"Cambodia" is the fourth single by British singer Kim Wilde. It was released at the end of 1981; a year in which Wilde had already scored three highly successful hit singles and a best-selling debut album. The single was another international success, topping the charts in France, Sweden and Switzerland and hitting the top ten in several other nations. It was released on the 7" format but also as a 12" single in Germany, although not in a remixed or extended version. The B-side of both releases was an exclusive non-album track called "Watching for Shapes". "Cambodia" was later included on Wilde's second album, Select, which was released six months after the single in May 1982. The album version of "Cambodia" runs for 7:13 minutes, as it is teamed with a more uptempo instrumental version of the song, called "Reprise". Musically and lyrically, "Cambodia" showed a change in direction for Wilde from the new wave feel of her debut album. The song was mainly synth-driven, with oriental-sounding percussion. The lyrics were inspired by the Operation Menu bombing campaign of Cambodia by the United States during the Vietnam War. It has sold 1,080,000 copies in France.
Composition
"Cambodia" was written by Marty Wilde and Ricki Wilde and has a length of seven minutes and thirteen seconds. The Independents Chris Mugan found the song reminiscent of a film noir. Stewart Mason of AllMusic noted that the song lacks the bubblegum pop influence present on Wilde's self-titled debut album, and is instead more synthesizer-driven. Matt James of PopMatters felt that the song was an attempt by Kim Wilde to prove that she could tackle serious issues, in the vein of The Human League's "The Lebanon" and Sting's "Russians".
Critical reception
According to Yahoo!, songs like "Cambodia", "View from a Bridge" and Wilde's version of "You Keep Me Hangin' On" brought her "very close to hearts" of Australians. The Independents Chris Mugan deemed the song one of Wilde's "eighties classics" alongside "Kids in America". In the Encyclopedia of Popular Music, Colin Larkin opined that Wilde tried "a more adventurous sound" with "Cambodia," indicating that she was "an exciting talent." The Ipswich Star Wayne Savage said that "Cambodia" and "Chequered Love" are "seminal smashes" which prove that Wilde "struck gold more often than not." Vogue Rachel Hahn called the song an "underrated classic". Stewart Mason of AllMusic noted that "Kim Wilde's second album didn't score any hits on the level of the debut's 'Kids in America,' although the dramatic 'Cambodia' was a sort of cult favorite in some circles." Writing for the same website, John Bush called the track a "fan favorite" and an "odd, chilling attempt to record a dirge for Southeastern Asia." In The Legacies of Jean-Luc Godard, Douglas Morrey wrote that "'Cambodia' is not...a particularly moving record". In his review of The Singles Collection 1981–1993 in All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul, Mike DeGagne wrote that "Only the unbecoming 'Cambodia' and the hollowed out 'Child Come Away' should be avoided on this collection, as both lack the spirit that Wilde usually packs."
Track listing
Cambodia
Watching for Shapes
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Cover versions
A music theme was used in 1985 Czecho-Slovak movie "Tretí šarkan"
Swedish Doom metal band Enigmatic released a cover in 1996
German DJ Pulsedriver released a cover of the song in 2001 and a remake in 2013.
One shot Belgian trance project Nobody released a cover of the song in 2003.
In 2004, the Italodance project Brothers released a b-side to the single "Memories", called "This Is" and based on the song's music.
Apoptygma Berzerk's 2005 album You and Me Against the World includes a cover version of the song.
The Swedish Death'N'Roll band Hearse released a cover of the song in 2004 on their album Armageddon, Mon Amour.
An Italian house remix of the song was featured in the 2005 compilation album by Gigi D'Agostino, Disco Tanz.
