The Ballad of the Green Berets

Last updated
"The Ballad of the Green Berets"
Ballad of the Green Berets.jpg
album cover
Single by Barry Sadler
from the album Ballads of the Green Berets
B-side "Letter from Vietnam"
ReleasedJanuary 1966
RecordedDecember 18, 1965
Studio RCA Victor, New York City
Genre
Length2:27
Label RCA Victor
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Andy Wiswell [2]
Barry Sadler singles chronology
"The Ballad of the Green Berets"
(1966)
"The A Team"
(1966)

"The Ballad of the Green Berets" is a 1966 patriotic song in the ballad style about the United States Army Special Forces. Written and performed by Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler, it was one of the few popular songs of the Vietnam War years to cast the military in a positive light. Sadler's version became a major hit in January 1966, reaching No. 1 for five weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and four weeks on Cashbox. It was also a crossover hit, reaching No. 1 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart and No. 2 on Billboard's Country survey.

Contents

Sadler began writing the song when he was training to be a Special Forces medic. The author Robin Moore, who wrote the book The Green Berets , helped him write the lyrics and later sign a recording contract with RCA Records. The demo of the song was produced in a rudimentary recording studio at Fort Liberty, North Carolina with the help of Gerry Gitell and LTG William P. Yarborough. [3]

The lyrics were written, in part, in honor of U.S. Army Specialist 5 James Gabriel Jr., a Special Forces operator and the first native Hawaiian to die in Vietnam. Gabriel was killed by Viet Cong gunfire while on a training mission with the South Vietnamese Army on April 8, 1962. [4] One verse mentioned Gabriel by name, but it was not used in the recorded version. [5]

Sadler recorded the song and eleven other tunes with Sid Bass at RCA's 24th Street Studios in New York City on December 18, 1965. [6] The song and album, Ballads of the Green Berets, were released in January 1966. He performed the song on television on January 30, 1966, on The Ed Sullivan Show , and on other TV shows including The Hollywood Palace and The Jimmy Dean Show .

Popularity

In the United States, "The Ballad of the Green Berets" topped the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1966, staying at No. 1 for five weeks. [7] It placed tenth on the year-end Hot 100 chart published by Billboard in December 1966. [8] When Billboard later revised its year-end rankings for 1966, the song was re-ranked at No. 1; [9] [10] since then, Billboard has recognized "The Ballad of the Green Berets" as the top Hot 100 song of that year. [11] [12] [13] On Cash Box 's 1966 year-end chart, "The Ballad of the Green Berets" tied for first with "California Dreamin'" by the Mamas and the Papas. [14] It was also the No. 21 song of the 1960s as ranked by Joel Whitburn. The single sold more than nine million copies; the album, more than two million.

"The Ballad of the Green Berets" has been one of the four primary marching tunes of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band since at least the 1980s.

In film

The song is heard in a choral rendition by Ken Darby in the 1968 John Wayne film The Green Berets , based on Robin Moore's book. The film's score was not released as an album until Film Score Monthly released it in 2005. A movie tie-in featuring artwork from the film and a cover version by Ennio Morricone was released in Europe, though the album's other tracks were from A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More . In The Many Saints of Newark , while Dickie Moltisanti is driving over in his car to meet Harold McBrayer for the first time, "The Ballad of the Green Berets" is playing on the radio. [15]

The cast of the 2018 movie 12 Strong sing the tune as their Chinook helicopter takes off.

This song is featured in the 1979 film More American Graffiti , during the first sequence of Terry the Toad's New Year's Eve in 1965 Vietnam.

The song is featured prominently as a prop (with French lyrics unrelated to the American lyrics), in the opening scene of the French-produced Netflix biopic miniseries about Bernard Tapie eponymously titled Tapie. [16] [17]

Other versions derivatives

Many other American recording artists did their own versions of the song ranging from Kate Smith and Duane Eddy to unknown artists singing on various drugstore records.

Many versions in other languages are rewritten to reference local units; these include:

Parodies or humorous use

Charts

Chart performance for "The Ballad of the Green Berets"
Chart (1966)Peak
position
Germany (Official German Charts) [23] 4
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [24] 31
South Africa (Springbok Radio SA Top 20) [25] 1
UK Singles (OCC) [26] 24
US Billboard Hot 100 [7] 1
US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [27] 1
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [28] 2

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eve of Destruction (song)</span> 1965 song written by P. F. Sloan

"Eve of Destruction" is a protest song written by P. F. Sloan in mid-1965. Several artists have recorded it, but the most popular recording was by Barry McGuire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Dreamin'</span> Single by the Mamas & the Papas

"California Dreamin'" is a song written by John Phillips and Michelle Phillips in 1963 and first recorded by Barry McGuire. The best-known version is by the Mamas & the Papas, who sang backup on the original version and released it as a single in December 1965. The lyrics express the narrator's longing for the warmth of Los Angeles during a cold winter in New York City. It is recorded in the key of C-sharp minor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Sadler</span> American author and musician (1940–1989)

Barry Allen Sadler was an American soldier, singer-songwriter and author. Sadler served as a Green Beret medic, achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant. He served in the Vietnam War from late December 1964 to late May 1965. Most of his work has a military theme, and he is best known for his patriotic "Ballad of the Green Berets," a #1 hit in 1966. He died at age 49 after being shot in the head in Guatemala City.

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raspberry Beret</span> 1985 single by Prince and the Revolution

"Raspberry Beret" is a song written by American musician Prince and the lead single from Prince & the Revolution's 1985 album Around the World in a Day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brandy (Scott English song)</span> 1972 single by Scott English also covered by Barry Manilow

"Brandy", later called "Mandy", is a song written by Scott English and Richard Kerr. It was originally recorded by English in 1971 and reached the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart.

"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer-songwriter Hank Williams in 1949. The song has been covered by a wide range of musicians.

"Don't Know Much" is a song written by Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil and Tom Snow. Mann was the first to record the song in 1980, gaining a minor chart hit in the US. The song was made famous when it was covered as a duet by Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville in 1989. Their version was a worldwide success, topping the Irish Singles Chart and reaching the top 10 in several territories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Battle of New Orleans</span> Song written by Jimmy Driftwood

"The Battle of New Orleans" is a song written by Jimmy Driftwood. The song describes the Battle of New Orleans from the perspective of an American soldier; the song tells the tale of the battle with a light tone and provides a rather comical version of what actually happened at the battle. It has been recorded by many artists, but the singer most often associated with this song is Johnny Horton. His version scored number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959. Billboard ranked it as the No. 1 song for 1959, it was very popular with teenagers in the late 1950s/early 1960s in an era mostly dominated by rock and roll music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let It Be Me (The Everly Brothers song)</span> 1955 single by Gilbert Bécaud and Everly Brothers

"Let It Be Me" is a popular song originally published in French in 1955 as "Je t'appartiens" interpreted by Gilbert Bécaud. It became popular worldwide with an English version by the Everly Brothers and later with the duet by Betty Everett and Jerry Butler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">19th Nervous Breakdown</span> 1966 single by the Rolling Stones

"19th Nervous Breakdown" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it was recorded in late 1965 and released as a single in February 1966. It reached number 2 on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and Britain's Record Retailer chart, while topping the charts compiled by Cash Box and NME. In the UK, it broke the band's streak of consecutive number-one singles that had started with "It's All Over Now" (1964).

"With a Child's Heart" is a song by the singer Stevie Wonder, from his album Up-Tight. The song was released as the b-side to the single "Nothing's Too Good for My Baby".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nancy Ames</span> American folk singer and songwriter

Nancy Ames is an American folk singer and songwriter. She regularly appeared on the American version of the television series That Was the Week That Was. The TW3 Girl, as she was known, sang the show theme and special material.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Army Special Forces in popular culture</span> Media representations of the Green Berets

Members of the U.S. Army Special Forces will emphatically assert that the "Green Beret" is a hat and not the man who wears it. Nevertheless, for a time in the 1960s the Green Berets and the men who wore them became a national fad emerging in a wide variety of popular culture referents. After a decline in popularity during the 1970s — coinciding with the American public's backlash against the Vietnam War — the Green Berets gripped the popular imagination again beginning with the Rambo film franchise in 1982. They continue to appear as both major and minor referents in popular culture — especially in movies and television — often serving as a shorthand signifier for a shady or covert military background for a fictional character. As a dramatic device, this can cut both ways — i.e., lead an audience to either admire or fear a character.

Sid Bass was an American arranger, composer, conductor and songwriter who was most successful in the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Never Gonna Let You Go (Dionne Warwick song)</span> 1982 song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil

"Never Gonna Let You Go" is a popular song from 1982 written by the husband-and-wife songwriting team of Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann; Weil wrote the lyrics, while Mann wrote the music. It was first recorded by Dionne Warwick for her 1982 album Friends in Love, and then by singer Stevie Woods for his 1982 album The Woman in My Life. However, its best-known rendition was by Brazilian musician and bandleader Sérgio Mendes, on his 1983 self-titled album. That version was sung by Joe Pizzulo and Leeza Miller.

Billboard Top Pop Hits is a series of compilation albums released by Rhino Records in 1994 and 1995, each featuring ten recordings from the easy listening charts from a specific year in the 1960s. Ten albums in the series were released, one each for the years from 1960 to 1969.

"Funny How Time Slips Away" is a song written by Willie Nelson and first recorded by country singer Billy Walker. Walker's version was issued as a single by Columbia Records in June 1961 and peaked at number 23 on the Hot C&W Sides chart. The song has been featured in several live action films and television shows, such as in the first episode of the second season of AMC’s Better Call Saul and in the 2020 Netflix drama The Devil All the Time.

"The "A" Team" is a 1966 song and charting single by Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler. It was Sadler's second and final American patriotic hit song at the time of the Vietnam War, following the success of "The Ballad of the Green Berets".

References

  1. Molanphy, Chris (December 16, 2022). "Hits of the Year Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate . Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  2. "SSgt. Barry Sadler* - The Ballad Of The Green Berets". Discogs. January 1966.
  3. "'Ballad of the Green Berets' singer's biographer talks about Barry Sadler's meteoric rise, murder charge, violent death". Stars and Stripes .
  4. Mizutani, Ron (May 18, 2010). "First Native Hawaiian Killed in Vietnam Conflict Honored". KHON2.com. KHON-TV. Archived from the original on June 16, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  5. I'm a Lucky One by Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler (Macmillan 1967, pp. 80–81)
  6. Leepson, Mark (2017). Ballad of the Green Beret: The Life and Wars of Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler. Guilford, Connecticut, US: Stackpole. p. 63.
  7. 1 2 "SSgt Barry Sadler Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  8. "Top Singles". Billboard . Vol. 78, no. 52. December 24, 1966. p. 34. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  9. "1966". Billboard . Vol. 96, no. 50. December 15, 1984. p. 90TH-45. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  10. "Year End Charts – Year-end Singles – The Billboard Hot 100 (1966)". Billboard . Archived from the original on April 24, 2009. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  11. "The Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Year (1958–1969)". Billboard . Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  12. Trust, Gary (April 17, 2009). "Ask Billboard". Billboard . Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  13. "Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 Songs of the Year: 1958–2015". Billboard . December 10, 2015. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  14. "Top 100 Chart Hits of 1966" (PDF). Cash Box. 1966-12-24. pp. 29–30. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-10-09. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
  15. "Many Saints of Newark Soundtrack: Every Song in the Movie". Screen Rant . 2 October 2021.
  16. Keslassy, Elsa (2023-04-19). "Netflix's Biopic Series 'Tapie' Delivers Intimate Rags-to-Riches Portrayal of Flamboyant French Tycoon". Variety. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  17. Tapie (Biography, Drama, History), Laurent Lafitte, Joséphine Japy, Patrick d'Assumçao, Unité, 2023-09-13, retrieved 2023-11-23{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  18. "Die Infanterieballade". Admin.ch. Archived from the original on 13 May 2016.
  19. ≪Passeport pour le soleil. Bernard Tapy. 1966. RCA Victor≫, sur le site Encyclopédisque
  20. 100 бійців. 29 December 2014. Archived from the original on 2021-11-23 via YouTube.
  21. "Search Results for track Balladi punaisista bareteista". Archived from the original on 2018-08-05.
  22. "Eddie Tallada BALLAD OF SUBIC BAY Vietnam US Navy Souvenir, Rare Raunchy Parody". WorthPoint. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  23. "Swedishcharts.com – STAFF SERGEANT BARRY SADLER - THE BALLAD OF THE GREEN BERETS". Singles Top 100.
  24. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Barry Sadler" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  25. "South African Rock Lists Website - SA Charts 1969 - 1989 Songs (A-B)".
  26. "Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  27. "SSgt Barry Sadler Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  28. "SSgt Barry Sadler Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.

Further reading