I Was Only 19 Explained

I Was Only 19
Cover:I Was Only Nineteen.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Redgum
Album:Caught in the Act
A-Side:I Was Only 19
B-Side:Yarralumla Wine
Released:March 1983
Recorded:February 1983
Genre:Australian folk
Length:4:19
Label:Epic, CBS
Producer:Trevor Lucas
Prev Title:Caught in the Act
Prev Year:1982
Next Title:ASIO
Next Year:1983

"I Was Only 19" (also known as "Only 19" or "A Walk in the Light Green") a song by the folk group Redgum.[1] The song was released in March 1983 as a single, which hit number one on the national Kent Music Report Singles Chart for two weeks.[2] It was also recorded for Redgum's live album Caught in the Act (Epic Records) released in June,[3] which stayed in the top 40 of the Kent Music Report Albums Chart for four months.[2] Royalties for the song go to the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia. It is in the Australasian Performing Right Association's Top 30 Australian Songs of all time.[4] [5] "I Was Only 19" became the most widely recognised song by the band.

The song is a first-person account of a typical Australian soldier's experience in the Vietnam War, from training at a military academy in Australia to first hand exposure to military operations and combat, and ultimately his return home disillusioned and suffering from both PTSD and, it is implied, the harmful effects of Agent Orange.[6] [7]

Redgum's lead vocalist-guitarist, John Schumann, wrote the song based on experiences he heard from veterans, particularly Mick Storen (his brother in-law) and Frankie Hunt. The mine experiences in the story pertain to an incident during Operation Mundingburra on 21 July 1969 of which Storen experienced.[8] [9] Schumann has said that "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."[10] [11]

For the live version, Schumann explained the title, "A Walk in the Light Green", as referring to operational patrols in areas marked light green on topographical maps, where dark green indicated thick jungle, plenty of cover and few land mines and light green indicated thinly wooded areas, little cover and a high likelihood of land mines.

In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time, "I Was Only 19" was ranked number 20.[12]

Impact

The Australian Vietnam Veterans' "Welcome Home Parade" was held in Sydney on 3 October 1987[13] and was followed by a concert in The Domain where Redgum's Schumann performed his song with veteran Frank Hunt on stage.[14] From this parade, a desire for a War Memorial to commemorate Vietnam Veterans grew into fruition with the Memorial's dedication in October 1992. 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."[15] 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.[16]

    • A "normal language" explanation of each quote has been included, courtesy of the late Brigadier Alf Garland:

    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 19." He also introduced Long Tần veteran Storen as the source for the song.[17] For an SBS TV special Vietnam Nurses (2005), director Polly Watkins chose "Redgum and John Schumann's song 'Only Nineteen' during the Welcome Home Parade in 1987 because it is integral to one of the nurses' stories."[18] Frank Hunt provides an account of his Vietnam experiences, titled "I Was Only Nineteen", in Gina Lennox' book Forged by War (August 2006).[19]

    After Schumann had received letters of request from active soldiers in Afghanistan and East Timor, he sought permission to visit the troops but obtained no answer.[20] A reporter published an article on the situation, and authorities gave permission for Schumann to tour East Timor in December 2009 and entertain Australian and New Zealand troops.[21] [22] Between September and October 2011, he played for Australian troops in Afghanistan.[23]

    In 2015, Lee Kernaghan recorded the song for his album Spirit of the Anzacs. That same year, the song was added to the Sounds of Australia Registry at the National Film & Sound Archive (NFSA).[24]

    Lyrics glossary

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

    Charts

    Year-end charts

    Covers and Parodies

    When the song was first released, Rick Melbourne, a breakfast radio announcer, produced a parody version of the song, including the lyrics "God help me, she told me she was sixteen". Australian country singer John Williamson recorded a live version as "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).[28]

    The song's and album's producer, Trevor Lucas, performed his version as a member of his United Kingdom-based group Fairport Convention at the 1985 Cropredy Festival.[29] On the show Fast Forward, Gina Riley, in character as Eleanor LaGore, performed a swing version of the song.

    The song was covered by Australian Army Band The Lancer Band in 2015 in the lead up to ANZAC Day. The cover gained positive widespread attention in the media. http://www.9news.com.au/national/2015/04/24/13/13/australian-army-band-tackle-i-was-only-19-for-anzac-centenary It differed from most covers as it was performed by soldiers and sung by a female soldier.

    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[1] and was certified Gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) in 2023.[30]

    This song also plays a symbolic role in the 2006 book World War Z by Max Brooks.[31]

    After COVID-19 had hit Australia, several musicians created a parody of the song, realising the lyrical similarity of "I was only 19" and "It was COVID-19" as well as the shared macabre nature of both topics. Among the most prominent versions were Keir Nuttall's parody and a parody by an artist known as BOADZ.[32] [33] Understandably, while the nature of the parodies got a polarising response, the dark humour did not sit well with Schumann, who contacted Nuttall with a request to take down the parody. Nuttall honoured Schumann's request. The BOADZ parody remains on Facebook, however.

    "I explained that I was uncomfortable about the parody because first of all it's a sacred song, to Vietnam vets particularly, and other returned servicemen and women," Schumann said.

    "But also the fact is that a lot of Vietnam vets are quite old now and a lot of them have compromised health.

    "This virus, as we know, is likely to be very, very serious for people who are old and otherwise sick."

    Track listing

    1. "I Was Only 19 (A Walk in the Light Green)" (John Schumann)[1] - 4:19
    2. "Yarralumla Wine" (Michael Atkinson)[34] - 2:33

    Personnel

    Single version "I Was Only 19" (March 1983) – 4:19
    Only Schumann and McDonald of Redgum played on this track:[35]

    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)[36] in Rozelle, New South Wales:

    2013 re-release

    John Schumann released the song as an acoustic single on iTunes to commemorate 30 years since the song's original release. The single was the version recorded for the 2008 Vagabond Crew album Behind The Lines.[37]

    See also

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) . "I Was Only 19" at APRA search engine . 30 October 2008 . 25 July 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110725191102/http://www.apra-amcos.com.au/worksearch.axd?q=Only%20Nineteen . dead .
    2. Book: Kent, David. Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book Ltd. St Ives, NSW. 1993. 0-646-11917-6. NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.
    3. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20120220031859/http://hem2.passagen.se/honga/database/r/redgum.html . Redgum . Passagen.se . Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren) . 20 February 2012 . 30 April 2014 .
    4. Web site: Dimensions Episode 20: John Schumann . 18 June 2003 . Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) . 2 November 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070520192317/http://www.abc.net.au/dimensions/dimensions_people/Transcripts/s881927.htm . 20 May 2007.
    5. Web site: The songs that resonate through the years . Kruger . Debbie . Australasian Performing Right Association . 2 May 2001 . 2 November 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080517070044/http://www.debbiekruger.com/pdfs/aprathirty.pdf . 17 May 2008.
    6. Web site: Tuoi . Tre . John Schumann – an artist of anti-war songs . VietNamNet Bridge . 6 September 2006 . 3 November 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070328171626/http://english.vietnamnet.vn/lifestyle/2006/09/609456/ . 28 March 2007.
    7. 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...".
    8. 'A Day From Hell' URL: http://tunnelrats.com.au/pdfs/militarymedalwinners/PhilBaxterMM.pdf
    9. Web site: I was only 19 - The John Schumann story . Schumann . John . August 2006 . 28 October 2007 . 19 July 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080719152612/http://schumann.com.au/john/articles/i_was_only_19.pdf . dead .
    10. Schumann . John . Redgum – Against The Grain album insert . Sony Music . 2004 .
    11. Miller, E: "The Sun", page 23. Academic Press, 2005
    12. News: Musicfeeds. Here Are The Songs That Made Triple M's 'Ozzest 100'. 4 January 2020. 27 January 2018.
    13. Web site: Welcome Home . Digger History . 23 January 2008 .
    14. Book: McKay, Gary . Elizabeth Stewart . Viet Nam Shots: a photographic account of Australians at War . 2002 . 23 January 2008 . Allen & Unwin . Sydney, Australia . 1-86508-541-3 . 2002 .
    15. Web site: Australian Vietnam Forces National Memorial . Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia .
    16. Web site: Quotations from the Wall of Words at the Vietnam Forces Memorial . Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia . 21 January 2008 .
    17. Web site: Radio National: 40 years on - Long Tan . Australian Broadcasting Corporation . 21 January 2008 .
    18. Web site: Storyline Australia behind the scenes: director Q & A. sbs.com.au . 23 January 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060830064216/http://www20.sbs.com.au/storylineaustralia/index.php?pg=bts&id=8&st=bios . 30 August 2006.
    19. Book: Lennox, Gina . Forged by War: Australians in Combat and Back Home . Melbourne University Publishing . August 2006 . Melbourne . 0-522-85171-1 .
    20. ABC Local Radio, South Australia on 891AM, 18 November 2009
    21. http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/entertainment/a/-/entertainment/6489848/i-was-only-19-musician-to-tour-timor/ Yahoo News
    22. Facebook Facebook album
    23. Soundcloud website John Schumann talks about his November gig with the Vagabond Crew in Canberra Retrieved on 5 January 2012
    24. Web site: Vietnam war anthem I Was Only 19 added to Sounds of Australia registry. 18 November 2015. abc.net.au. 31 October 2016.
    25. Book: David Kent . Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. 1993. 248. Australian Chart Book . St Ives, New South Wales . 0-646-11917-6.
    26. Book: Kent, David. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated. Australian Chart Book. St Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. 0-646-11917-6. 435.
    27. Web site: Kent Music Report – National Top 100 Singles for 1983 . . Imgur.com . 22 January 2023.
    28. Web site: Home Among the Gum Trees . MusicMoz . 11 October 2007 .
    29. Web site: Redgum: I was only 19 . Reinhard Zierke . 5 March 2005 . 1 November 2007 . 21 November 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081121230459/http://www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/~zierke/trevor.lucas/records/redgum.html . dead .
    30. Australia. 2023. single. 5 April 2023.
    31. http://www.shmoop.com/world-war-z/allusions.html WORLD WAR Z ALLUSIONS AND CULTURAL REFERENCES
    32. Web site: 19 March 2020. I Was Only 19 coronavirus parody removed out of respect for veterans. 8 September 2021. www.abc.net.au. en-AU.
    33. Web site: Log In or Sign Up to View. 8 September 2021. www.facebook.com. en.
    34. Web site: Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). "Yarralumla Wine" at APRA search engine . 30 October 2008 .
    35. Web site: John Schumann Official website . Schumann . John . 2 November 2007 .
    36. Web site: Three Weeds Hotel . WikiMapia . 1 November 2007 .
    37. ABC Music John Schumann on ‘I Was Only 19’ - Thirty Years On + Acoustic Single

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