Saigon
1983 · Underdog 13117 · London, UK: England
- Artist
- London Cowboys
- Title
- Saigon
- Release
- Hook Line & Sinker / Saigon
- Year
- 1983
- Label
- Underdog # 13117
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- London, UK: England
- Songwriter
- Steve Dior
- Genre
- Punk · Glam Punk
- Primary theme
- Post-War
Annotation
Glam Punk group formed (1980) and disbanded (1986) in London, UK, lead by vocalist & guitarist Steve Dior. The song "Saigon" (Underdog # 13117) started with helicopter sound-effects. This one seems to be about a Vietnam veteran suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - frequently referenced in post-war 1980s songs about US veterans, often connected in songs to stress, shell shock, flashbacks, nostalgia, and feelings and dreams related to an event: "I'm...frustrated, animated, agitated... my mind is blown and battered...Saigon".
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Annotation — Punk Songs
Glam Punk group formed (1980) and disbanded (1986) in London, UK, lead by vocalist & guitarist Steve Dior. The song "Saigon" (Underdog # 13117) started with helicopter sound-effects. This one seems to be about a Vietnam veteran suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - frequently referenced in post-war 1980s songs about US veterans, often connected in songs to stress, shell shock, flashbacks, nostalgia, and feelings and dreams related to an event: "I'm...frustrated, animated, agitated... my mind is blown and battered...Saigon"
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English: I'm running in that race the leads to nowhere / My jeans are torn and dirty / And I'm down here on my knees / And I don't know who it is I got to please / Every time I make a move I think it's pretty good, I'm leaving all the rest behind / Saigon / Somebody comes along, says son you got it wrong again / Well I'm not asking for your tea or sympathy / But at least you could just throw me a line / I'm a frustrated, animated, agitated, complicated, dominated / I'm so deep down in the shit / I'm really saturated / And I'm telling you, I'm a regular guy / Saigon / I'm moving in one direction... / Wound up where I started, which is nowhere / My mind is blown and battered / I'm a cold rat to the bone / My eyes keep standing death blank at the walls / Saigon / Rats coming, now the rats coming...what am I gonna do / My jeans are torn and dirty....
Notes
Underdog 13117 (13117/2), 45 T, SACEM/SDRM, Carrere Distribution, made in France; label ℗ 1982 Underdog, sleeve ℗ & © 1983 Underdog Records; Side A "Hook Line & Sinker" (S. Dior), 3'25; Side B "Saïgon" (Steve Dior), 4'44, produced by The Peculiar Bros., "An Original Double D Records Recording"; from the LP "Animal Pleasure" no. 67.933, stereophonic; sleeve code CA 171. The front sleeve has a blue-green blurred image with the band name in gothic letters; the back reproduces the "Animal Pleasure" album cover. [From the record sleeve and labels]
About the artist
Formed 1980, London, Greater London, UK. Disbanded 1986, London, Greater London, UK