Letter From Viet Nam (Dear Donna)
1965 · Laurie 3283 · New York City, New York
- Artist
- The Elegants & Vito Picone
- Title
- 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
About the artist
Formed 1956, New York, NY, USA