You're In The Army Now

Annotation

The single "You're in the Army Now" (CBS # A-2200) took an anti-war position - it featured on the 1982 concept album The Domino Theory discussed above. It started with the story of a man being draft and being told that he will become a local hero: "a vacation in a foreign land, Uncle Sam...the draft-man said...you'll be a hero of the neighborhood". He soon found himself on his "way to 'Nam". It then described the battle scene, with bullets, grenades, and missiles flying overhead, the sounds of war and fear of death. As the soldier prepared to fire his weapons, he said "it don't seem right", thus indicating an anti-war stance. It reached # 1 in the Norwegian single charts, staying there for six weeks. It also topped the chart in Finland, reach # 2 in Sweden, and # 9 in South Africa.1 The British pop/rock band Status Quo covered the song, changing several verses, such as "smiling faces on the way to 'Nam" to "smiling faces as you wait to land". They also changed the anti-war content: "a vacation in a foreign land, Uncle Sam does the best he can" became "you're on your way to a foreign land, now's the time to do what you can"; "your finger's on the trigger but it don't seem right" became "your finger's on the trigger, now it's time to fight". Released as single in September 1986: In the Army Now / Heartburn (Vertigo # 888 056-1). It also featured as the title track to the 1986 album In the Army Now (Vertigo # VERH 36). The song peaked at #2 in the UK Billboard chart, selling over 250,000 copies.2 It reached # 1 in Austria, Germany, Ireland, Poland, and Switzerland, and successfully charted in a further seven European countries, selling over a million copies.3Sources1Wikipedia: In the Army Now (song)↩2Billboard, September 1986↩3Wikipedia: In the Army Now (song)↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

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: A vacation in a foreign land / Uncle Sam does the best he can... / Oh, oh, you're in the army now / Now you remember what the draft-man said / Nothing to do all day but stay in bed... / You'll be the hero of the neighborhood / Nobody knows that you left for good / Smiling faces on the way to 'Nam / But once you get there no one gives a damn / Hand grenades flying over your head... / Missiles flying over your head / If you want to survive get out of bed... / Shots ring out in the dead of night / The sergeant calls, "Stand up and fight!"... / You've got your orders better shoot on sight / Your finger's on the trigger, but it don't seem right... / Night is falling and you just can't see / Is this illusion or reality?, you're in the army now

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 · Soldier's Perspective · Draft

In collections

Draft Songs · European Songs