"Still in Saigon", is a song written by Dan Daley and performed by the
Charlie Daniels Band
Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. His music fused rock music, rock, country music, country, blues and jazz, pioneering Southern rock. He was best known for his numb ...
and released on their 1982 album ''
Windows''. It was written by Daley in May 1981.
Background
The song is a portrayal of the plight of the American
Vietnam veteran a decade after the war; it was part of an early 1980s wave of attention to the subject, presaging treatments such as
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
's "
Born in the U.S.A." and "Shut Out the Light",
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 ...
's "
Goodnight Saigon",
Huey Lewis and the News
Huey Lewis and the News are an American rock band based in San Francisco, California. They had a run of hit singles during the 1980s and early 1990s, eventually achieving 19 top ten singles across the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, Adult Contempora ...
' "
Walking on a Thin Line",
Paul Hardcastle's "
19" and somewhat later
Steve Earle
Stephen Fain Earle (; born January 17, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, author, and actor. Earle began his career as a songwriter in Nashville and released his first EP in 1982. Initially working in the country music g ...
's "
Copperhead Road".
Content
The story is told ten years after the protagonist faced being
drafted into the Vietnam War. Though he could have avoided being sent (either by escaping to
Canada as a war protester, or choosing to stay in school under a student deferment), believing he was "brought up differently/I couldn't break the rules" elected to go ahead and serve.
He remained in Vietnam for "thirteen months and fifteen days", with the latter portion ("the last ones were the worst") taking an emotional toll on Daniels ("one minute I'd kneel down and pray/The next I'd stand and curse"). The emotional problems only worsened upon his return, as he came home to a bitterly divided family – his war-protesting younger brother labels him a "killer" while his father calls him a "vet". Moreover, he began to exhibit signs of
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) resulting from his service (constantly looking behind doors for the enemy, and exhibiting
flashbacks during the rainy summer season); symptoms which ten years later continue to plague him.
Chart performance
References
External links
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{{Charlie Daniels
Songs about soldiers
Songs about the military
Charlie Daniels songs
1982 singles
Songs of the Vietnam War
Epic Records singles
Song recordings produced by John Boylan (record producer)
Songs about Vietnam
1982 songs