Still in Saigon
1982 · Epic 14-02828 · New York City, New York
- Artist
- The Charlie Daniels Band
- Title
- Still in Saigon
- Release
- Still in Saigon / Blowing Along with the Wind
- Year
- 1982
- Label
- Epic # 14-02828
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- New York City, New York, USA
- Songwriter
- Daley
- Genre
- Country · Country Rock
- Primary theme
- Post-War
Annotation
As discussed above, the 1980s saw a revival of interest in the Vietnam War, both in song, films, and literature. The country rock track "Still in Saigon" (Epic Records # 14-02828), composed by Dan Daley, one of the most popular and well-known of the songs which fitted into this trend, looked at the impact of the war on a Vietnam veteran. It dealt with several interesting issues, in particular two familiar features of the post-war song: (a) the attempt to overcome the "Vietnam Syndrome" - in this case, the perception that veterans may have felt guilt or shame about the war, influenced by the domestic climate they returned to in the US. (1) Ronald Reagan spoke about this on 18 August 1980: "for too long, we have lived with the Vietnam Syndrome...We dishonor the memory of 50,000 young Americans who died...They deserve our gratitude, our respect, and our continuing concern". (2) Many war films of the period fitted into this climate of trying to overcome the Vietnam Syndrome, such First Blood [Rambo] (1982), Uncommon Valor (1983), and Missing in Action (1984). (b) It looked at the negative impact of the war on veterans through Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Bruce Springsteen…
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
About the artist
American country-rock band formed 1972 in Nashville, Tennessee ('Still in Saigon'). [Source: Wikipedia]
Themes
Vet · PTSD · Draft Dodger · Draft