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    What Is "Goodnight Saigon" by Billy Joel about and why is it called "Goodnight Saigon"?

    Question #124539. Asked by CW553. (Dec 23 11 7:54 PM)


    sportsherald

    		It is a song by Billy Joel released in 1983, about being a Marine fighting in the Vietnam War. Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) was the capital of South Vietnam, on whose side the Americans were fighting. The lyrics and some discussion of their meaning are found at http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/goodnight-saigon-lyrics-billy-joel/885f3cee393de19548256870001cb15a and http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/1503/.

    No explanation is given for the title within the song, and those words aren't in the lyrics, but it would seem to be meant to portray someone remembering, and saying goodbye to, those wartime memories. It does bring the factually-inspired movie of "Good Morning Vietnam" to mind, as a kind of counterpoint, but the song predates the movie by about 4 years http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Morning,_Vietnam.

    Dec 23 11, 8:44 PM
    star_gazer

    		It is a very sad song; "Goodnight Saigon" implies darkness and the sorrow of saying farewell.

    Dec 27 11, 9:03 PM

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