The song has a strong anti-war message, focusing on the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War and the effect it had on the soldiers who served.

[7] Undisputed statistics do not exist, although Southeast Asia Combat Area Casualties Current File (CACCF), the source for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, shows a large number of deaths (38%) were ages 19 or 20.

[8] The song also comments that while the tour of duty was longer during World War II, soldiers in Vietnam were subjected to hostile fire more frequently: "almost every day".

[5] News interest in the song helped, with the tenth anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War seeing Hardcastle interviewed by Alastair Stewart of ITN.

Tony Blackburn, then breakfast DJ for Radio London, was an early supporter of the song and it quickly reached number 1 in the UK and most of the world.

"[5] In 2015, Hardcastle released a charity version of the song for the Talking2Minds organisation, who raise money for troops suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

After the song's unexpected, rapid climb to the top of the UK Singles Chart, Chrysalis asked Vietnam Requiem directors Jonas McCord and Bill Couturié to rush a video into production.

[12] Due to the lack of a band able to perform the song, the video was primarily composed of clips from the Vietnam Requiem documentary, edited together by Ken Grunbaum.

[12] McCord and Couterié were forced to produce a new cut incorporating public domain footage, but ABC permitted Reynolds' audio to remain.

[12] Couterié asserted at the time that the television networks opposed the video because it involved rock music:[12] What is the difference between the words in our song and the 7 o'clock news?