Pretty Little Vietnamese
1965 · Decca DL 74698 · New York City, New York
- Artist
- Johnny Wright
- Title
- Pretty Little Vietnamese
- Release
- Hello Vietnam
- Year
- 1965
- Label
- Decca # DL 74698
- Format
- LP · Album
- Language
- English
- Country
- New York City, New York, USA
- Songwriter
- Forrest Field
- Genre
- Country · Country
- Primary theme
- Home Front Perspective / Soldier's Perspective
Annotation
This LP, which included the patriotic song "Hello Vietnam", also had some other Vietnam / war related tracks (Decca Records # DL 74698) which fit into the plight of the soldier category. (1) First up, the track "Pretty Little Vietnamese", composed by Terry Fell, in which Wright took the role of a soldier who fell in love with a Vietnamese girl while away at war. The second song was a cover of the classic, popular country music track "Dear John Letter", composed by Billy Barton, ..., and Lewis Talley, and made famous during the Korean War by Jean Shepard (A Dear John Letter). Like the track above, Wright sung from a soldier's perspective, receiving a letter while "overseas in battle". His now ex-girlfriend requested he send back her photo, as she has now "wed your brother Don". Finally, Wright covered another famous country track - "Soldier's Last Letter" - composed by Redd Stewart and Ernest Tubb during the Second World War. As suggested in the title, a soldier wrote his last letter - addressed to his mother - before being killed in battle. The mother prayed to "protect all the sons" and to "keep America free" - so ending on a patriotic note.
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Annotation — US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs
This LP, which included the patriotic song "Hello Vietnam", also had some other Vietnam / war related tracks (Decca Records # DL 74698) which fit into the soldier's perspective category, including "Pretty Little Vietnamese" and a cover of the classic, popular country music track "Dear John Letter", composed by Billy Barton, Fuzzy Owen, and Lewis Talley, and made famous during the Korean War by Jean Shepard ("A Dear John Letter"). Finally, Wright covered another famous country track - "Soldier's Last Letter" - composed by Redd Stewart and Ernest Tubb during the Second World War. As suggested in the title, a soldier wrote his last letter - addressed to his mother - before being killed in battle. The mother prayed to "protect all the sons" and to "keep America free" - so ending on a patriotic note.
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
About the artist
Born 13 May 1914, Mount Juliet, Tennessee, USA. Died 27 September 2011, Madison, Tennessee, USA