"Khe Sanh" is one of the most popular songs ever recorded by an Australian act and one generally seen as a resonant symbol of the Australian culture. Allmusic describes it as, "a song that will forever epitomize this period of Australian music." The record reached number four in the band's home town of Adelaide but peaked on the national sales charts at a modest number 41. This was partly a result of actions taken in August 1978, when censors gave it an A Classification, meaning that it was "not suitable for airplay". The classification was ostensibly due to sex and drug references, such as the lines: "their legs were often open, but their minds were always closed". Walker said, "That was the reason they told us, which wasn't necessarily the real one." Barnes later commented "Every DJ in the country begged us to release "Khe Sanh" as a single. Then they banned it two weeks later. They had to ban something once a week to keep the Catholic Church happy." At the start of the "Live at the Wireless" album, Barnes thanks Double Jay for being the only station that played the song.