19 (single)

19 was a 1985 single by the English singer Paul Hardcastle, with a piece of dialogue pronunciation by Peter Thomas. The song is about the American involvement in theViet Nam war and its impact on the serving soldiers. 19 contains samples of dialogue and news reports from the ABC- Viet Nam Requiem, documentary about post-traumatic stress disorder that occurs in Veterans of the Viet Nam war. 19 the title stems from the claim in the documentary that the average age of an American soldier in that war was nineteen, as compared to the Second World War, in which the average age was twenty-six. This claim has since been disputed. [1]  Undisputed statistics do not exist, but the Southeast Asia Combat Area Casualties Current File (CACCF), the source of the Viet Nam Veterans Memorial, let see a disproportionate number of deaths (38%) that were 19 or 20. According to this same source, the average age at the time of death was twenty-three. [2]

The single was number 1 in 13 countries, aided by the fact that there are versions of the song were recorded in German, French, Spanish and Japanese. The number in the United Kingdom received an Ivor Novello Award for the best-selling single of 1985. Hardcastle is later summoned by ABC for the improper use of samples from the documentary. ==Trivia[ Edit] == ==Chart Positions[ Edit] == ===Radio 2 Top 2000[ Edit] ===
 * After the single went to number 1 in the United Kingdom, called record and television producer Simon Fuller his management company 19 Entertainment (he was the one who showed signs at Hardcastle Chrysalis Records).
 * Mike Oldfield claimed that a melodic element of 19 Hardcastle had copied from a part of his album Tubular Bells; It is later come to a settlement.