Holiday in Cambodia (3:48)
812,733 plays (155,656 listeners)
“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.
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.
Video
Added by caviano
Artist: Dead Kennedys
Song: Holiday In Cambodia
BASS COVER
2nd take of the song.
Few mistakes
No need to mention them.
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Song: Holiday In Cambodia
BASS COVER
2nd take of the song.
Few mistakes
No need to mention them.
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Shouts
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tattoocorpus wrote:
yeah...vollgas!
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misterBlonde84 wrote:
Don't forget to pack a wife!
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jasonlaggard wrote:
I could use a holiday in Cambodia. It has to be better then a holiday with The Gestapo. I mean Home Land Security. Who needs the rights of the Constitution anyway?
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Jelenino wrote:
YES!
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jennica_med_c wrote:
This sure has got EVERYTHING a punkrock song needs. Therefore making it the greatest of them all!
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desitre wrote:
Some of the best of punk, next to X, The Clash, The Sex Pistols, and Ramones (better than the ramones lol)
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Oldbean wrote:
Did this ever actually end up in a Levis commercial? I don't think it did, but even so... I wear Levis so how pissed could I really get?
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WhatMeNo wrote:
lolz they were on a Levis commercial. Considering sweatshops in Indonesia...
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xXPyrophorusXx wrote:
Its sad to see his bandmates turn against Jello
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foolonahill235 wrote:
Pol Pot-Pol Pot-Pol Pot-Pol Pot
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Nochek wrote:
lOve.
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krischanski wrote:
Jetzt hab ich mir die olle Platte endlich auch mal gekauft.
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Tenfrente wrote:
I lol every time he says 'niggers'.
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yayesia wrote:
GO!!! Mr Kuklinski666! GO!!! yes! yes! yes!
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dazmusic wrote:
f@#$%n classic :)
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keithiebabe wrote:
A classic from my teenage youth, white riot............
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VargThe_Impaler wrote:
This is actually my least favorite track from FFFRV. It's still great but...
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Hive_Tyrant wrote:
I'm going to Cambodia next year and I'm going to blare this song when I get there. ^_^ Oh, and don't forget to pack your wife!
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tcholaa wrote:
WTF! this is very fuck! :D yeeeeeeeeee!
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luke2389 wrote:
a song of epic proportions.
Dead Kennedys
Holiday in Cambodia
full track
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Recent Activity
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CaptainObes added Holiday in Cambodia to their Loved Tracks. 26 minutes ago
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pale_prince added Holiday in Cambodia to pale_prince’s library. 2 hours ago
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pale_prince added Holiday in Cambodia to the playlist tentative9. 2 hours ago
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Spiral25 added Holiday in Cambodia to his Loved Tracks. 2 hours ago
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niftypuce tagged Dead Kennedys – Holiday in Cambodia with favorite and punk. 3 hours ago
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jackbean8822, andrewdearmitt, Clax89 and 2 other people loved Dead Kennedys – Holiday in Cambodia. 3 hours ago
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SmilefortheToe added Holiday in Cambodia to the playlist. 9 hours ago
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SmilefortheToe, tchagolima, slapDEbass and 2 other people loved Dead Kennedys – Holiday in Cambodia. 9 hours ago
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tool_c13 added Holiday in Cambodia to tool_c13’s library. yesterday evening
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tool_c13 added Holiday in Cambodia to the playlist New.. yesterday evening
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