Before we begin today’s edition of K-Chuck Radio, I need you to watch this documentary. It’s a 1982 film called Vietnam Requiem. It tells the story of five men who fought in Vietnam, and who (at the time of the documentary) are serving prison terms post-service.
Pay attention to their interviews and what they say. Also pay attention to the narrator, Peter Thomas. You might know Peter Thomas from his long association as the narrator on the show Forensic Files.
At around the same time Vietnam Requiem aired, British producer / musician Paul Hardcastle was at work on his debut recordings. His first big hit, an instrumental called “Rain Forest,” was a big dance and club hit, and even got plenty of plays on my college radio station WHCL.
Hardcastle pumped up the dance groove on his second hit, “King Tut,” and that too became a monster club hit. And yes, we played it plenty of times on college radio back in the day. Probably because it was the funky B-side of ‘Rain Forest,” but that’s just splitting hairs.
Well, in 1985, Paul Hardcastle took snippets and phrases from the Vietnam Requiem and soldered them to a dance beat. Seriously. Nothing like hearing a serious, somber narrator talking about the horrors of the Vietnam War … to a synthesized dance beat.
And what we have is “19.” Complete with digital stuttering. Na-na-na-na-nineteen, nineteen…
Well, it seems Paul Hardcastle didn’t just borrow Vietnam Requiem for this dance track. Take a listen to the song’s melody. Sound familiar?
Maybe because it’s actually the leitmotif of this classic 1970’s masterpiece. I’ve cued it up here on the clip, but it’s the latter half of the first side of Mike Oldfield’s opus “Tubular Bells.” It’s the part where he introduces, one by one, every member of the orchestra, including the titular bells themselves.
So I’m sure at some point Mike Oldfield’s attorneys and Paul Hadcastle’s attorneys may have had a chat.
And of course, once you create something fresh and inventive and popular … someone has to parody it. And in this case, we have a studio group called The Commentators, who goofed on “19” by creating “N-N-Nineteen Not Out,” a reference to the UK’s woeful test cricket team of that era.
I guess you had to be there to get the joke.
All today for you on K-Chuck Radio!
Chuck The Writer 