Dead Kennedys » Tracks » Holiday in Cambodia

Dead Kennedys – Holiday in Cambodia (4:38)

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About This Track

“Holiday in Cambodia” was the second single by the American hardcore punk band Dead Kennedys. The record was released in May 1980 on Alternative Tentacles with “Police Truck” as the b-side. The title track was re-recorded for the band’s first album, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (1980), and the version that appeared on this single, as well as the single’s b-side, are available on the rarities album Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death (1987). The cover picture of the single is taken from the 6 October 1976 Massacre in Thailand, and depicts a member of the rightist crowd beating the corpse of a student protester with a metal chair.

The song attacks both Eastern totalitarianism, Western complacency and the direct relation between the two through American military intervention. The song’s lyrics offer a satirical view of young, self-righteous Americans (So you been to school/For a year or two/And you know you’ve seen it all/In daddy’s car/Thinkin’ you’ll go far…) and contrast such a lifestyle with a brutal depiction of the Pol Pot regime of Cambodia (Well you’ll work harder/With a gun in your back/For a bowl of rice a day/Slave for soldiers/Till you starve/Then your head is skewered on a stake).

The version of this song that appears on Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables is slightly different from the single version, being fifty-five seconds longer and featuring an extended guitar noise intro as well as an extended psychedelic solo.

In October 1998, Jello Biafra was sued by former members of the Dead Kennedys. According to Biafra, the suit was a result of his refusal to allow “Holiday in Cambodia” to be used in a commercial for Levi’s Dockers; Biafra opposes Levi’s due to what he believes are their unfair business practices and sweatshop labor.
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  • EclecticVibes

    POL POT POL POT

    Sunday evening

  • rosanak

    This fucking song.

    last week

  • abunono

    And her song released the sudden spring

    last week

  • Nintendoman64

    BEST BAND EVER

    15 days ago

  • heliotropeskies

    brace yourself my dear. love it.

    last month

  • BigLebowski74

    soooooooooo f...... good!!!!

    last month

  • steve__

    Fucking amazing.

    last month

  • aYearAndAnOcean

    don't forget to pack your wife

    March 2012

  • sirenetta65

    Long live for the Dead Kennedys

    February 2012

  • nyhcpunk1

    Fuck these fags!

    February 2012

  • the_raytownian

    So dark (chilling, even, especially when viewing the EP cover), yet so groovy.... Never understood what all the fuss was about regarding California Über Alles (seriously, it's one of my least favorite DK songs), but this song's wide recognition and popularity makes perfect sense to me.

    February 2012

  • AllTheYungDudes

    In my opinion, the greatest punk rock song of all-time. It really captured the true essence, spirit, and mood of the genre when it came out.

    February 2012

  • bettyparry

    Never get tired of hearing this

    January 2012

  • nebulizator

    rzuca na kolana

    January 2012

  • blowsmoker

    The opening is absolutly fantastic

    January 2012

  • blowsmoker

    all time classic

    January 2012

  • VicStreetArt

    Best Album great Stuff!!

    January 2012

  • crazykarma138

    love this. would love to get this on vinyl

    January 2012

  • lifeabove619

    ...its tough but its life...

    January 2012

  • DavCnuk

    awesome

    January 2012
See all 489 shouts

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