Peak
49
Weeks
8
Score
542
Chart Year
1966
In 1966, public opinion was split regarding America's role in the Vietnam War. Pat Boone, a staunch conservative, was all for it, and recorded this song to express his views. The song is written as a letter from a soldier fighting in Vietnam to a friend back home who dodged the draft and is protesting the war. It's a very sarcastic message, where the soldier makes it clear that he doesn't appreciate his friend's opposition when he is on the front lines taking fire. He even makes a vague threat, telling him: When the whole darn mess is through I'll put away my rifle And the old uniform And I'll come looking for you Over the next few years, many popular songs took a stand against the Vietnam War, but in 1966 one of the biggest hits in America was "The Ballad Of The Green Berets" by Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler, very much a pro-war song. Audiences in general were comfortable at the time with songs supporting the troops, as were radio stations. As top-tier artists like The Beatles began releasing anti-war songs, that sentiment took hold of the airwaves and songs like "Wish You Were Here, Buddy" got little support. This in one of the few songs credited entirely to Pat Boone as a writer. It was one of his last singles, and his last hit for Dot Records. Boone's only subsequent appearance on the Hot 100 came in 1969 when "July You're A Woman" hit #100.
Well, hi there, buddy Thought I'd drop you a line I haven't seen you For a hundred years When you get time Will you let me know If it's true what a fella hears Heard you been leading Those campus demonstrations You're as busy as you can be If the sit downs, walk outs And others aggravate you Bet you hardly ever think of me Well, I'm on a little Vacation in South Vietnam And expense paid trip for one I got my own little rifle And a great uniform And a job that must be done Well, we're sleeping in the jungle And ducking real bullets And man, it's a lot of fun Wish you were here (Wish you were here) Wish you were here (Wish you were here) I heard you let your hair grow Til it's hanging on your shoulders And you hardly have time to shave Bet the girls all flip Cause you look so fine like Something crawled out of a cave Heard Uncle Sam Nearly scared you to death But you fooled him just in time Just stuck a little match To your old draft card And you burned up A future like mine Well, I'm on a little Vacation in South Vietnam And expense paid trip for one I got my own little rifle And a great uniform And a job that must be done Well, we're sleeping in the jungle And ducking real bullets And man, it's a lot of fun Wish you were here (Wish you were here) Wish you were here (Wish you were here) Oh, I know you're not scared You're a real brave guy You're a regular Cassius Clay And I know you'da fought When the country was young But the world's just different today Well, you just stay home And leave the fighting to us And when the whole Durn mess is through I'll put away my rifle And the old uniform And I'll come looking for you Well, we're sleeping in the jungle And ducking real bullets And man, it's a lot of fun Wish you were here (Wish you were here) Wish you were here (Wish you were here) Wish you were here, old pal (Wish you were here) Wish you were here (Wish you were here) Wish you were here, little buddy (Wish you were here) I wanna introduce You to them Comms (Wish you were here) Come on over and we'll just Hold em til you get here, okay
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 22, 1966 | 83 | 43 |
| 2 | Oct 29, 1966 | 81 | 45 |
| 3 | Nov 5, 1966 | 76 | 50 |
| 4 | Nov 12, 1966 | 68 | 58 |
| 5 | Nov 19, 1966 | 56 | 70 |
| 6 | Nov 26, 1966 | 53 | 73 |
| 7 | Dec 3, 1966 | 49 | 77 |
| 8 | Dec 10, 1966 | 52 | 74 |