To the Battleground

Annotation

The Domino Theory (CBS # CBS 85742), a synth-pop concept album which took an anti-war position, included several references to the Vietnam War. Bolland, also known as Bolland & Bolland featured the two brothers Ferdi Bolland and Rob Bolland who originally came from South Africa, but based their career in the Netherlands. The most famous song on the album, "You're in the Army Now", is discussed immediately below. The song "Heart of Darkness" captured the tone of the album, presenting the despair of war: "I was afraid to face the day, nothing could take my fear away...my fate's no longer in my hands". The title of the song came from the Joseph Conrad book Heart of Darkness (about a British ivory trader sailing down the Congo River in Central Africa). Francis Ford Coppola also took inspiration from this book for his 1979 Vietnam War film Apocalypse Now. The song "Dogs of War", narrated in the first person, provided the perspective of a soldier fighting in the jungle. The soldier already displayed signs of psychological stress: "night is filled with shadows...it all seems a nightmare...I'm going insane" - this followed in-line with the 1980s trend of portraying veterans / soldiers as suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: Being out in the jungle trying hard to survive / Listen to the deadly silence, I'd really like to stay alive / Tonight we'll cross the river, we're waiting for the things to come / My only consolation is that I'm not the only one / The dogs of war, the dogs of war strike again...and again / The night is filled with shadows towering over my head / Uncle Sam gave the orders, can't remember what he said / Now it all seems a nightmare, think that I'm going insane / No way I can face tomorrow, no way to ease the pain

Notes

Lark INL-3618, credited on the front cover to "Bolland"; the cover photograph shows a queue at an airport check-in desk, led by a man holding a United States passport and a copy of The Wall Street Journal, with a soldier in camouflage and face paint among the travellers and a Royal Air Force Yearbook 1981 on the counter; the back cover continues the queue scene. Back cover: "Composed, arranged and produced by Rob Bolland & Ferdi Bolland", distribution Inelco, "© ℗ 1981", trademarks used under control of FFR Productions, marketed in The Netherlands by Inelco Records and Tapes bv, Aalsmeer, printed in The Netherlands; "Qcumber controlled" logo. Side one: Ouverture / You're in the Army Now / The Dogs of War / Heart of Darkness / Cambodia Moon; side two: Heaven Can Wait / To the Battleground / Long Day's Journey into the Night / Let's Help A*R*Vi*N Out / Rendez-Vous with Radiation / Finale.…

About the artist

Dutch duo of brothers Rob Bolland (born 17 April 1955) and Ferdi Bolland (born 5 August 1956), both born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa; the family later moved to the Netherlands. Songwriters and producers; released You're in the Army Now (1981), later a hit for Status Quo. Based in the Netherlands. [Source: Wikipedia]

Themes

Anti-War

In collections

European Songs