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In 1985, Paul Hardcastle’s anti-war song “19,” which addressed how the Vietnam War affected returning American soldiers, topped the charts in 13 countries.

“19” was spoken, not sung. It also was notable for the stutter effect applied to key words by a synthesizer.

Hardcastle, an English musician and composer (these days, he specializes in jazz and TV soundtracks) said he wrote the song after seeing the 1984 ABC documentary “Vietnam Requiem,” a program about post-traumatic stress disorder.

“What struck me was how young the soldiers were,” Hardcastle said. “The documentary said their average age was 19. I was out having fun in pubs and clubs when I was 19, not being shoved into jungles and shot at.”

And there you have the crux of the matter. War is, and always was, sheer madness. It sacrifices ordinary people, rarely to any real purpose. And afterward, nothing changes except the lives of the surviving soldiers and their families.

19

By Paul Hardcastle, 1985
Written by Paul Hardcastle, William Coutourie, and Jonas McCord

(Announcer’s voice) In 1965, Vietnam seemed like just another foreign war. But it wasn’t. It was different in many ways, and so were those who did the fighting.

In World War II, the average age of the combat soldier was 26. In Vietnam, he was 19.
In-in-in-in-in-in-in Vietnam, he was 19.
In-in-in-in-in-in-in Vietnam, he was 19.
In-in-in-in-in-in-in Vietnam, he was 19.
N-nineteen.

(Newscaster’s voice) The heaviest fighting of the past two weeks continued today 25 miles west of Saigon.
(Vet’s Voice) I really wasn’t sure what was goin’ on.
N-n-n-n-nineteen. 19.
N-n-nineteen. 19.

(Announcer’s voice) In Vietnam, the combat soldier typically served a 12-month tour of duty, but was exposed to hostile fire almost every day.
N-n-n-n-n-n-nineteen. 19.
N-n-n-n-n-n-nineteen. 19.
N-n-n-n-n-n-nineteen. 19.
N-n-n-n-n-n-nineteen. 19.

(Newscaster’s voice) In Saigon, a U.S. military spokesman said today more than 700 enemy troops were killed last week in that sensitive border area. Throughout all of South Vietnam, the enemy lost a total of 2,689 soldiers.

(Singing girls) All those who remember the war, they won’t forget what they’ve seen: destruction of men in their prime, whose average age was 19.

D-d-d-d-d-destruction.
D-d-d-d-d-destruction.

(Announcer’s voice) According to a Veteran’s Administration study, half of the Vietnam combat veterans suffered from what psychiatrists call “post-traumatic stress disorder.” Many vets complain of alienation, rage, or guilt. Some succumb to suicidal thoughts. Eight to 10 years after coming home, almost 800,000 men are still fighting the Vietnam War.

None of them received a hero’s welcome.

(Singing girls) Ni-i-i-ineteen.
Saigon. Saigon.
S-S-S-S-S-Saigon. Saigon.
S-S-S-S-S-Saigon.
Ni-i-i-ineteen.
N-n-n-n-n-nineteen.
N-n-n-n-n-n-n-nineteen.
Ni-i-i-ineteen.
N-n-n-n-n-nineteen.
N-n-n-n-n-n-n-nineteen.

Vietnam. S-S-Saigon.
Vietnam. S-S-Saigon.
Vietnam. S-S-Saigon.
Vietnam. S-S-Saigon.

Purple Heart. Saigon.
P-P-Purple Heart. S-S-Saigon.

(Vet’s Voice) I really wasn’t sure what was goin’ on. I really wasn’t sure what was goin’ on.