Credited on the record as Dick Maloney and The Vietnamese Kids.
The Boat People (A Song of Hope)
1979 · Diana Records DO-1020 · Ottawa, Canada
- Artist
- Dick Maloney
- Credited on the record as
- Dick Maloney and The Vietnamese Kids
- Title
- The Boat People (A Song of Hope)
- Release
- The Boat People (A Song of Hope)
- Year
- 1979
- Label
- Diana Records # DO-1020
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- Ottawa, Canada
- Songwriter
- Dick Maloney
- Genre
- Pop · Pop
- Primary theme
- Post-War
Annotation
The track "The Boat People (A Song of Hope)" ( Diana Records # DO-1020) by the Canadian singer Dick Maloney, accompanied by the "Vietnamese kids", referred to the influx of Vietnamese refugees into Canada, known as the Boat People, who fled their country after the collapse of South Vietnam in 1975. Released in 1979, and thus a post-war song. "The world watched silently when the boat people were put out to sea / Their only sin was being born in a country torn by humanity / Now they turn to us with trust in their eyes / We can't look away...no we can't ignore their cries / Lets open up our hearts, our doors and our land / Give them the strength to help them understand / Although they might feel lost, they're really not alone / Lets treat them like a neighbour and help them find a home / We'll show the world we care with this song of hope / By sharing with the people, the people from the boat Maloney, an Ottawa entertainer, composed the song as the theme for Project 4000, the volunteer sponsorship organization formed by the City of Ottawa in 1979 to help resettle Indochinese refugees. He recorded it with eight Indochinese children and other Ottawa musicians who donated their time. The song was also taken up by "Someone Cares", a refugee sponsorship campaign in Calgary, and proceeds from the 45 went to refugee programs.1Sources1Summary of the Employment and Immigration Indochinese Refugee Newsletters, Vol. 1, No. 7, 29 August 1979↩
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Diana Records DO-1020A, vocal, stereo, 2:37; (Dick Maloney); produced by Dick Maloney; arr. by Champ Champagne; eng. Peter Burns; studio Marc Productions, Ottawa; mastering SNB Montreal; PRO Canada. Scan from the Hugo Keesing collection. [From the record label] "Song of Hope: Dick Maloney, an Ottawa entertainer composed a theme song for Project 4000, the Ottawa volunteer sponsorship organization and recorded it using eight Indochinese children and other Ottawa musicians who donated time. The song was also picked up for a Calgary campaign “Someone Cares”. Proceeds from the sale of the 45 rpm record go to refugee programs." [From the Employment and Immigration Canada Indochinese Refugee Newsletter, Vol. 1, No. 7, 29 August 1979, in the summary prepared by Martha Nixon]