19 (song)

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"19" is a song by English musician Paul Hardcastle, released in 1985, featuring dialogue by Peter Thomas. The track is about America's involvement in the Vietnam War and the effect it had on the soldiers who served. "19" features sampled dialogue and news reports from Vietnam Requiem, an ABC television documentary about the post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by veterans. The title "19" comes from the documentary's claim that the average age of an American combat soldier in the war was nineteen, as compared to the claim of World War II's 26. This claim has since been disputed. ^[1]

Nineteen topped the pop charts in the UK for five weeks, and reached the top twenty in the USA. For a while it was the top selling single in thirteen countries (helped by the fact that versions of the song were recorded in French, Spanish, German and Japanese), and it received the Ivor Novello award for Bestselling Single Of 1985. Hardcastle was later sued by ABC for his unauthorised use of samples from the documentary.

Famous record and television producer Simon Fuller named his management company 19 Entertainment after he signed Paul Hardcastle to Chrysalis Records and the single went to number one.

The same year British comedian Rory Bremner, using the band name The Commentators, released a parodied version of the song as N-n-n-n-nineteen Not Out, about England's tragic performance in test cricket.

Chart performance

References