I Was Only Nineteen

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“I Was Only Nineteen”
Single by Redgum
from the album Caught in the Act
A-side "I Was Only Nineteen"
B-side "Yarralumla Wine"
Released March 1983
Recorded February 1983
Genre Australian folk
Length 4:19
Label Epic, CBS
Writer(s) John Schumann
Producer Trevor Lucas
Redgum singles chronology
"Caught in the Act"
(1982)		 "I Was Only Nineteen"
(1983)		 "ASIO"
(1983)

"Only Nineteen"[1] aka "I Was Only Nineteen" or "A Walk in the Light Green" was the most widely recognised song produced by Australian folk group Redgum. The song was released in March 1983 as a single and then recorded on the live album Caught in the Act (Epic Records),[2] which hit number one in Australia, and the album stayed in the top forty for four months. Redgum's John Schumann wrote the song[1] based on experiences he heard from veterans (particularly Mick Storen and Frankie Hunt).[3] The single reached #1 on the Australian charts for two weeks in 1983.[4] Royalties for the song go to the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia.[3] It is in APRA's top 30 of All Time Best Australian Songs.[5][6]

"The power derives from the detail, provided by my mate and brother-in-law, Mick Storen, who was brave and trusting enough to share his story with me." John Schumann.[7][8]

The song is sung as a first person account of a typical Australian infantry soldier's experience in the Vietnam War, from training in Australia to first hand exposure to military operations and combat, and ultimately his return home disillusioned, psychologically scarred and possibly suffering from the effects of the chemical defoliant Agent Orange. [9] [10]

Contents

[edit] Song's impact

The Australian Vietnam Veterans' "Welcome Home Parade" was held in Sydney on 3 October 1987[11] and was followed by a concert in The Domain where Redgum's Schumann performed his song with veteran Frank Hunt on stage.[12] From this parade, a desire for a War Memorial to commemorate Vietnam Veterans grew into fruition with the Memorial's dedication in October 1992.[12] Australian Vietnam Forces National Memorial was constructed in ANZAC Parade, Canberra in 1992 and includes a "Wall of Words": "Stele B, the northern or right-hand stele is adorned with a series of 33 quotations fixed in stainless steel lettering."[13] Amongst the quotations is:

THEN SOMEONE CALLED OUT ‘CONTACT’ AND THE BLOKE BEHIND ME SWORE AND WE HOOKED IN THERE FOR HOURS, THEN A GOD-ALMIGHTY ROAR. FRANKIE KICKED A MINE THE DAY THAT MANKIND KICKED THE MOON. GOD HELP ME, HE WAS GOING HOME IN JUNE.[14]

... a 'normal language' explanation of each quote has been included, courtesy of the late Brigadier Alf Garland... "This is a quotation from the song "I was only 19" by the Australian singing group "Red Gum". It relates to a fire fight that had lasted for some hours when an explosion occurred. "Frankie", one of the soldiers had kicked (tripped) a landmine. In the song he did this on the same day that the US put a man on the moon for the first time. Frankie was supposed to be returning to Australia on completion of his tour of duty in June of that year."[14]

At the 40th year Commemoration of the Battle of Long Tần, 18 August 2006, veterans were accompanied by Australian Ambassador Bill Tweddle at the Long Tan Cross; following the commemoration a concert was held at Vũng Tàu where Schumann (and The Vagabond Crew) sang "I Was Only Nineteen", he also introduced Long Tần veteran Storen as the source for the song.[15]

For the SBS TV special Vietnam Nurses (2005), director Polly Watkins chose "Redgum and John Schumann's song Only 19 during the Welcome Home Parade in 1987 because it is integral to one of the nurses' stories."[16]

Frank Hunt provides an account of his Vietnam experiences, titled "I Was Only Nineteen", in Gina Lennox' book Forged by War (August 2006).[17]

[edit] Lyrics

The lyrics include words, terms and place names particular to Australia and Vietnam.

  • ANZAC: Australian and New Zealand soldiers who fought in the world wars. Originally the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.
  • Canungra: Jungle warfare training centre in the Gold Coast hinterland.
  • Channel Seven: Australian television network.
  • Chinook: Military helicopter.
  • Contact!: In Australian Army doctrine, the call made by soldiers upon encounter with enemy to the immediate front or rear of the line of march (the correct call would have been either Contact Front or Contact Rear).
  • Dusted off: Aeromedical evacuation by helicopter.
  • Greens: Jungle Green Working Dress, the field uniform worn by the Australian Army between the early 1960's and 1989.
  • Light green: parts on a map which indicated supposedly safer areas for soldiers to patrol as there was less dense foliage and cover. However this was an area which was more likely to be mined.
  • Nui Dat: Village in Bà Rịa province in Southern Vietnam, and the main base of 1 Australian Task Force from 1965 to 1972.
  • Puckapunyal: Army enlisted soldier recruit training centre in Victoria.
  • Shoalwater: Military exercise area in Queensland.
  • Sixth Battalion: (aka 6RAR) Australian army battalion, whose D Company had been involved in the Battle of Long Tan during a tour three years earlier.
  • Slouch hat: Parade head-dress for the Australian army.
  • SLR: L1A1 Self Loading Rifle (FN-FAL), standard 7.62mm semi-automatic rifle issued to Australian infantrymen during the Vietnam War.
  • Townsville: City in Queensland.
  • VB: Victoria Bitter beer.
  • Vũng Tàu: Coastal city in Southern Vietnam which was both the main Australian logistic base and a rest area for troops based at Nui Dat.

[edit] Covers

When the song was first released Rick Melbourne, a breakfast radio announcer, produced a parody version of the song, with the lyrics God help me, she told me she was sixteen.

Australian country singer John Williamson recorded a live version of the song ("Only 19") and released it on his 1984 vinyl LP, The Smell Of Gumleaves (rereleased in 1996 as a CD under the title Home Among The Gum Trees).[18]

Producer, Lucas, performed his version as a member of Fairport Convention at the 1985 Cropredy Festival.[19]

In 2005 a hip hop version of the song (called "I was only 19") was produced by The Herd, voted in at #18 in the 2005 Triple J Hottest 100 playlist. "I was only 19 (The Herd version)" is credited to Schumman, Cheung, Fellows, Harrison and Kennedy.[1] A video by Broken Yellow was directed by Brendan Doyle and produced by Navid Bahadori included actors in roles as Australian soldiers, some actual Vietnam Vets including Frankie Hunt are also shown. An audio mp3 download by Triple J's Hack has reporter Ali Benton discussing the video, interviewing Doyle, Schumann and Hunt.[20]

This song also plays a symbolic role in the 2006 book World War Z by Max Brooks.

[edit] Personnel

Single version "I Was Only Nineteen" (March 1983) – 4:19
Only Schumann and McDonald of Redgum played on this track:[21]

  • John Schumann – lead vocals, guitar
  • Hugh McDonald – violin, vocals
  • Brian Czempinski – drums (later became a member of Redgum)
  • Trevor Lucas – backing vocals, producer
  • Peter Coughlin – bass guitar

Caught in the Act live version, "I Was Only 19 (A Walk in the Light Green)" (1983) – 5:57
Schumann introduces the song and explains the phrase 'A Walk in the Light Green' which he gives as its title. Recorded at The Rose, Shamrock and Thistle Hotel (aka Three Weeds Hotel)[22] in Rozelle, New South Wales:[19]

  • Michael Atkinson – guitar, mandolin, piano, vocals
  • Hugh McDonald – violin, vocals
  • John Schumann – lead vocals, guitar
  • Verity Truman – flute, tin whistle, vocals
  • Trevor Lucas – producer
  • Jim Barton – engineer

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Australasian Performing Right Association. APRA. Retrieved on 2007-10-11.
  2. ^ Australian Rock Database. Magnus Holmgren. Retrieved on 2007-11-01.
  3. ^ a b Schumann, John (August 2006). "I was only 19 - The John Schumann story" (PDF). Retrieved on 2007-10-28.
  4. ^ Best of 1983. Oz Net Music Chart. Retrieved on 2007-10-11.
  5. ^ Dimensions Episode 20: John Schumann. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) (2003-06-18). Retrieved on 2007-11-02.
  6. ^ Kruger, Debbie (2001-05-02). "The songs that resonate through the years" (PDF). APRA. Retrieved on 2007-11-02.
  7. ^ Schumann, John (2004), Redgum – Against The Grain album insert, Sony Music 
  8. ^ Miller, E: "The Sun", page 23. Academic Press, 2005
  9. ^ Tuoi, Tre (2006-09-06). "John Schumann – an artist of anti-war songs". VietNamNet Bridge. Retrieved on 2007-11-03.
  10. ^ Schumann introduces the live version of the song with an explanation including "...it's about two mates of mine who went to Vietnam, came back Agent Orange victims...".
  11. ^ Welcome Home. Digger History. Retrieved on 2008-01-23.
  12. ^ a b McKay, Gary; Elizabeth Stewart [2002]. Viet Nam Shots: a photographic account of Australians at War (in English). Sydney, Australia: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-541-3. Retrieved on 2008-01-23. 
  13. ^ "Australian Vietnam Forces National Memorial". Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia.
  14. ^ a b "Quotations from the Wall Of Words at the Vietnam Forces Memorial". Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia. Retrieved on 2008-01-21.
  15. ^ "Radio National: 40 years on - Long Tan". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved on 2008-01-21.
  16. ^ Storyline Australia behind the scenes: director Q & A. sbs.com.au. Retrieved on 2008-01-23.
  17. ^ Lennox, Gina (August 2006). Forged by War: Australians in Combat and Back Home. Melbourne: Melbourne University Publishing. ISBN 0-522-85171-1. 
  18. ^ Home Among the Gum Trees. MusicMoz. Retrieved on 2007-10-11.
  19. ^ a b Redgum: I was only 19. Reinhard Zierke (2005-03-05). Retrieved on 2007-11-01.
  20. ^ Benton, Ali (2006-03-17). triple j's hack. Retrieved on 2007-11-16.
  21. ^ Schumann, John. John Schumann Official website. Retrieved on 2007-11-02.
  22. ^ Three Weeds Hotel. WikiMapia. Retrieved on 2007-11-01.

[edit] External link