19 (song)
Encyclopedia
"19" is a song by British musician Paul Hardcastle
released as the first single from his self-titled third studio album Paul Hardcastle (1985).
The song has a strong anti-war
message, focussing on America's involvement in the Vietnam War
and the effect it had on the soldiers who served. The track was notable for early use of sampled and processed speech, in particular a stutter effect used on the words "n-n-n-n-nineteen" and "d-d-d-d-destruction". It also includes various non-speech samples such as crowd noise and a military bugle call.
"19" features sampled narration (by Peter Thomas), interview dialogue ("I wasn't really sure what was going on") and news reports from Vietnam Requiem
, an ABC
television documentary about the post-traumatic stress disorder
suffered by veterans. In 2009, the song placed at 73 on VH1
's 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 80s. Hardcastle was later sued by ABC
for his unauthorized use of samples from the documentary.
Nineteen topped the pop charts in the UK for five weeks, and reached the top twenty in the US, where it also topped the dance chart. 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. The song's English language release came in three different 12" versions ("Extended Version", "Destruction Mix" and "The Final Story"), each with an alternate cover design.
, shows a large number of deaths (38%) were ages 19 or 20. According to the same source, 23 is the average age at time of death (or declaration of death). The song also comments that while the tour of duty was longer during WWII, soldiers in Vietnam were subject to hostile enemy fire almost every day.
Manchester United used the "19" soundtrack to celebrate their nineteenth Premier League title in May 2011, and the song made a reappearance in the UK Top 40.
The success of "19" meant that Hardcastle's manager Simon Fuller
, who had recently left Chrysalis Records
to set up on his own, was able to use the funds to continue his business. He named the business 19 Management
in acknowledgement and the number 19 has become of great significance to Fuller. Fuller went on to become the most successful British music manager of all time and was behind the success of the Spice Girls
and American Idol
. Hardcastle has continued his connections to 19 Entertainment
and in 2009 created the sound for the end card used at the end of 19's television shows.
, using the band name The Commentators
, released a parodied version of the song as N-n-nineteen Not Out, about England's tragic performance
in test cricket
, with references to the England cricket team's disastrous 1984 home series
against the West Indies in which the England captain David Gower
had averaged 19. In 2002, Hardcastle admitted in an interview with Q Magazine that, despite objections from his record label, he had helped contribute towards the making of The Commentators' version of the song.
The song inspired the video game 19 Part One: Boot Camp
.
Paul Hardcastle
Paul Hardcastle is an English composer and musician, specialising in the synthesizer.-Discography:In the early 1980s, Hardcastle played the keyboards on several singles on the Oval record label by the dance music groups Direct Drive and First Light, before going solo.He achieved some acclaim for...
released as the first single from his self-titled third studio album Paul Hardcastle (1985).
The song has a strong anti-war
Anti-war
An anti-war movement is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term can also refer to pacifism, which is the opposition to all use of military force during conflicts. Many...
message, focussing on America's involvement in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and the effect it had on the soldiers who served. The track was notable for early use of sampled and processed speech, in particular a stutter effect used on the words "n-n-n-n-nineteen" and "d-d-d-d-destruction". It also includes various non-speech samples such as crowd noise and a military bugle call.
"19" features sampled narration (by Peter Thomas), interview dialogue ("I wasn't really sure what was going on") and news reports from Vietnam Requiem
Vietnam Requiem
Vietnam Requiem was an ABC News Closeup Series television documentary, filmed in 1982, and transmitted in 1984 about the post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by veterans...
, an ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television documentary about the post-traumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Posttraumaticstress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity,...
suffered by veterans. In 2009, the song placed at 73 on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 80s. Hardcastle was later sued by ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
for his unauthorized use of samples from the documentary.
Nineteen topped the pop charts in the UK for five weeks, and reached the top twenty in the US, where it also topped the dance chart. For a while, it was the top selling single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
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
Ivor Novello
David Ivor Davies , better known as Ivor Novello, was a Welsh composer, singer and actor who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. Born into a musical family, his first successes were as a songwriter...
award for Bestselling Single Of 1985. The song's English language release came in three different 12" versions ("Extended Version", "Destruction Mix" and "The Final Story"), each with an alternate cover design.
Background and content
The title "19" comes from the documentary's claim that the average age of an American combat soldier in the war was 19, as compared to the claim of World War II's 26. The song incorporated bits of interviews from soldiers as well. This claim has since been disputed. Undisputed statistics do not exist, although Southeast Asia Combat Area Casualties Current File (CACCF), the source for the Vietnam Veterans MemorialVietnam Veterans Memorial
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a national memorial in Washington, D.C. It honors U.S. service members of the U.S. armed forces who fought in the Vietnam War, service members who died in service in Vietnam/South East Asia, and those service members who were unaccounted for during the War.Its...
, shows a large number of deaths (38%) were ages 19 or 20. According to the same source, 23 is the average age at time of death (or declaration of death). The song also comments that while the tour of duty was longer during WWII, soldiers in Vietnam were subject to hostile enemy fire almost every day.
Manchester United used the "19" soundtrack to celebrate their nineteenth Premier League title in May 2011, and the song made a reappearance in the UK Top 40.
The success of "19" meant that Hardcastle's manager Simon Fuller
Simon Fuller
Simon Fuller is a British artist manager, television producer and creator of the Idol franchise, first seen as Pop Idol in the UK. Fuller is also the co-creator and executive producer of the Fox TV reality show So You Think You Can Dance and other U.S...
, who had recently left Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis...
to set up on his own, was able to use the funds to continue his business. He named the business 19 Management
19 Entertainment
19 Entertainment, based in Los Angeles, United States, is a creator and producer of entertainment properties based around the areas of Music and Television / Film, including American Idol in the United States, Pop Idol in the United Kingdom as well as versions of the Idol series in more than...
in acknowledgement and the number 19 has become of great significance to Fuller. Fuller went on to become the most successful British music manager of all time and was behind the success of the Spice Girls
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...
and American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
. Hardcastle has continued his connections to 19 Entertainment
19 Entertainment
19 Entertainment, based in Los Angeles, United States, is a creator and producer of entertainment properties based around the areas of Music and Television / Film, including American Idol in the United States, Pop Idol in the United Kingdom as well as versions of the Idol series in more than...
and in 2009 created the sound for the end card used at the end of 19's television shows.
Chart positions
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Singles Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
1 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 2 |
| France Singles Chart | 15 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
1 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
1 |
| Italian Singles Chart Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
1 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
1 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
1 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
1 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
1 |
| Swiss Singles Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
1 |
| Top 10 Veracruz Stereo Medellin, Colombia | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
15 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play | 1 |
Popular culture
The year of release, British comedian Rory BremnerRory Bremner
Roderick "Rory" Keith Ogilvy Bremner, FKC is a Scottish impressionist, playwright and comedian, noted for his work in political satire...
, using the band name The Commentators
The Commentators
The Commentators was a one-off name used for the song, "N-N-Nineteen Not Out", a 1985 UK hit single recorded by the impressionist Rory Bremner as a parody of Paul Hardcastle's number one hit, "19"...
, released a parodied version of the song as N-n-nineteen Not Out, about England's tragic performance
West Indian cricket team in England in 1984
The West Indian cricket team in England in 1984 played three One Day Internationals and five Tests. West Indies beat England 2-1 in the ODI series and then whitewashed England in the Test series, winning 5-0...
in test cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, with references to the England cricket team's disastrous 1984 home series
West Indian cricket team in England in 1984
The West Indian cricket team in England in 1984 played three One Day Internationals and five Tests. West Indies beat England 2-1 in the ODI series and then whitewashed England in the Test series, winning 5-0...
against the West Indies in which the England captain David Gower
David Gower
David Ivon Gower OBE is a former English cricketer who became a commentator for Sky Sports. Although he eventually rose to the captaincy of the England cricket team during the 1980s, he is best known for being one of the most stylish left-handed batsmen of the modern era. Gower played 117 Test...
had averaged 19. In 2002, Hardcastle admitted in an interview with Q Magazine that, despite objections from his record label, he had helped contribute towards the making of The Commentators' version of the song.
The song inspired the video game 19 Part One: Boot Camp
19 Part One: Boot Camp
19 Part One: Boot Camp is a multi-load computer game created by Cascade Games in . It appeared on the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum. The inspiration for the game came in two parts - the arcade game Combat School and the Paul Hardcastle song 19, which was itself about the Vietnam War.The player...
.