reference to surfing, napalm, and a beach party displays the influence of Vietnam War films on American culture. In the film Apocalypse Now (1979), directed by the political liberal and dove Francis Ford Coppola. Captain Kilgore (Robert Duvall) of the Air Cavalry attacks a Vietcong held village while playing Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" on the loud speakers of his helicopter. Once on the ground, Kilgore strips of his shirt and scarf and prepares to go surfing with explosions and gunshots all around. As fighter jets bomb the forest behind the Vietcong village, Kilgore says happily "I love the smell of napalm in the morning….smells like victory".Dozens of songs are influenced by Apocalypse Now either in title or lyrics, especially the quote "smell of napalm in the moring". Here are a select few: "Charlie Don't Surf" by The Clash on Sandinista! (1980) "Napalm Beach" by The Five on Napalm Beach / Excite Me (1981) "Beach Party Vietnam" by The Dead Milkmen on Eat Your Paisley! (1986) "Rambo Rat" by The Queers on Grow Up (1990) "The War in Vietnam" by New Scene on Technomakinita 2 (1991) "Back to Nam EP" by Commando Alan Jamming Nam (1994) "Wa Wa Zat!!" by David Lee Roth on DLR Band (1998) "Vietnam" by Big Red on Big Redemption (1999) "New World Disorder" by Biohazard on New World Disorder (1999) "Napalm in the Morning" by Sodom on M-16 (2001) "Hysteria" by Knives Out! on Black Mass Hysteria (2012)

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: Charlie don't surf and we think he should / Charlie don't surf and you know that it ain't no good / Charlie don't surf for his hamburger momma / Charlie's gonna be a napalm star / Everybody wants to rule the world / Must be something we get from birth / One truth is we never learn / Satellites will make space burn / We've been told to keep the strangers out / We don't like them starting to hang around / We don't like them all over town / Across the world we are going to blow them down / The reign of the super powers must be over / So many armies can't free the earth / Soon the rock will roll over / Africa is choking on their Coca Cola / It's a one a way street in a one horse town / One way people starting to brag around / You can laugh, put them down / These one way people gonna blow us down Dozens of songs are influenced by Apocalypse Now either in title or lyrics, especially the quote "smell of napalm in the moring". Here are a select few: "Charlie Don't Surf" by The Clash on Sandinista! (1980) "Napalm Beach" by The Five on Napalm Beach / Excite Me (1981) "Beach Party Vietnam" by The Dead Milkmen on Eat Your Paisley! (1986) "Rambo Rat" by The Queers on Grow Up (1990) "The War in Vietnam" by New Scene on Technomakinita 2 (1991) "Back to Nam EP" by Commando Alan Jamming Nam (1994) "Wa Wa Zat!!" by David Lee Roth on DLR Band (1998) "Vietnam" by Big Red on Big Redemption (1999) "New World Disorder" by Biohazard on New World Disorder (1999) "Napalm in the Morning" by…

About the artist

English punk rock band formed in London in 1976 (Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Topper Headon); disbanded 1986. [Source: Wikipedia]

Themes

Napalm · Apocalypse Now

In collections

European Songs · Punk Songs