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Blast from the Past - 60's, 70's, 80's Music (2020)


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Posted (edited)

"Elvis wrote this in 1978 on a plane coming back from Belfast. It was the first time he went to the city, and he was shocked to see very young soldiers from the British army walking around with machine guns. The song covers Northern Ireland's troubles, the end of the British empire and life in the army. The line, "Call careers information/have you got yourself an occupation" refers to the habit of the British army recruiting squaddies [grunts] straight from school at 16. Many of these kids were from poor families and got bad grades. Despite the strong political lyrics, this was very popular in England because of the pop melody. A lot of people didn't care about the social statement, but liked the way it sounded."

https://www.songfacts.com/facts/elvis-costello/olivers-army

 

 

Edited by Opl
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