A Letter From Viet Nam (Dear Donna)
1965 · Laurie 3283 · New York City, New York
- Artist
- The Elegants & Vito Picone
- Title
- A Letter From Viet Nam (Dear Donna)
- Release
- A Letter From Viet Nam (Dear Donna) / Barbara Beware
- Year
- 1965
- Label
- Laurie # 3283
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- New York City, New York, USA
- Songwriter
- R. Adams, L. Kusik
- Genre
- Teen Pop · Teen Pop
- Primary theme
- Home Front Perspective / Soldier's Perspective
Annotation
The Elegants formed in New York City in 1956, a doo-wop group that influenced many groups of the late 1950s and 60s, and famous for their 1958 hit "Little Star". Sometimes their releases appeared under the name "Vito and The Elegants" after 1965. Featuring gunfire and bomb sound-effects in the background, the theme of the song "Letter From Vietnam" (Laurie Records # 3283) focused on a soldier writing to his ex-girlfriend, recalling the good times, and wishing that she would wait for him while in the service, as expressed in the chorus: "I wish I was home with you having fun like we used to do, how happy I'd be if you were waiting for me". The verses outlined in greater detail what the soldier missed from back home (such as a cold soda and going to the cinema), and the difficulties of fighting in Vietnam, which really required a man to be "tough".
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English: Dear Donna, I bet you are surprised to hear from me / I know we broke up before I went away, but it wasn't until I got overseas that I realised how much I loved you / And what a fool I was to let a wonderful girl like you slip away from me... / You know Donna, back in the states a guy gets to take a lot of things for granted / He can get a piece of meat or a nice cold soda on every corner / Over here the things I remember most are holding your hand at the movies, kissing you goodnight, or just sitting on a park bench and dreaming / We thought we were tough with our black leather jackets and motorcycle boots / But now I know what being tough really means /Because I see people fighting and dying everyday
Notes
Laurie Record No. L 3283, "Advance Release" promotional label (red-and-white), Laurie Records Inc., New York; matrix S4KM 0231; "A Letter From Viet Nam (Dear Donna)" (R. Adams-L. Kusik), time 2:40, Just Mus. Corp.-Kusada Mus. BMI; The Elegants & Vito Picone; "Recorded at Allegro Sound Studios." [From the record sleeve and labels]
About the artist
Formed 1956, New York, NY, USA