Goodnight Saigon

"Goodnight Saigon" is a song written by Billy Joel, originally appearing on his 1982 album The Nylon Curtain, about the Vietnam War. It depicts the situation and attitude of United States Marines beginning with their military training on Parris Island and then into different aspects of Vietnam combat.



Contents
[hide]  *1 Lyrics and music  ==Lyrics and music[ edit] == The lyrics of "Goodnight Saigon" are about soldiers in battle bonding together, fighting their fears and trying to figure out how to survive.[1]  The singer, a United States Marine, sings of "we" rather than "I," emphasizing that the soldiers are all in the situation together.[1]  In the bridge Joel sings of the darkness and the fear it induced in the soldiers .[1]  This leads into the refrain, which has multiple voices coming together to sing that the Marines will "all go down together", emphasizing their camaraderie.[1] [2]  Images from the war captured in the song include reading Playboy Magazine, seeing Bob Hope, listening to The Doors, smoking from a hash pipe, praying to Jesus, remembering Charlie and John F. Baker and those who died in the fighting.[2] [1]  Joel has said that he "wasn't trying to make a comment on the war, but writing about the soldier as a person."[3] [4]  According to Rolling Stone Magazine critic Stephen Holden, "As the song unfolds, Joel's "we" becomes every American soldier, living and dead, who fought in Southeast Asia."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-rs_2-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:10.9090909957886px;">[2]
 * 2 Critical reception
 * 3 Other appearances
 * 4 Chart positions
 * 5 See also
 * 6 References
 * 7 External links

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.3636360168457px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302948px;">The song begins with the sound of crickets chirping, providing the feeling of evening coming.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-words_1-5" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:10.9090909957886px;">[1]  This leads into the sound of helicopters, which conjures up images of helicopters fighting in the Vietnam War or picking up wounded soldiers.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-words_1-6" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:10.9090909957886px;">[1] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-rs_2-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:10.9090909957886px;">[2]  Then Joel plays a figure on the piano before beginning to sing.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-words_1-7" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:10.9090909957886px;">[1] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-rs_2-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:10.9090909957886px;">[2]  The opening is reversed at the end of the song, as the piano figure returns, followed by the sound of helicopters, and finally the crickets, before the song comes to an end.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-words_1-8" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:10.9090909957886px;">[1] ==Critical reception<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.3636360168457px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302948px;">Holden describes the song as possibly "the ultimate pop-music epitaph to the Vietnam War."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-rs_2-5" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:10.9090909957886px;">[2]  He also praises the way Joel's voice captures the emotions of a nineteen year old soldier.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-rs_2-6" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:10.9090909957886px;">[2]  However, fellow Rolling Stone critic Dave Marsh considers it bordering on "obscenity" that the song "refuses to take sides."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:10.9090909957886px;">[5]  Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine 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."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:10.9090909957886px;">[6]  Musician Garth Brooks has identified "Goodnight Saigon" as his favorite Billy Joel song.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ramone_4-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:10.9090909957886px;">[4]  Producer Phil Ramone has stated that the song's symbolism "resonates with many people—especially musicians."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ramone_4-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:10.9090909957886px;">[4] ==Other appearances<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.3636360168457px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302948px;">"Goodnight Saigon" regularly featured in Joel's concerts and was included on the live albums Концерт, 12 Gardens Live and Live at Shea Stadium: The Concert.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-allmusic_7-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:10.9090909957886px;">[7]  It has also been included on several compilation albums, including Greatest Hits, Souvenir: The Ultimate Collection, The Ultimate Collection, The Essential Billy Joel, Piano Man: The Very Best of Billy Joel and My Lives.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-allmusic_7-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:10.9090909957886px;">[7]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.3636360168457px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302948px;">"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.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-homefront_8-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:10.9090909957886px;">[8]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.3636360168457px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302948px;">"Goodnight Saigon" was also covered by country superstar Garth Brooks on the classic rock CD in his boxed set, "Blame it All on My Roots", (released in 2013) which covers his musical influences. ==Chart positions<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==