I was 13 when i first listened to this and popping to it with my mates and remember thinking fuck joining the army. 10 years later i was in the army and on operations and thinking , "I WASN'T REALLY SURE WHAT WAS GOING ON" . Paul Hardcastle hit the fucking nail on the head. Vietnam , Iraq , Afghanistan wherever WAR IS HELL .
+smithdvr It is. But it was wrong what all those hippie junkie did to the men and women that have served in South East Asia (calling them "baby killers").
+smithdvr You unfortunately hit the wrong nail because that is not the underlying message. Too fuck or drink you need to be 21 in the USA else you are still a kid but biting a bullet as a kid seems to be no problem. Superb example of American hypocrisy at his best.
***** Not at all. It used to be the same over here until they stopped with it. I got drafted at 17. We don't have any army left except the aviation part and some maritime aspects. This has been going on since the early 90's. Our army is decimated. If war comes we are doomed!
Wow. I just heard this for the first time since 1985. The hair on the back of my neck went up and I felt like someone hit me with an adrenaline shot. Really takes me back. Incredible nostalgia injection.
+Blue Snail The fact that my father fought two tours in Vietnam and came home twice shot to hell with only a purple heart and a lot of criticism damn sure makes him a hero.
While it is true that many people willingly choose to serve, and during Vietnam many were drafted and/or coerced into serving, the fact remains that these men and women went to hell for the sake of this country. And whether you agree with it or not, the military is the very reason you and I have the freedoms we enjoy. My father may have been 'a mercenary', but he fought and damn near died for something greater than any of us. I am glad he came home alive. I am sorry many did not. But they all deserve our respect.
my mate hid under a table at the anchor pub in Weston super mare after taking lsd and listening to this. thank you paul hardcastle for inadvertently scaring me from drugs ever xxxx
I remember this track way back when I was around eleven years old. All my friends and I were into electro which was all the rage. This track has obvious elements of electro and we loved it. I still dig it now!!!
stereo panning, drums, snares, beats, groove....this is THE REAL ELECTRO MUSIC at his best..an absolute MASTERPIECE of all times..this track is going to be played forever
One of those songs that the impact remains the same - even in 2020. I was 12 when it was released. Awesome tune and thought provoking in equal measure.
I went on my first combat operation at 19(not Vietnam), everything changed from that point on. This record always meant a lot to me, it felt like it was about me. God Bless all soldiers.
Man i have a ear for this type of music when i heard this a an elementary school student i was taken aback let me know that war wasn’t for me but respect to all servicemen & women thank you
Not old enough to remember it first time round but wouldnt it have been more powerful then with Vietnam vets not that old and still in the public eye? Today with Afghanistan, Iraq then Syria it seems we are more desensitised to war.
This a was huge club hit in Germany in 1985...my dad bought the 7" single back then and I have it now (I'm 36 and I was born in 1981). One of my favorite 80s classics ever!!
One more paragraph. I was 15 years old when this song was released, and immediately impressed by the bold combination of dance funk and educational documentary tracks on such a serious subject. There was much effort in the 1980s to understand and make amends for all that had gone wrong in the Vietnam era. A big thank you goes out to Hardcastle and his crew for this all-time classic, and for helping America to heal (at least a little bit) from the legacy of the Vietnam War.--------9/11/01-9/11/11
what a fecking TUUUNE! That was!! I was only 12 years old back in 85 when this came it but it was a big tune back in the day. I later joined the British Airborne 9 years later.
Still one of the best anti war protest songs ever ! Amazing arrangement, marvelous music and super story telling concept. Still gives me shivers after all those years.
I fondly remember when this song was released. It is now an eerie parallel to the war in the middle east. Bless all those serving and who have served there. Let's end this war soon!
I remember when this first came out in 85' It was probably the first song I actually bought in both 7" and 12". I know it was the most talk about record at that time. Did more to help me understand the Vietnam War than many a documentary at the time. PURE CLASS!
I was just a young teenager when this track came out....even then the message that stands behind this song was so strong and important for young kids to learn about needless war! Timless track!
Hey Paul. Great record. Thirty years ago I was in the Army. Stationed in Germany. We all had really good stereos in Germany. I used to listen to this record over and over with no end.
This is really a reminder of what's war all about but a new generation that has all forgotten the logic of war wants to discover once again. Thats depressing. 😔
In 1985, this seemed like just another record. But it wasn''t -- it was different in many ways. And so were those who did the mixing... (apologies to the narrator)
I was ahead of my time back in the mid-90s! I played this kick ass tune in front of some Grunge/Alternative teen angsters back in 1996 and they didn't get it! Fortunately,today's teens and young adults are into this shit!
This is one of my favorite songs, it inspired modern day music genre's like Dubstep and Techno, where they remix a voice sample. It's really catchy too.
I could have been part of this. I was sent a draft notice in 1965 right after my 19th birthday. I reported for my pre-induction Army physical shortly thereafter. We were allowed to volunteer for a different service branch prior to induction, so I joined The Naval Air Reserve. There actually was a program that only required six months of active duty including boot camp, but there were no openings available, so I volunteered for a program that included boot camp, plus training to advance to E-2 and E-3 ranking over three months and Aviation Training School the following summer and three years of active duty stationed at one or more of the 18 existing Naval Air Reserve training centers located in the continental US. I did my Service in Jacksonville, Florida, Los Alamitos, California and Pt. Mugu, California. It is almost criminal that they forced kids to fight that grisly war where you would have to take the same territory multiple times and were prevented from making any progress that could lead to victory.
Although I'm not American or Vietnamese, and I've never been in the army, I've never thrown away my copy of this album. I've owned it from a version of a cassette since my teenage years, then transferred it to CD, then to mp3. During that time, I liked it because of the tunes but now as an adult whenever I listen to it and especially when I watched this video, I just can't control my tears knowing that the leaders of this world have to make people like that suffer and they didn't know how to achieve peace in a less painful way.
Believe it or not, when I first heard this song I was 19. I’m just realizing it was 19 years ago when I first heard this song. Oh my God, this is really weird!!!
The 50th anniversary when "officially" US ground troops came ashore is coming up on March 8. On that day in 1965 Marines came ashore on China Beach near Da Nang and engaged the VC on March 12. What many people don't know the Marines reached as far as the S. Vietnam border with Laos near the Ho Chi Minh Trail. They requested permission to enter Laos and cut the trail in two. Most VC were closing in on Saigon and got caught with their pajamas down. But LBJ chickened out fearing China would enter the war and ordered the troops back to Da Nang ending the America's chance at a quick victory.
The idea that there was a possible "quick victory" in vietnam at any point, or any war really is a fantasy. Just look at the "quick wars" in Iraq or Afghanistan. We never should have been there in the first place.
This song is so awesome. My dad bought the 7" single back in 1985. He gave it to me a couple of years back! I have vague childhood memories. This is epic shit for sure ;-) Awesome "Euro Sh*t" so to speak. I can't believe that this song is often left out in 80s parties here in Germany.
i was 19 when i went to Afghanistan back in oct 09 and so where most of the marines i served with. not much has changed if you ask me... ( other than COIN tactics).
benyboi2k8 old rich bastards who NEVER send their kids to die. ive adopted the same attitude now and none of my kids are EVER going to fight pointless wars that steal other countries resources and kills for the benefit of the super rich 1%
Oldfield did compose the music for "The Killing Fields" one year earlier. This is the first time I've seen him credited as a writer on "19", and while it does say so on Wikipedia, I'm slightly skeptical.
UK number 1 in 1985 not 19 lol seriously though It was great to see such a pioneering and unique song make it too the top, so many other great ones never made it, ultravox Vienna is a fine example. there was a lot of competition in the 80s if you made it too top spot it was really big deal, top of the pops was huge back then families including my own sat around the dinner table to watch the latest acts on a Thursday night. great times great song.
Dave Shields I should post them here. I have a recording of Julian Cope singing "Passionate Friend" live acoustic on Simon Mayo's show and even on cassette it is amazing.
yellow Mellow I won't pin it down exactly for his own privacy but within 3 miles of Navestock Side Essex. Funnily enough a famous old American female Rocker (of sorts) Suzi Quarto use to live close by too & Rod Stewart eats at a restaurant not 4 miles away!
I was 13 when i first listened to this and popping to it with my mates and remember thinking fuck joining the army.
10 years later i was in the army and on operations and thinking , "I WASN'T REALLY SURE WHAT WAS GOING ON" . Paul Hardcastle hit the fucking nail on the head. Vietnam , Iraq , Afghanistan wherever WAR IS HELL .
WHOAAA
+smithdvr It is. But it was wrong what all those hippie junkie did to the men and women that have served in South East Asia (calling them "baby killers").
+Kristoffer Kamil Skovsted Thomsen You were there?
+smithdvr
You unfortunately hit the wrong nail because that is not the underlying message. Too fuck or drink you need to be 21 in the USA else you are still a kid but biting a bullet as a kid seems to be no problem. Superb example of American hypocrisy at his best.
*****
Not at all. It used to be the same over here until they stopped with it. I got drafted at 17. We don't have any army left except the aviation part and some maritime aspects. This has been going on since the early 90's. Our army is decimated. If war comes we are doomed!
A song like this could never exist today
You'd get the Government on your ass. Stop mixing that music you're coming with us.
It's not exactly a draft song...
RIP Peter Thomas! Narrator and voice-over artist extraordinaire!!
That is him doing the narration.
He did those scary CareUnit alcohol ads of the 1980s on tv , glad hes gone :)
And Frank Reynolds on the newscasts.
When this song played in clubs in the 1980's, many people actually stopped dancing, and started listening to the lyrics.
Brad C correct ..
I was one of them people..
Hello my 80s brother
Urp just a Gen Z kid mindin his own business
Stopped what I was doing that Saturday night and turned the radio up. Something really meaningful!
No they didn't!
zoo hat Were you there young ass millennial
Still gets under my skin, marvelous song
sasasasasa saigon, saigon, sasasasasasa saigon, saigon
Wow. I just heard this for the first time since 1985. The hair on the back of my neck went up and I felt like someone hit me with an adrenaline shot. Really takes me back. Incredible nostalgia injection.
for the song or the war?
@@blueguitar411 I take it he means the song and the memories of the 1980s.
"none of them received a hero's welcome" .. so sad and true.
+G name Although, in fairness, being a soldier doesn't make someone a Hero anyway.
+Blue Snail The fact that my father fought two tours in Vietnam and came home twice shot to hell with only a purple heart and a lot of criticism damn sure makes him a hero.
stripedtigress Conscripts yes, but people that have decided to risk their lives in a role that is essentially an official mercenary position.
While it is true that many people willingly choose to serve, and during Vietnam many were drafted and/or coerced into serving, the fact remains that these men and women went to hell for the sake of this country. And whether you agree with it or not, the military is the very reason you and I have the freedoms we enjoy. My father may have been 'a mercenary', but he fought and damn near died for something greater than any of us. I am glad he came home alive. I am sorry many did not. But they all deserve our respect.
stripedtigress "Conscripts yes," That's why I said that, the position does not deserve the respect, what they did during that time does.
Still boys, kids.
Only 19...
this is one of the coolest songs ever! the beat and the message
Hello
How are you fine going do not wish
I think fine l we are can you me
I am deaf here from Ghanaian
I wish and you will to l m were well you for kind
Ironically, I learnt more about The Vietnam 'War' from this song, than I did in high school.
Same here!
my mate hid under a table at the anchor pub in Weston super mare after taking lsd and listening to this. thank you paul hardcastle for inadvertently scaring me from drugs ever xxxx
arsenalfc1ful lol
you missed out
。
We lost a lot of good men in that pub
Too big of a dose for poor boyo
I remember this track way back when I was around eleven years old. All my friends and I were into electro which was all the rage. This track has obvious elements of electro and we loved it. I still dig it now!!!
Actually the drinking age WAS 21 back then and it was quite common for a vet to come home and not be able to drink.
Somebody said they thought it differed between states. Not to my knowledge, but I could be wrong. First time for everything!
stereo panning, drums, snares, beats, groove....this is THE REAL ELECTRO MUSIC at his best..an absolute MASTERPIECE of all times..this track is going to be played forever
Have not heard this song for years I remember when this came out in 1985
Such a poignant song and video. They used to play this track in clubs but if you focus on the lyrics you just want to cry instead of dance.
Man, when this song came out, I was station in Germany. You talk about the dance floor being packed..WOW!!
I was 19 when i watched this video, i'm still fighting it...
One of those songs that the impact remains the same - even in 2020. I was 12 when it was released. Awesome tune and thought provoking in equal measure.
A great, forgotten song (hardly played any more) that I remember well.
Music from the 80´s is so freaky. Love and so ...
I went on my first combat operation at 19(not Vietnam), everything changed from that point on. This record always meant a lot to me, it felt like it was about me. God Bless all soldiers.
redman75 God bless you. thank you for your service.
Man i have a ear for this type of music when i heard this a an elementary school student i was taken aback let me know that war wasn’t for me but respect to all servicemen & women thank you
Maybe an even more powerful record today than 1985/6 when it first came out?
Not old enough to remember it first time round but wouldnt it have been more powerful then with Vietnam vets not that old and still in the public eye? Today with Afghanistan, Iraq then Syria it seems we are more desensitised to war.
No
... fast forward to 2020
That chanting intro still rocks!
A classic song from the best era in music ever. We salute all those service men who fought and died in this terrible war.
19 forever.....
This a was huge club hit in Germany in 1985...my dad bought the 7" single back then and I have it now (I'm 36 and I was born in 1981). One of my favorite 80s classics ever!!
One more paragraph. I was 15 years old when this song was released, and immediately impressed by the bold combination of dance funk and educational documentary tracks on such a serious subject. There was much effort in the 1980s to understand and make amends for all that had gone wrong in the Vietnam era. A big thank you goes out to Hardcastle and his crew for this all-time classic, and for helping America to heal (at least a little bit) from the legacy of the Vietnam War.--------9/11/01-9/11/11
Man this beat is slapping!
80's Baby. PURE Hardcastle💯
AWESOME my good friend from the 80's :D
Wow, a great message from Mr. Hardcastle who put in a way where we could get the message. I did.
still love this
OMG I have not heard this song since Vilseck Germany!!! Back in "83"
i bought this 7 inch from my local record shop still gives me then feelings as back in the day
I haven't heard this in years since I was an kid
Everyone should see this
what a fecking TUUUNE! That was!! I was only 12 years old back in 85 when this came it but it was a big tune back in the day. I later joined the British Airborne 9 years later.
This was the break of the day. Awesome!
war is no joke, neither is this song... banging!
Still one of the best anti war protest songs ever ! Amazing arrangement, marvelous music and super story telling concept. Still gives me shivers after all those years.
History proves you can never defeat a people fighting for there home.
I fondly remember when this song was released. It is now an eerie parallel to the war in the middle east.
Bless all those serving and who have served there. Let's end this war soon!
An absolutely iconic song and video.
I remember when this first came out in 85' It was probably the first song I actually bought in both 7" and 12".
I know it was the most talk about record at that time. Did more to help me understand the Vietnam War than many a documentary at the time. PURE CLASS!
as good today, as it was back in the day. bittersweet song.....sad story told to an upbeat groove :/
My Old School Hip Hop and R&B.
I still have 19 versions of this gem lol
Love this song. I was 10 when this came out, totally unaware of the message back then! 14
Haven't heard this since the 80s!!!!
Great tune from me young mad days
What memories this brings! Awesome song till date!!!!
A timeless unforgettable jam.
This Song Went To Number 15 On The Billboard Hot 100 Chart In 1985.
the older i become more i understand what this song ment back then.bravo!
The first time I heard about "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder" was through this song.
It used to be called shell-shock.
Happy 60th Paul...
C Could can come by no
Mi to
No go to:-:-$
I was just a young teenager when this track came out....even then the message that stands behind this song was so strong and important for young kids to learn about needless war! Timless track!
Hey Paul. Great record. Thirty years ago I was in the Army. Stationed in Germany. We all had really good stereos in Germany. I used to listen to this record over and over with no end.
Old men make War ...young me fight it !!!
+Debbie McCarthy Sorry not true in general. Idiocy does not need a certain age. We have enough current examples of very young people starting a war.
Then the young men become old men and get young men to fight the war.
+Debbie McCarthy Rich men make war :/
+Debbie McCarthy George Patton was 57 and he was right out with his boys. just like Rommel.
You mean *Old Rich Men*
There's no draft today. Back then there was. Today they volunteer. There was no choice back then. For all that don't understand, now you know.
This was the first record bought with Shawn Sobral RIP bother. Boogie down productions and this, we threw a great party. He was a true one.
This is really a reminder of what's war all about but a new generation that has all forgotten the logic of war wants to discover once again. Thats depressing. 😔
Loved this tune in 80s still sounds auwsome today well dope WORD 😎
In 1985, this seemed like just another record. But it wasn''t -- it was different in many ways. And so were those who did the mixing... (apologies to the narrator)
I was ahead of my time back in the mid-90s! I played this kick ass tune in front of some Grunge/Alternative teen angsters back in 1996 and they didn't get it! Fortunately,today's teens and young adults are into this shit!
This is one of my favorite songs, it inspired modern day music genre's like Dubstep and Techno, where they remix a voice sample. It's really catchy too.
I was 16 when this song was released. I had no idea what men of my fathers age had been through in Vietnam.
Because they didn’t talk about it
I could have been part of this. I was sent a draft notice in 1965 right after my 19th birthday. I reported for my pre-induction Army physical shortly thereafter. We were allowed to volunteer for a different service branch prior to induction, so I joined The Naval Air Reserve. There actually was a program that only required six months of active duty including boot camp, but there were no openings available, so I volunteered for a program that included boot camp, plus training to advance to E-2 and E-3 ranking over three months and Aviation Training School the following summer and three years of active duty stationed at one or more of the 18 existing Naval Air Reserve training centers located in the continental US. I did my Service in Jacksonville, Florida, Los Alamitos, California and Pt. Mugu, California. It is almost criminal that they forced kids to fight that grisly war where you would have to take the same territory multiple times and were prevented from making any progress that could lead to victory.
This was the best one yet
Hello Sandy how are you doing hope you’re having a great time with your family may God bless you and your family
Although I'm not American or Vietnamese, and I've never been in the army, I've never thrown away my copy of this album. I've owned it from a version of a cassette since my teenage years, then transferred it to CD, then to mp3. During that time, I liked it because of the tunes but now as an adult whenever I listen to it and especially when I watched this video, I just can't control my tears knowing that the leaders of this world have to make people like that suffer and they didn't know how to achieve peace in a less painful way.
I saw this many years ago on MTV.....Been stuck in my head for at LEAST 20 years...thank you for posting.
What a great dance track this is.
You may also want to check out this version of Hardcastle's classic masterpiece: ua-cam.com/video/5dAslLntNB8/v-deo.html
I remember when this came out in the 8os
England FUCK yeah! This wasn't even our conflict but we write an amazing, ground breaking piece of music about it!
Okok
Can't re-create that sound.New retro of today doesn't come close,thats why its a timeless classic.
Angelo Gemignani well said!! 👌
a dance record with a social conscious.
classic of the 80s THE BEST
Believe it or not, when I first heard this song I was 19.
I’m just realizing it was 19 years ago when I first heard this song. Oh my God, this is really weird!!!
if you see a Vet in 2017 give him thanks for offering his life in the name of freedom, he had no clue what he was getting into.
You clearly don't have a clue about the Vietnam war, do you?
The 50th anniversary when "officially" US ground troops came ashore is coming up on March 8. On that day in 1965 Marines came ashore on China Beach near Da Nang and engaged the VC on March 12. What many people don't know the Marines reached as far as the S. Vietnam border with Laos near the Ho Chi Minh Trail. They requested permission to enter Laos and cut the trail in two. Most VC were closing in on Saigon and got caught with their pajamas down. But LBJ chickened out fearing China would enter the war and ordered the troops back to Da Nang ending the America's chance at a quick victory.
BEST GODDAMN THING I CAN SAY ABOUT LB JOHNSON WAS HIS HEART CONDITION!!!!!
The idea that there was a possible "quick victory" in vietnam at any point, or any war really is a fantasy. Just look at the "quick wars" in Iraq or Afghanistan. We never should have been there in the first place.
Bloody waste of life & limb. . .
When I first watched this on MTV at a tender age, it was a real eye opener.
Heard this on the way to the Celtic game today love it amazing song
old school !!!!!
I work in the army I always listen to this song when I have go time by the way I am a sniping soljer
This song is so awesome.
My dad bought the 7" single back in 1985. He gave it to me a couple of years back!
I have vague childhood memories. This is epic shit for sure ;-)
Awesome "Euro Sh*t" so to speak.
I can't believe that this song is often left out in 80s parties here in Germany.
Heard this on the radio yesterday! Best surprise ever!
i was 19 when i went to Afghanistan back in oct 09 and so where most of the marines i served with. not much has changed if you ask me... ( other than COIN tactics).
benyboi2k8 old rich bastards who NEVER send their kids to die. ive adopted the same attitude now and none of my kids are EVER going to fight pointless wars that steal other countries resources and kills for the benefit of the super rich 1%
amen
@jokebooks Australia invented wifi be at least greatful and you own the United nations but they try to be cunts still.
Trotz des tollen Sounds ein Song zum nachdenken !
English!!!!!
Al fin la encontre gran recuerdo del 85 mi infancia pura
Number 1 the day i was born!
Oldfield did compose the music for "The Killing Fields" one year earlier. This is the first time I've seen him credited as a writer on "19", and while it does say so on Wikipedia, I'm slightly skeptical.
UK number 1 in 1985 not 19 lol seriously though It was great to see such a pioneering and unique song make it too the top, so many other great ones never made it, ultravox Vienna is a fine example. there was a lot of competition in the 80s if you made it too top spot it was really big deal, top of the pops was huge back then families including my own sat around the dinner table to watch the latest acts on a Thursday night.
great times great song.
I used to record the radio on my cassette and have a recording of the chart rundown where this was number one.
I used too do that, Bruno Brooks was my hero at aged 10 - 15
Dave Shields I should post them here. I have a recording of Julian Cope singing "Passionate Friend" live acoustic on Simon Mayo's show and even on cassette it is amazing.
The spring and summer of 85 were the last great times for the charts though. After Live Aid for some reason pop music began its decline
Tytreyoigt55Dave Shields
i've been obsessed with the number 19 lately. XIX
In Manchester it was 19!!!! Sent to my Scouse loving friends Love it.
Just found out Paul Hardcastle lives about 3 miles from me!!
:O
wow, that's neat!
Andy Webb
I think by the time you add up all the "N-n-n-n-n-n- nineteens" you're up in the 100's!
yellow Mellow
I won't pin it down exactly for his own privacy but within 3 miles of Navestock Side Essex. Funnily enough a famous old American female Rocker (of sorts) Suzi Quarto use to live close by too & Rod Stewart eats at a restaurant not 4 miles away!
Andy Webb
I've never had to "come out", straight 100% heterosexual!
LONG LIVE THE VIETNAM WAR VETERAN = THE 82ND AIRBORNE DIVISION WAS THERE!!!
destruction of men in their prime ..".I wasn't really sure what was goin on "...haunting words,haunting video,...... Love to all .x
Fantastic ! This great song & Oliver stones great movie 'Platoon' put that regretfull war back into public consciousness.