Khe Sanh (1978) – Cold Chisel

We continue our journey down the Australian music rabbit hole with another one of the all-time Top 30 Australian songs listed by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Khe Sanh by Cold Chisel entails the testimony of a Vietnam Veteran dealing with his return to civilian life. It is one of the most popular songs ever recorded by an Australian act and generally seen as a resonant symbol of the Australian culture. Allmusic describes it as, “a song that will forever epitomize this period of Australian music.” It has been included in the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.

When I was a Navy Midshipman undergoing three years of training, Khe Sanh became our unofficial anthem. At every pub we hit while on leave, the song would come on and we’d chant it at the top of our lungs, parading in a circle with our arms around each other’s shoulders. So it’s befitting Khe Sanh is recognised as part of a sub genre of music called Pub Rock (Australia) which is named after the live music circuit in inner-city and suburban pubs (known as bars in the US). It peaked in popularity throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and still influences Australian music today. These often noisy, hot, small and crowded venues favoured loud, riff-based heavy rock – more hard-edged than British pub rock. Acts like AC/DC and Cold Chisel achieved mainstream success developing on the sound.

Khe Sanh was the debut single from Cold Chisel and named after the district capital of Hướng Hóa District, Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam. It was written by pianist Don Walker who was known as a sort of Beat poet, and went around observing, especially around the seedy streets and soaking it up like a sponge. In fact the first draft of Khe Sanh was written in Sweethearts Cafe in Kings Cross, Sydney. Walker said the song was inspired by a number of people, including, “the guy from the next farm,” who came back from Vietnam, “severely changed for the worst“. He added “I originally wrote it as a punk song, but we found it worked better with a country-rock approach.”

Another Australian track about the experiences of a Vietnam War veteran which heavily impacted Australian society and culture was the song by Redgum called I was Only 19 (presented below Khe Sanh at the end of this post). It also featuring prominently during my military training period. Songwriter John Schumann wrote ‘I Was Only 19’ based on the stories and recollections of his brother-in-law (the “Denny” in the song is Schumann’s wife). The song went a long way to changing Australia’s attitudes toward those who fought in a very unpopular war.

[Verse 1]
I left my heart to the sappers round Khe Sanh
And my soul was sold with my cigarettes
To the black market man
I’ve had the Vietnam cold turkey
From the ocean to the Silver City
And it’s only other vets could understand

[Verse 2]
About the long forgotten dockside guarantees
How there were no V-Day heroes in 1973
How we sailed into Sydney Harbour
Saw an old friend but couldn’t kiss her
She was lined, and I was home to the lucky land

[Verse 3]
Well she was like so many more from that time on
Their lives were all so empty
Till they found their chosen one
And their legs were often open
But their minds were always closed
And their hearts were held in fast suburban chains

[Verse 4]
And the legal pads were yellow
Hours long, pay-packets lean
And the telex writers clattered
Where the gunships once had been
But the car parks made me jumpy
And I never stopped the dreams
Or the growing need for speed and novocain

[Verse 5]
So I worked across the country end to end
Tried to find a place to settle down
Where my mixed up life could mend
Held a job on an oil-rig
Flying choppers when I could
But the nightlife nearly drove me round the bend

[Verse 6]
And I’ve travelled round the world from year to year
And each one found me aimless
One more year the worse for wear
And I’ve been back to South East Asia
And the answer sure ain’t there
But I’m drifting north, to check things out again
Yes I am!

[Verse 7]
Well the last plane out of Sydney’s almost gone
And only seven flying hours, and I’ll be landing in Hong Kong
There ain’t nothing like the kisses
From a jaded Chinese princess
I’m gonna hit some Hong Kong mattress all night long

[Verse 8]
Well the last plane out of Sydney’s almost gone
You know the last plane out of Sydney’s almost gone
And it’s really got me worried
I’m goin’ nowhere and I’m in a hurry
And the last plane out of Sydney’s almost gone

[Outro]
Well the last plane out of Sydney’s almost gone
You know the last plane out of Sydney’s almost gone
It’s really got me worried
I’m goin’ nowhere and I’m in a hurry
You know the last plane out of Sydney’s almost gone

References:
1. Cold Chisel’s ‘Khe Sanh’ hot still – Independent Australia
2. Khe Sanh (song) – Wikipedia