Soldier of Love

Album: The Greatest (1962)
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Songfacts®:

  • The Alabama soul singer Arthur Alexander was the first to record this song, releasing it as a single in 1962. It didn't chart, but did get the attention of a young group out of England: The Beatles.

    In 1963, The Beatles recorded the song for a BBC radio show called Pop Go The Beatles. This version wasn't released until 1994 when it appeared on the compilation Live At The BBC. Arthur Alexander was a huge influence on The Beatles; they covered his song "Anna (Go to Him)" on their first album, Please Please Me.
  • This was written by the Nashville songwriters Buzz Cason and Tony Moon. The song uses wartime terminology as an analog for a combative relationship, with the singer asking for a truce.

    In our interview with Cason, he explained that Moon came up with the line, "lay down your arms and surrender to me," and they used military terms to hash it out.
  • Originally, the song was called "Lay Down Your Arms," but they ended up calling it "Soldier of Love" after a line in the verse. The title is sometimes rendered "Soldier of Love (Lay Down Your Arms)."
  • The song has had some high-profile covers. Marshall Crenshaw included it on his 1982 debut album, and Pearl Jam released it as the B-side of their 1999 single Last Kiss.

Comments: 1

  • Jennifur Sun from RamonaNever heard this until I came across the Beatles version. Sadly it is one of many of their songs and videos that is no longer available in the US.
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