Incredible! BILLY JOEL GOOD NIGHT SAIGON REACTION(First time hearing)
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- Опубліковано 20 лис 2021
- Goodnight Saigon by Billy Joel reaction.An incredible song about the American soldiers who went to the Vietnam war.
#billyjoel
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#rockreaction
Billy’s friends who went to Viet Nam asked him to write a song for them. Having not been there he wasn’t comfortable writing it, but his friends said we will tell you what it was like and you write it. The song ended up being a tribute to the men, not the war. Their main concern was their fellow soldiers. Billy has veterans come on stage and sing the chorus with him during concerts. It is very stirring.
This song came to my mind as well after he did Scenes, masterful storytelling
Makes total sense now that he had friends tell him stuff..its an increeible song!
@@HarriBestReactions Hari -Check out a live version, if there are any,, on UA-cam.
An astonishing piece of popular art!
I’ve been blessed enough to witness Vets joining Billy on stage a few times... POWERFUL!!!!
Met as soulmates on Parris Island left as inmates from an asylum is the most accurate description of PI ever. USMC 1971.
I have never been able to listen to this song all the way through... my brother lived this, and never talked about it. Thank you Harri for giving me the courage to finish the song to the end...
As a Vietnam Vet I feel this is one the best songs ever written about Vietnam, Charlie Daniels also wrote one.
I am also a Vietnam Vet and this song makes me tear up every time I hear it, it is so powerful!
Thank you for your service in the Armed Forces. You guys didn't receive a warm embrace from America when you came home but we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
As someone who has never been in the armed forces I find this song devastating. And probably as close as I ever want to come to war.
It’s incredibly evocative. Like the last scene in First Blood in song form.
It’s superb
It is a shattering song. I am Vietnam era, but did not serve. I was a long-haired hippie freak protester. And I have nothing but respect and admiration for those who served. Peace!
My dear friend's brother was shot down in Quang Tri. in 1969 He was 19 years old and a very proud Marine. RIP Chris...your memory will live on. 🇺🇸❤
In concert he has Viet Nam vets on stage with their arms around each other singing the chorus. A gut punch. Exhilarating and brilliant
This is an incredible song, Billy actually had Vietnam Vets singing backup in the video. Thank you to all of our military members past and present.👍
My dad fought in Vietnam, and this was one of his favorite songs. He passed away in 1995. This song brings me tears every time I hear it. Thank you to ALL the veterans...🇺🇲
As a veteran I approve this song. It really reaches deep.
"They left their childhood on every acre"....a masterpiece of a song. Just heart wrenching.
After Paul McCartney Billy best songwriter ever in modern music era !!!
Whenever he performs this live, he brings onstage local veterans, military, police, and firefighters to sing the chorus. It's very moving. I remember bawling watching the 9/11 concert. If you want uplifting, try River of Dreams!
My brother served in the Navy as a Corpsman .... He thought that by joining the Navy that he would be on the ship taking care of the wounded flown out to them. That's what he was told anyways. The reality was he and his best friend joined, (they would have been drafted), and a day after their arrival to Vietnam... they were both flown to the DMZ where there was some heavy action. It was so surreal to him... Within the first couple of hours they were crawling out to the dead and wounded only to have his friend signal for a helicopter and got bullet that blew his head all over my brother. He saw a lot of dead, dying, and wounded men.
When he came back, he was never the same. He wound up with a brain tumor the size of a baseball, from being sprayed with Agent Orange many times...
He constantly had flashbacks all his life. Luckily ... my brother died at age 65 yrs, 7months, and 11 days. He was angry at the non support of the veterans for nearly his whole life... finally they got some help... but many never lived long enough to see that. RIP to all who fought on both sides of the war.
I am so so sorry for what your brother suffered. And how generous of you to mention the veterans from both sides of the conflict. Soldiers can be the best pacifists.
⚓️
I'm so sorry. Hopefully he has found peace and solace in the next life. My heart goes out to you, your family, and your brother. 🤍
Joel"s masterpiece. Not his greatest or best song, but the one that showed what he could do.
You're right, Harri. You have to stop thinking you've heard Billy's best. Radio stations might just keep playing Piano Man and Uptown Girl, but his fans know they can put on any album, start to finish, and enjoy the hell out of it.
(May I recommend "Allentown" or "Pressure" next.)
Really love Allentown
And New York State of Mind!
Next Billy Joel reaction should be Allentown. Another one with incredible lyrics.
In 1966 my Dad's cousin Richard, a navy pilot was shot down. At 7 years old, I didn't really understand anything about Vietnam or war. No one in my family was ever the same. His remains were never found :(
During his live performance he had about 20 or more vietnam vets singing the chorus, very emotional.
Everyone needs to experience the genius that is Billy Joel. Thanks for being one of the reactors keeping his legacy rolling.
You wake up at 3:00 am to the sound of a helicopter flying over your neighborhood.
Suddenly, you're right back in the middle of it... .
When he sings "remember Charlie..." that's the part that gets me. The movie "Born on the 4th of July" speaks to the trauma the soldiers who went to Vietnam had to live with. It's really well done if anyone wants to know more about that time in our history from a personal viewpoint.
Wasn't "Charlie" the Vietnamese? Not sure, but a lot of my high school friends (decades ago) lost their brothers in Vietnam.
@@user_fjblbgtq_207 yes, Charlie was the nicest word used for the North Vietnamese. However in this case, he is calling out a fellow American soldier's name. Explaining that these young innocents saw and did things that stole their souls and aged them beyond their years. Those that survived returned home having left parts of themselves behind. After being drafted to fight in a war that few wanted, they fought side by side for each other. They protected each other and on occasion watched as their mates were blown apart less than an arms length away without warning and without being able to prevent it. Later upon returning to the states, they were spat on and called baby killers. The fact that these men held true to a warrior code and retained some part of their humanity kept those Self-Righteous Leftwing Zealots breathing with all their body parts still connected. Personally I am torn between shipping those people straight to the front lines or just spaying/neutering the offending swine on the spot and without anesthesia. Hanoi Jane just needs to be dropped into the thick jungle without a parachute. One can still dream.
@@jamestaylor2920 Perhaps we can consider also the name of companies; Charlie was C company and Baker was B company.
The choir was veterans
Your honesty is so refreshing, my brother. Your response is perfect. You said what i think, everytime I hear this song. It makes me cry, every time. All of these years later. Thank you my friend. ❤
In his live shows the chorus was often sung by actual vets from that war. By the way, the song refers to Parris Island, which is a US Marine training facility. Respect to the USMC.
Wanted to finish my comment below, I'm considered a senior citizen now and no one takes me seriously, but that was and the protests against it changed a generation and our views on politics to this day. But again I'm above their and obviously don't know anything.
Then they came home and we're treated like the enemy. Heartbreaking. We should treat our military with dignity and respect
Billy did amazing things in concert. Aside from bringing vets on stage to sing the chorus of this song, he wouldn't sell out the first three or four rows of seats. At the beginning of the show he would invite those in the nose bleed sections to come down and sit up front. I was cosmically lucky enough to have a friend in High School band named David Brown. David became Billy's lead guitarist and musical director. I was able to get back stage at shows and even went on the beer run and set up for Billy's thirtieth birthday party. (He was a Molson fan) He is one of the most down to Earth people that ever was.
I love this so much. Every story I hear about him makes me adore him even more!
Leningrad is even more sad. Great album.
I love Leningrad as well, but I find it uplifting that Billy and Viktor became friends and essentially tore down the iron curtain between themselves.
I remember playing that song (Leningrad) for my Mom, who grew up during the Cold War, and it brought tears to her eyes. The lyrics really painted a picture of those times (she remembers the air raid drills, crouching under desks) and as always, Billy puts such genuine emotion into his music. It's still one of my favorites of his.
My brother was 18 when he went to Viet Nam. He came home but was not the brother he was before he went. Many years after he returned after countless therapy attempts he took his own life. Such a sad and needless war
When Billy performs this track live with vets singing the chorus, is tear inducing to the hardest heart.
This was incredible to see live. Great deep lyrics... And Liberty DeVitto''s drumming style always made songs like this twice as powerful.
Saw Billy four times and each time he made you feel like you were in a cozy bar with a lot of friends having the greatest time.
The official video is even better
It's too bad the other video was blocked because it includes photos of soldiers and scenes from the life in-country in Vietnam and the photos make it even more poignant and moving. They were so young, green and gung ho and if they were lucky enough to survive, so many came home emotionally and mentally gutted. It's unspeakably sad what war does to the human spirit. God bless all who served. Thank you for your service.
Along with Brothers in Arms, this is possibly the most powerful songs in honour of those who served..
To all who do, or have served....
THANK YOU is NEVER enough...
I had a friend who DID serve, after leaving the service He once said.
"I don't know what's wrong with me. I don't trust people, I can't settle ANYWHERE. WHAT DID I DO WORNG????."
This broke my heart and I replied saying this...
"You were a kind, gentle, intelligent and thoughtful person as a kid, The Army took you in and broke you down bit by bit, to create a warrior to defend us civvies.
They made you part of a brotherhood I'll never understand, where even the comaptriots you HATE you absolutely KNOW will stand back to back with you and fight off oppresssion.
You were a completely different person when you were on leave compared to who you were as a kid, but that's what they NEEDED you to be!
When you left they just cut you loose, alone into civilian life.
So you went from that world where you could trust EVERYONE around you with your life and were dumped into a world where everyone is trying to f**k everyone else over for almost nothing.
How can you expect to trust ANYONE in civvie street after that?
I can see it! You're around for 3-6 months, then you disappear for 3-6 months, same as your average posting in the military.
Let me tell you something.... THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU! NEVER say that to me again!
You served with honour, You gave your blood, sweat and tears so we that have the freedoms we have right now.
You will ALWAYS have my admiration, respect and friendship till my dying day!
Anything you need just ask, even just someone to talk to, you don't need to relive what you went through, just show up and we'll sit quietly or shoot the breeze, I'll be right here."
He broke down and wept... This warrior fell apart in front of me and said "How did YOU know?"
"Because I watched, because I saw the transitions you went through, most importantly, because I was and always will be your friend, friends, TRUE friends become Family, just like those you served with are, You are the Brother I never had and I couldn't be more PROUD to have known you and counted you as my brother!"
Billy Joel ~ "Vienna" is a very good choice...!!!
“Vienna Waits For You” tops them all. Billy Joel
The official video has a montage of photos from Vietnam and the vocal backing is a group of veterans
Harri, here’s some details on the origins of the song:
Joel wrote the song as a tribute to many of his friends who had served in the war. ... He composed it after he was asked to write a song by a veterans' group.
I believe the choir is composed of veterans of the Vietnam War but I could be wrong. I highly recommend The Ballad of Billy the Kid as your next Billy Joel reaction, any live version if possible. 🔥🎹
_"I highly recommend The Ballad of Billy the Kid as your next Billy Joel reaction..."_
Although, in Billy's own words, "This song is completely, historically, totally inaccurate." (But it's a great song, anyway, as are all of Billy's songs).
I would recommend another of his songs with a great message: "You're Only Human (Second Wind)".
Thanx for this info
@@WmTRiker and btw "you're only human" is basically an upbeat song even though it handles an unbelievably tough issue. Nice to hear how Billy pulled that off musically...an upbeat song about suicide prevention.
I grew up during the Vietnam war. It was the biggest waste of blood and treasure this country engaged in. So sad.
What a great song of recognition to the armed forces who braved themselves in Vietnam. Billy is great for writing songs and composing wonderful music to commemorate good or bad things that have happened in history. Try checking out "Allentown" Harri it's a great piece!
This is such an incredible song! Sad to know that when our soldiers came home they were spit on. I was born 1966 so I could not imagine what they went through over there and came home to that . It breaks my heart.
This entire album is GOLD. You should try Room of Our Own and Laura, lots of Beatles vibes!
Yes Harry,that chorus is the anthem of every American soldier! They stick together and will not leave any of their brothers behind.Many soldiers were upset with the way our recent pullout of Afghanistan went.Our soldiers are used to staying on the ground until EVERYONE is out safely,and they knew that was not the case.Administrations may fail,but our soldiers never fail us! Land of the free BECAUSE of the brave!🇺🇸👊
My brother was Army in the 1990s & went to Bosnia/Kosovo among other places. There were four boys who became friends & made a pact with each other to stay connected until death. My brother was the last one to rejoin the group in Heaven. Aaron Hamilton, 2/25/75-1/27/21. Harri, you were right about war doing things to those who go. My brother had PTSD.
Sorry for your loss Rebecca. I'm a Vietnam Vet and I know that no one escapes war without some kind of scars, even though they may not be visible.
It's a massive song, hey! Music is there to be discovered, you have to enjoy the ride.
I was 15 in '75 when the Vietnam War ended. I had cousins, older friends, and the older brothers of my friends that went. I couldn't enlist until I was 17 and got in a few fistfights with people I saw treating returning Vets horribly before my enlistment. This song always brings tears to my eyes... thank you for reacting to this song.
To all of my Veteran brothers and sisters.... "welcome home'!
I've been living in Vietnam for 3 years now (I'm and American) and I have a lovely Vietnamese girlfriend. We were talking about the Vietnam war a few weeks ago, because I was listening to Buy Joel. In Vietnam, no one talks about the war and they see it as "water under the bridge" but for Americans who fought, I think it's much harder. Most people didn't want to be here, lost their live, friends, and innocences by being drafted into the war. Hearing this song makes me sad for the people who came here and never got to see the Vietnam and Vietnamese people that I get to see today.
This is definitely a shout out to all Vietnam Vets however he does mention Parris Island where Marine Boot camp is, along with San Diego. Semper Fidelis devil dogs!
I love that you can FEEL music, regardless of genre. You are an absolute treasure!!!!!
The live video of this brings the message to another level - highly suggest watching.
"Where's The Orchestra,"from this same album ("The Nylon Curtain") is a very good, very interesting song. I'd love to you react to that one.
I first heard this song decades ago and even now, I can't listen to it without emotion. Billy Joel is truly a gifted songwriter.
The unmistakable 'thwop, thwop, thwop' of that two-prop Huey in the beginning sets the tone... chills and melancholy at the same time. Billy Joel obviously listened very close to those vets because he put words to an experience. Welcome Home Brothers.
This is lyrical such a master piece. He describes the whole war from a soldiers view in a 4 minute song. Respect
Piano Man unico artista che ha solo gioielli ... Per lui la musica un gioco facile... Talento talento Talento Talento 👏🎹👏
A very very powerful song, a bit embarrassed that I enjoy every time I listen to it!😥🇬🇧🇬🇧
I know what you mean.You feel guilty enjoying the beauty in the tragedy
This brings it all back - the weight of it, the fear and the misery and the waste. I was just a young girl far removed from any of the reality of it, but even my heart aches for the ones who suffered through that horror (and still suffer today - you don't know unless you know at least one of them). And, I've always believed that my future husband died in Vietnam....along with all that might've followed. Tonight this song breaks my heart again for all the horror and all the terror every human faced in the course of those many years - and especially our 50,000+.......god help us.
Billy Joel is one of the best songwriters ever. I know you've heard Honesty, but you should also try An Innocent Man - extraordinary!
Billy once said that he didn’t write the lyrics. He just talked to the soldiers & they wrote it. Powerful stuff.
Liberty's drumline perfectly accents this masterpiece.
billy Joel
Keeping The Faith
These lyrics make me want to cry! 🇬🇧🇺🇸♥️
I'm not a big Billy Joel person, but this and Allentown are so moving, especially this one, so incredibly sad and infuriating
☮️ everyone
I heard this song while walking to the bus stop, I just got the tap and popped it in....
Just so you understand the song A little better, Parris Island is the East Coast US Marine Corps training base. During the time of the Vietnam War, training lasted six weeks. It is hot, humid and there are a lot of mosquitoes. For comparison, Boot Camp is now 13 weeks. Back then it was just the basics and ship your ass out.
An epic song. One of Billy’s most meaningful and emotionally connected song!
Nice reaction, he has so many great songs, so many hits and stories he tells. Leningrad is a great song, so powerful. Try River of Dreams you will love the vibe.
Leningrad and DownEaster Alexa always get me.
Hi Harri🥰A beautiful song Billy Joel wrote for his daughter Alexa Ray "Lullaby (goodnight my angel)" is a song you should check out. You have a beautiful daughter too. So do I. This one will touch your heart in a good way. "Goodnight Saigon" is so sad.
Thanx Dana
You should check out the Kennedy Center Honors the year Billy Joel was honored. When they did this song it was beautiful. There were service men and women on stage singing.
Such a sad, frustrating and painful time. Much respect for those that served. Much respect...
So many years later and a lot of the veterans from that war are still fighting it because of illnesses, both mental and physical. Smh
We must also look out for veterans from Afghanistan, emotional scars very raw right now. And of course prayers for Afghan refugees, women and girls in country, and allies still trying to move their immigration paperwork to leave? Be safe everyone.
What an interesting choice! Another of Billy's awesome deep cuts. Very emotional and moving.
Haven't heard this in a decade or so.
Very moving. I am softly weeping.
There ain’t no rainbow shining on me
Shades of Gray are all that I see.
Parris Island is in South Carolina where I live. It's where The Marines go to train for fighting.
Love your spirit, soul and energy💜🙏✌🌴
Thank you Marylin
Just as a point of interest when he performs this live he has vietnam vets sing the chorus. Very powerful
When my uncles both came home from Vietnam they stayed at our house rather than my grandparents. They could smoke weed and decompress in a different way with their big sis than sleeping in their childhood bedrooms.
I remember thinking they were so old. I would hear them cry and scream and whimper through the walls. The weird laughing. I look back at pictures. They couldn't be more than 22 maybe 24.
Hey both say getting to dote on me was good medicine. Re emerging into society.
I became a VA nurse. The places change. The effects don't. It's still the same. My grandad who was a in a MASH unit in WWII and VA hospitals said it was the same when he compared notes with his grandad who became a doctor after serving in hospital tents in the Civil War.
harry let me say .i love your open heart. that said ,this is what i heard how this came about .his mates that came back as vets asked billy to write a song about their experiences .
Billy puts scenes from am Italian restaurant as his number one song...I agree
During Billy’s Kennedy Center Honors concert Garth Brooks sang a medley of Billy’s songs, including this one. He was joined onstage by a lot of veterans of Vietnam (and other conflicts) who sang the chorus along with Garth. It was one of the most moving things I’ve ever seen.
Agreed...
A must watch, Billy Joel Live in Long Island
Yeah, it's a tough one. It never came off as campy or condensing, the vets I've talked to love this song.
How have I never heard this song before?? Damn. 😭
Walking on a Thin Line by Huey Lewis and the News is another song that will get to you.
The live in concert videos of this song are amazing, he has veterans onstage who join in on the chorus. After 9/11, he included fire and police as well as military in the concert at Shea Stadium in NYC.
Always makes me cry, every tjme.
Your facial reactions brought new life to this old favorite. Thank you for your take on it.
A tragic masterpiece. Perfection. Thanks for your reaction
I saw a live version of this song where actual war veterans sang the chorus on stage. It was really powerful.
Billy is a master storyteller with impeccable musicianship.He is a regular middle class guy under it all.He makes you feel every word and every note.Seeing how much you enjoyed this Harry,you need to give a listen to a few more of his " story" songs. Downeaster Alexa tells the plight of the hardworking fisherman,with lots of New York references. Allentown tells of the steelworkers in Pennsylvania.We didn't start the fire,is an entire history/ trivia lesson! A super sweet one is Lullabye,that he wrote for his daughter. Not sure if that's exact title.Lastly is a rare gem called You're my home,one of my favorite's from early on. My other favorite is a cover of a Bob Dylan song called To Make You Feel My Love. Adele does a great cover of it as well.Happy listening Harry.You could do Billy Joel until 2023 !
Not trying to be a dick here but I would be surprised knowing his background, if Billy feels that he is middle class and certainly not when growing up.
Even though this song is from the perspective of Billy Joel's friend a Marine who was in Vietnam anyone from the Army, Navy, AirForce or anyone who served can relate. The rawness of the son was meant to not only demonstrate the horror of war but the feelings of those in it at the time.
This song is amazing my dad is a Vietnam veteran
Harri, my union held our monthly meetings at a VFW, and for years, I would sit and talk with alot of the vets. Many from the Vietnam era have said the absolute best song depiction of the Vietnam vet is by Charlie Daniels called Still in Saigon. Give it a listen with your eyes closed. Have tissues nearby............
And they were booed, spit on, and basically shunned. Through no fault of their own. So sad. I lived during this time. I was so glad the guys I went to school with didn’t have to go because it was over by 1972.
Another war son is “Ballad of the Green Berets” by Sgt. Barry Sadler
Of the three men important to me over my adult life, two were in Vietnam. I grew up associating with military folk because that's where my mom worked. And I worked for the military. I was often surrounded by guys whom had been in Vietnam, so the subject had often been in my head. I just never said anything. Maybe, sometimes in the fire house there could be that conversation. That's a different scene, and since we worked a 72 hour work week, basically living together, conversations could get more personal. But even then, the guy would have to bring it up.
Fabulous song!♥️🎼🎶🎵🇨🇦
I was a little girl when this was happening and I saw everybody leave, my brothers and their friends and the neighborhood was always quiet. So many never came back and many of those who did were never the same or died later, many by their own hand. Impossible to forget
A great song written by a real people person
This is my favourite Billy Joel song. This is Billy's "American Trilogy" (Elvis, in case you don't know)