| "Khe Sanh" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Cold Chisel | ||||
| from the album Cold Chisel | ||||
| B-side | "Just How Many Times" | |||
| Released | May 1978 | |||
| Recorded | 1978 | |||
| Genre | Pub rock | |||
| Length | 4:09 | |||
| Label | WEA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Don Walker | |||
| Producer(s) | Peter Walker | |||
| Cold Chisel singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Khe Sanh" on YouTube | ||||
"Khe Sanh" is the debut single by Australian rock band Cold Chisel, released in May 1978 as a 45 rpm single, and named after the district capital of Hướng Hóa District, Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam. Written by pianist Don Walker, "Khe Sanh" concerns an Australian Vietnam veteran dealing with his return to civilian life. According to Toby Creswell's liner notes for the band's 1991 compilation album Chisel, the song is also a story of restless youth.[1] A further context of the song is that "soldiers met a hostile reception on their return home".[2]
"Khe Sanh" is one of the most popular songs ever recorded by an Australian act and one 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."[3] It has been included in the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.[4]
- ^ Tape: Cold Chisel - Chisel (1991), retrieved 12 October 2019
- ^ "Vietnam War 1962–75 (Overview) | Australian War Memorial". www.awm.gov.au. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ Jonathan Lewis. "The Best of Cold Chisel". Allmusic. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
- ^ "Khe Sanh by Cold Chisel". nfsa.gov.au. Retrieved 1 January 2025.