Holiday in Cambodia

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This article is about the single by Dead Kennedys. For holidays in Cambodia, see Public holidays in Cambodia.
"Holiday in Cambodia"
Cover of single showing a man hitting someone with a chair
Single by Dead Kennedys
from the album Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
B-side"Police Truck"
ReleasedMay 1980 (1980-05)
RecordedMay–June 1980
Genre
Length3:43 (single version)
4:37 (album version)
Label
Composer(s)
[1]
Lyricist(s)Jello Biafra
Producer(s)Geza X
Dead Kennedys singles chronology
"California Über Alles"
(1979) 		"Holiday in Cambodia"
(1980) 		"Kill the Poor"
(1980)

"Holiday in Cambodia" is a song by American

Thammasat University massacre
in Thailand, depicting a crowd member beating the hanged corpse of a student protester with a metal chair.

The song was re-recorded for the band's first album, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (1980); the original recording of the song, as well as the single's B-side, are available on the compilation album Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death (1987).

Composition

The song was written shortly after the

U.S. Air force napalm bombing, and people burned by napalm, in reference to Operation Menu.[2]

The re-recording of this song that appears on Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables is different from the single version, being fifty-five seconds longer, at a higher tempo and featuring an extended, surf-influenced intro, as well as an extended bridge and guitar solo.

Lawsuit

In October 1998, Jello Biafra was sued by three former members of Dead Kennedys, who claimed that they had been defrauded of royalties owed to them.[3] "The record industry has been skimming royalties owed artists since the beginning," according to Dead Kennedys' guitarist East Bay Ray. "This case is no different from blues musicians being taken advantage of in the twenties and thirties ... [T]here is no denying we were the victims here." According to Biafra, the suit was the 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.[3][4] Biafra lost the lawsuit and, as the owner of Alternative Tentacles, was ordered to pay $200,000 in damages to the other band members.[5]

Charts

Chart (1980) Peak
position
better source needed
] 		2

References

  1. ISBN 978-1-60486-489-2
    .
  2. ^ "Dead Kennedys - Holiday In Cambodia". DeadKennedysVEVO Youtube channel.
  3. ^
    RE/Search. Archived from the original
    on November 12, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
  4. ^ "Record Label Drops Legal Action Against Dead Kennedys". Dead Kennedys News. July 14, 2004. Archived from the original on January 26, 2012.
  5. ^ Barclay, Michael (January 1, 2006). "Pull My Strings — Everybody Hurts in the Dead Kennedys Debacle". Exclaim!. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  6. ^ Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980-1989. Cherry Red Books. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2014.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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