Single:
Khe Sanh entered the Australian singles chart* on 12 June 1978 and peaked at #41.
Album:
The song is on Cold Chisel which entered the Australian albums chart* on 1 May 1978 and peaked at #31.
Songwriter:
Don Walker
Producer:
Peter Walker
Record label of Australian release:
Atlantic
*Kent Music Report / Australian Chart Book. See About.
Wikipedia:
The song Khe Sanh was named after the district capital of Hướng Hóa District, Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam.
Khe Sanh is one of the most popular songs ever recorded by an Australian act and one generally seen as a resonant symbol of the Australian culture. Allmusic describes it as, “a song that will forever epitomise this period of Australian music.”
Read more: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khe_Sanh_(song)
Songfacts:
Khe Sanh was written by Cold Chisel keyboard player, Don Walker. It documents the life of a returned Vietnam veteran. After serving in the war, he fails to fit into society anymore. It is also about the restlessness of youth.
Read more: www.songfacts.com/facts/cold-chisel/khe-sanh
Lyrics:
I left my heart to the sappers ’round Khe Sanh
And the soul was sold with my cigarettes to the blackmarket man
I had the Vietnam cold turkey from the ocean to the Silver City
And it’s only other vets could understand
Click for full lyrics
This song is also on our Spotify playlist Bang a Gong – the 70s
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