"Billy Don't Be a Hero" | ||||
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Single by Paper Lace | ||||
from the album Paper Lace (US version) | ||||
B-side | "Celia" | |||
Released | April 1974 | |||
Recorded | 1974 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length |
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Label | Mercury | |||
Songwriter(s) | Mitch Murray, Peter Callander | |||
Producer(s) | Mitch Murray, Peter Callander | |||
Paper Lace singles chronology | ||||
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"Billy, Don't Be a Hero" | ||||
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Single by Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods | ||||
from the album Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods | ||||
B-side | "Don't Ever Look Back" | |||
Released | April 1974 | |||
Recorded | 1974 | |||
Studio | ABC, Los Angeles, California | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 3:25 | |||
Label | ABC | |||
Songwriter(s) | Mitch Murray, Peter Callander | |||
Producer(s) | Steve Barri | |||
Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods singles chronology | ||||
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"Billy Don't Be a Hero" is a 1974 pop song that was first a UK hit for Paper Lace and then, some months later, a US hit for Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods. The song was written and composed by two British songwriters, Mitch Murray and Peter Callander.
Because the song was released in 1974, it was associated by some listeners with the Vietnam War, though the war to which it actually refers is never identified in the lyrics. It has been suggested that the drum pattern, references to a marching band leading soldiers in blue, and "riding out" (cavalry) refer to the American Civil War. For one of the band's performances on Top of the Pops they wore Union-style uniforms, as can be seen on YouTube and on 45 single record cover.
A young woman is distraught that her fiancé chooses to enlist with Army recruiters passing through the town, causing her to implore him:
Billy, don't be a hero, Don't be a fool with your life
Billy, don't be a hero, Come back and make me your wife
And as he started to go, she said, 'Keep your pretty head low'
Billy, don't be a hero, Come back to me.
The song goes on to describe how Billy is killed in action in a pitched battle after volunteering to ride out and seek reinforcements. In the end, the heartbroken woman throws away the official letter notifying her of Billy's "heroic" death.
Paper Lace's version of "Billy Don't Be a Hero" reached No. 1 in the UK on 16 March 1974, [1] and did likewise in Australia, where it spent eight weeks at the top spot. The Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods version reached No. 1 in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100 on 15 June 1974, and was dubbed into French for Canada. The US version sold over three and a half million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in June 1974. The Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods version was a massive hit in Latin America and Japan as well, but it remained largely unknown elsewhere. Billboard ranked it as the No. 21 song for 1974.
Despite the song's popularity, it was poorly received, and it was voted No. 8 on Rolling Stone magazine's readers' poll of "10 Worst Songs of the 1970s". [2]
Massive Attack's 1991 track Blue Lines (from the album of the same name) features the lyrics "Take a walk, Billy, don't be a hero". [18]
Dav Pilkey, creator of Captain Underpants, named the hero of The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby Billy solely to make possible a passing homage to "Billy Don't Be a Hero". [19]
Paper Lace are a British pop/rock band, formed in Nottingham, who rose to success in 1974 and during that year had three UK Top 40 hit singles. In the United States they are considered a one-hit wonder, having had a single US Number One hit.
"Delta Dawn" is a song written by musician Larry Collins and country songwriter Alex Harvey. The first notable recording of the song was in 1971 by American singer and actress Bette Midler for her debut album. However it is best known as a 1972 top ten country hit for Tanya Tucker and a 1973 US number one hit for Helen Reddy.
"One Tin Soldier" is a 1960s counterculture era anti-war song written by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter. Canadian pop group The Original Caste first recorded it in 1969 for both the TA label and its parent Bell label.
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"The Night Chicago Died" is a song by the British group Paper Lace, written by Peter Callander and Mitch Murray. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for one week in 1974, reached number 3 in the UK charts, and number 2 in Canada. It is about a fictional shoot-out between the Chicago Police and members of the Al Capone Syndicate. The narrator retells his mother's anguish while awaiting news of the fate of her husband, a Chicago policeman. This song begins with an electronic synthesizer sound impersonating a police siren. The first four lines in the Intro are spoken by the group. It also features the sound of a ticking clock, heard in the third verse.
"Magic" is a 1974 song by Scottish pop rock band Pilot, and was the first hit single for the group. It was written by band members David Paton and Billy Lyall for their debut album, From the Album of the Same Name.
"Hair" is the title song to the 1967 musical Hair and the 1979 film adaptation of the musical.
Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods are an American pop music group, known mainly for their 1970s hit singles, "Billy Don't Be a Hero" and "Who Do You Think You Are".
"Song Sung Blue" is a 1972 hit song written and recorded by Neil Diamond, inspired by the second movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto #21. It was released on Diamond's album Moods, and later appeared on many of Diamond's live and compilation albums. The song was a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States for one week, the week of July 1, and it spent twelve weeks in the Top 40. It also reached #14 on the UK Singles Chart.
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"You Make Me Feel Brand New" is a 1974 single by the Philadelphia soul group The Stylistics. An R&B ballad, the song was written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed.
"When Will I Be Loved" is a popular song written by Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers, who had a US top-ten hit with it in 1960. Linda Ronstadt covered the song in 1975, and her version was an even bigger hit in the US, peaking at No. 2. Vince Gill also covered it in 1994 on the soundtrack of the film 8 Seconds.
"Morning Side of the Mountain" is a song written by Larry Stock and Dick Manning and first recorded in 1951 by Tommy Edwards. It settled at #24 on the pop chart. Edwards re-recorded it in 1959, reaching #27 on the Billboard Hot 100. The re-release was featured as the B-side of Edwards' other hit, a cover of Johnnie Ray's 1952 success, "Please Mr. Sun."
"Moonlight Feels Right" is the debut single recorded by the American band Starbuck. Written and produced by Bruce Blackman, the song was released in December 1975 but did not chart until April 1976.
"Romeo's Tune" is a song recorded by Steve Forbert, released in 1979 as the lead single from his album Jackrabbit Slim.
"Who Do You Think You Are" is a song written by British songwriting-team Des Dyer and Clive Scott. The song was first recorded by the pop group Candlewick Green and released in late December 1973. The song peaked at #21 in the United Kingdom in February 1974.
"Breakdown Dead Ahead" is a 1980 song recorded by Boz Scaggs, and composed by Scaggs and David Foster. It was the lead single of two released from Scaggs's album Middle Man.
"Smile a Little Smile for Me" is the debut single by the Flying Machine. The song was written by Geoff Stephens and Tony Macaulay.
"Rock and Roll (I Gave You the Best Years of My Life)" is a 1973 song written and originally performed by Australian singer Kevin Johnson, most famously covered by American singer Mac Davis.