"Goodnight Saigon" is a song written by
Billy Joel
William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man (song), Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo ...
, originally appearing on his 1982 album ''
The Nylon Curtain
''The Nylon Curtain'' is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on September 23, 1982, and produced by Phil Ramone.
''The Nylon Curtain'' peaked at on the '' Billboard'' albums chart, with two million sales ...
'', about the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
. It depicts the situation and attitude of
United States Marines
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through com ...
beginning with their military training on
Parris Island
Parris is both a given name and surname. Notable people with the name include:
Given name
* Parris Afton Bonds, American novelist
* Parris Campbell (born 1997), American football player
* Parris Duffus (born 1970), retired American ice hockey go ...
and then into different aspects of Vietnam combat.
Lyrics and music
The lyrics of "Goodnight Saigon" are about
Marines
Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...
in battle bonding together, fighting their fears and trying to figure out how to survive.
[ The singer, a Marine, sings of "we" rather than "I", emphasizing that the Marines are all in the situation together.][ In the ]bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
Joel sings of the darkness and the fear it induced in the Marines.[ This leads into the ]refrain
A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in poetry — the "chorus" of a song. Poetic fixed forms that feature refrains include the vi ...
, which has multiple voices coming together to sing that the Marines will "all go down together", emphasizing their camaraderie.[
Images from the war captured in the song include reading '']Playboy
''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother.
K ...
'', seeing Bob Hope
Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with 5 ...
, listening to The Doors
The Doors were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential ro ...
, smoking from a hash pipe
"Hash Pipe" is a song by American rock band Weezer. Released in 2001, it was the first single off the band's third album ''Weezer'' (''The Green Album''), and the only one of the Summer Songs of 2000 songs to make it onto the album, although "D ...
, praying to Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
, remembering "Charlie" and "Baker", the Company identifiers used in military units, and those in those Companies who "left their childhood / on every acre", many of whom died in the fighting.[ Joel has said that he "wasn't trying to make a comment on the war, but writing about the soldier as a person."][ According to '']Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' critic Stephen Holden, "As the song unfolds, Joel's 'we' becomes every American soldier, living and dead, who fought in Southeast Asia."
The song begins with the sound of cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
s chirping, providing the feeling of evening coming, the sound morphing into the tinkling of wind chimes at night. This leads into the sound of helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...
s, which conjures up images of helicopters carrying their loads of Marines into battle in the Vietnam War or picking up wounded Marines.[ Then Joel plays a ]figure
Figure may refer to:
General
*A shape, drawing, depiction, or geometric configuration
*Figure (wood), wood appearance
*Figure (music), distinguished from musical motif
*Noise figure, in telecommunication
*Dance figure, an elementary dance pattern ...
on the piano before beginning to sing.[ The opening is reversed at the end of the song, as the piano figure returns, followed by the sound of helicopters, then wind chimes, and finally the crickets, before the song comes to an end.][
Joel has said of the song:]
Time has a way of healing wounds or making them easier to look at to see if they've scabbed up. The guys came home from Vietnam and that's it? It doesn't end until these guys are absorbed into the mainstream and we deal with our feelings about it.
Critical reception
''Cash Box
''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...
'' praised it for successfully "making a meaningful statement about the Vietnam war within the confines of a pop song." Holden describes the song as possibly "the ultimate pop-music epitaph to the Vietnam War."[ He also praises the way Joel's voice captures the emotions of a 19-year-old soldier.][ However, fellow ''Rolling Stone'' critic ]Dave Marsh
Dave Marsh (born March 1, 1950) is an American music critic, and radio talk show host. He was an early editor of ''Creem'' magazine, has written for various publications such as ''Newsday'', ''The Village Voice'', and ''Rolling Stone (magazine), ...
considers it bordering on "obscenity" that the song "refuses to take sides." AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...
considers it part of a suite on side one of ''The Nylon Curtain'' that represents "layered, successful, mature pop that brings Joel tantalizingly close to his ultimate goal of sophisticated pop/rock for mature audiences." Musician Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him popularity, particularly in the United States with success on the co ...
has identified "Goodnight Saigon" as his favorite Billy Joel song. Producer Phil Ramone
Philip Ramone (né Rabinowitz, January 5, 1934March 30, 2013) was a South African-born American recording engineer, record producer, violinist and composer, who in 1958 co-founded A & R Recording, Inc., a recording studio with business par ...
has stated that the song's symbolism "resonates with many people—especially musicians."[
]
Other appearances
"Goodnight Saigon" is regularly featured in Joel's concerts, and live versions were released on the albums '' Kontsert'', ''12 Gardens Live
''12 Gardens Live'' is the fourth live album by American singer/songwriter Billy Joel, recorded during a former record run of 12 sold-out concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York City in early 2006. It was released on June 13, 2006.
Altho ...
'', '' Live at Shea Stadium: The Concert'', and ''My Lives
''My Lives'' is a box set compilation of demos, outtakes, B-sides, soundtrack cuts, live recordings and album cuts by American singer/songwriter Billy Joel. It was released on November 22, 2005. The album name is derivative of the Billy Joel so ...
''. It has also been included on several compilation album
A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...
s, including ''Greatest Hits
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
'', '' Souvenir: The Ultimate Collection'', '' The Ultimate Collection'', ''The Essential Billy Joel
''The Essential Billy Joel'' is a Sony music compilation of songs by American singer/songwriter Billy Joel. It was released on October 2, 2001, and has been certified Triple Platinum by the RIAA. In conjunction with the release of the album, ''Th ...
'', and '' Piano Man: The Very Best of Billy Joel''.[
A shortened version of "Goodnight Saigon" was sung by ]Will Ferrell
John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. He first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', where he performed from 1995 to 200 ...
in a ''Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'' sketch, on May 16, 2009, a sketch that also featured cameos by Green Day
Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...
, Norm Macdonald
Norman Gene MacdonaldThe capitalization of Norm Macdonald's surname has been inconsistently reported in publications such as ''TV Guide''. Books that discuss him, such as ''Shales'' (2003) and Crawford' (2000), as well as other sources such as ...
, Maya Rudolph
Maya Rudolph (born July 27, 1972) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. In 2000, she became a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''), and later played supporting roles in the films '' 50 First Dates'' ...
, Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler (; born September 16, 1971) is an American comedian, actress, writer, producer, and director. After studying improv at Chicago's Second City and ImprovOlympic in the early 1990s, Poehler co-founded the improvisational-comedy trou ...
, Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
, Paul Rudd
Paul Stephen Rudd (born April 6, 1969) is an American actor. He studied theater at the University of Kansas and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, before making his acting debut in 1991. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in ...
, Artie Lange
Artie is a masculine given name, usually a diminutive of Arthur. Notable people with the given name include:
People
* Artie Bettles (1891–1971), Australian rules footballer
* Artie Butler (born 1942), American popular music arranger, songwrite ...
, and Anne Hathaway
Anne Jacqueline Hathaway (born November 12, 1982) is an American actress. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Anne Hathaway, various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Awar ...
, among others, as background musicians.
"Goodnight Saigon" was included in the play '' Movin' Out'' in a scene where one of the characters has a nightmare of his experiences fighting in Vietnam.
Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming (born 27 January 1965) is a British actor. His London stage appearances include ''Hamlet'', the Maniac in ''Accidental Death of an Anarchist'' (for which he received an Olivier Award), the lead in '' Bent'', The National Theatre o ...
has included this song on his album ''Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs: Live at the Cafe Carlyle''. He sings it in touching memory of his grandfather, Tommy Darling.
Charts
Certifications and sales
See also
*List of anti-war songs
Some anti-war songs lament aspects of wars, while others satirize war. Most promote peace in some form, while others sing out against specific armed conflicts. Still others depict the physical and psychological destruction that warfare causes to ...
References
External links
Review at ''Rolling Stone''
Review at the Daily Vault
{{authority control
1982 songs
1983 singles
Billy Joel songs
Dutch Top 40 number-one singles
Songs about soldiers
Songs about cities
Songs of the Vietnam War
Songs about Vietnam
Works about the United States Marine Corps
Songs written by Billy Joel
Anti-war songs
Song recordings produced by Phil Ramone
Columbia Records singles
Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) number-one singles