‘I Was Only 19’ is now considered a Sound of Australia, along with nine other recordings.
It is a song credited with bringing Australia's Vietnam War veterans home, and the man who wrote it says it still rings true for many members of the Australian Defence Force today.
“If you are a songwriter and you have a ‘19’ once in your life, you are very, very lucky,” John Schumann said.
Redgum's John Schumann wrote 'I Was Only 19' in fifteen minutes following a conversation with his brother-in-law.
The song, about the plight of returned Vietnam soldiers, hit number one in 1983. It is one of nine recordings that have been added to the National Film and Sound Archive as a ‘Sound of Australia’.
“It told the story, the real story of the Vietnam veteran down the road,” said Schumann.
“[The song] reminded us that we need to honour [veterans] the same way we honoured the World War One veterans and World War Two veterans.”
The National Film and Sound Archive established the Sounds of Australia nine years ago with the aim of celebrating the nation’s evolving identity.
It also works to preserve traditional Aboriginal songs and recordings.
Rare examples of traditional and contemporary Aboriginal songs, recorded by the late John Hutchinson along the coast of Western Australia have also been included.
“There’s both a repatriation and a reconciliation process with these sounds and so local elders who are receiving these are bringing them back in the community and are teaching those songs again,” said NSFA curator Nick Henderson.
Bruce Thomas, Chair of the Wangka Maya’s Board of Directors, shakes hands with John Hutchinson in May 2015 (Sally Kelso, State Library of Western Australia) Source: Supplied
Also included in the archive are samples created on a distinctly 1980’s instrument- the Fairlight CMI.
It was the word’s first polyphonic digital sampling synthesizer, invented in 1979 by Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie. The model was based on a dual-6800 microprocessor created by Tony Furse in Sydney.
The instrument grew to become one of the most widely-used synthesizers in music, with musicians from Michael Jackson to U2, using the Fairlight.
Fairlight CMI series 11 synthesiser Source: Supplied
“Anyone who’s familiar with any of the popular music of the 80’s would have heard lots and lots of Fairlight sounds,” said Peter Vogel.
“In all sorts of tracks, it’s really the iconic sound of the 80’s.”
Some of the sample tracks archived include:
- SYNBELL5 in Beat It (Michael Jackson, 1982)
- LOWSTR2 in The Unforgettable Fire (U2, 1984)
- ORCH (AKA ORCH2) in Owner of a Lonely Heart (Yes, 1983)
The Fairlight used to sell for around $10,000 in the 1980’s, but Mr Vogel now sells similar technology on a phone app.
Adelaide hip-hop artists Hilltop Hoods have had their 2003 track 'Nosebleed Section' archived as well. The song was listed 9th on Triple J's Hottest 100 for 2003.
