Album: Billy Don't Be A Hero (1974)

Charted: 1

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• The marchin' band came down along Main Street
  The soldier blues fell in behind
  I looked across and there I saw Billy
  Waiting to go and join the line
  And with her head upon his shoulder
  His young and lovely fiancee
  From where I stood I saw she was cryin'
  And through her tears I heard her say
  
  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, Billy, keep your head low
  Billy, don't be a hero, come back to me
  
  The soldier blues were trapped on a hillside
  The battle raging all around
  The sergeant cried, We've got to hang on, boys!
  We've got to hold this piece of ground
  I need a volunteer to ride up
  And bring us back some extra men
  And Billy's hand was up in a moment
  Forgettin' all the words she said
  
  She said
  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, Billy, keep your head low
  Billy, don't be a hero, come back to me
  
  I heard his fiancee got a letter
  That told how Billy died that day
  The letter said that he was a hero
  She should be proud he died that way
  I heard she threw that letter away ...
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 17

• Ian Spencer from Solihull, UkIt's easy to answer why the British think it's about the Civil War. When Paper Lace were on Top of the Pips, they dressed as Civil War soldiers and the single had a picture cover of them in uniform.
• Olfrog14x--draft#88 from Oak Ridge, TnThere is no consistent way to make the details of the lyrics fit any particular war, but the title and chorus mark it as Vietnam.
  No one who had not participated in a war, as of 1860, would EVER say "Don't be a hero" or "keep your head low" in public -- they had no idea what war looked like, and those words advocated "cowardice" as popularly understood.
  However, by 1974, those sentiments were widespread in the American public.
  
  To be fair, Paper Lace probably knew more about the US Civil War than any Americans listening to a radio knew about the English Civil War.
• Stitch from PittsburghThe song was written and performed initially by the British Pop Band "Paper Lace". Why is everyone so quick to point to American Civil War? It could be a reference to a battle that has nothing to do with the United States. It wasn't until the song reached #1 in UK and Australia that Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods released their version of the song. Let's ask our friends from across the pond - "Do you know to which Battle this song may reference?"
  
  Since the original Artist was a British Band (PaperLace) I'm willing to bet it was the American Revolutionary War. British were not part of the American Civil War.
• Priorknowledge from Boynton Beach FloridaI also want to comment about the song’s premise. As any student of warfare knows, adding men to a losing battle, only makes things worse. The more likely ending for the song should have been that his unit was slaughtered and his riding off saved Billy from being killed.
• Priorknowledge from Boynton Beach, FloridaIt has to be about the American Civil War. The soldier's uniform was desert tan or olive drab green during the war in Vietnam. Union Troops (the North) wore blue.
• Seventhmist from 7th Heaven"Soldier blues" was a clear Civil War reference, but I've no doubt it pointed at Vietnam.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyPer: http://www.oldiesmusic.com/news.htm
  Details are sketchy, but its been learned that Mike Gibbons, lead singer and trumpet player with Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods, died Saturday (April 2nd, 2016)...
  Formed in 1965 while the founding members were still in high school (Mike joined later in the decade), the group got its break opening for the Osmonds in the early '70s. Though they had recorded in their native Cincinnati and with Family Productions (where "Special Someone" as "The Heywoods" made it to #64 nationally in 1972), it was signing with ABC Records and spotlighting keyboard player Robert "Bo" Donaldson that made them stars. With Mike singing lead, their cover of Paper Lace's "Billy, Don't Be A Hero" spent 2 weeks at #1 in 1974, followed by "Who Do You Think You Are (#15 in 1974) and "The Heartbreak Kid" (#39 in 1974). But "Our Last Song Together" (#95 in 1975) proved to be just that-- at least on the charts. Singles for Capitol Records, Playboy Records and Republic Records (as the Bo Donaldson Band) failed to chart and even a switch to country music as River Bend failed to re-kindle their star power. By the '80s, they split up though they did reunite to play the oldies circuit in 1996...
  May he R.I.P.
  
• Mel from Los AngelesI've heard it mentioned before, and see it mentioned here, that the Billy in this song was sent to Vietnam. Although the timing of this song fit with the Vietnam War (near the end) and obviously was banking on anti-war sentiments for its popularity, it's obviously NOT about Vietnam, specifically. It can be taken as a corollary, sure, and a cautionary tale and de-romanticism of war in general regarding *any* war, but the lyrics show it obviously does not relate to a 20th century war. Billy "rides out" for extra men. Surely during Vietnam, "extra men" would have been summoned via walkie-talkie - how many stories of 'Nam do you hear where a soldier was ordered to jump up on a horse and ride out? ;) Billy admires and joins the "soldier blues" at the parade; blues = the Union. The fiance receives a letter that Billy died. In the 60s and early 70s, people heard about deaths a bit quicker than that, generally, often via a solemnly hand-delivered telegram, but the song says "letter." A fife and drum are featured at the beginning of the song, not exactly the way U.S. soldiers crept up on the VC...the fife and drum are iconic to the U.S. Civil War. Also, I don't think it was normal during Vietnam for young boys to simply fall in behind soldiers marching down the street in order to join the Army. My father joined the Army in 1962, getting in was rigorous and he wasn't even allowed on the lines due to being flat-footed and color blind - and then later, boys were drafted, not allowed to float in during a parade. They didn't march soldiers through town in order to drum up volunteers.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn May 11th 1974, Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods performed "Billy Don't Be a Hero" on the ABC-TV program 'American Bandstand'...
  At the time the song was at #38 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; twenty-nine days later on June 9th, 1974 it would peak at #1 {for 2 weeks} and spent 19 weeks on the Top 100...
  And on July 6th, 1974 it also reached #1 {for 1 week} on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart...
  Between 1972 and 1975 the Cincinnati, Ohio septet had five Top 100 records; their next biggest hit was "Who Do You Think You Are?", it peaked at #15 in 1974.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn April 21st, 1974, "Billy Don't Be A Hero" by Paper Lace entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 at position #99; it only remained on the Top 100 for three weeks, peaking at #96...
  Five weeks after it fell off the chart the quintet's "The Night Chicago Died" entered the Top 100 at position #98; and on August 11th it peaked at #1 (for 1 week) and stayed on the Top 100 for 17 weeks...
  They had one other Top 100 hit, "The Black-Eyed Boys", it reached #41.
• Matthew from Toronto, OnThis song is unfairly maligned by critics & DJ's alike. I don't know why. The message is clear: war is bad, and should never be glorified. It's set to a tuneful melody, with easy-to-sing-along-with, if not particularly profound, lyrics. Too many soldiers went off to war, full of delusions of heroism and glory, only to come back maimed or mentally damaged, or not at all. They're still doing it today; when will they learn?
• David from Flatwoods, KyI rememember hearing on the radio that this song was about the Civil War.
• Karen from Silver Spring, MdI thought this song was about Vietnam actually. It fit the timeline...
• Christina from Cape Cod, MaThis song was also metioned on The Family Stone. When there sitting around playing charades, it's a clue.
• Jim from Colesville, NjI don't recall any specific American Civil War references. But I would guess the lines that say "the soldier blues..." could refer to the blue uniforms of the union army of the North. Also, the sergeant needing a rider to go get more men would indicate those times of no radio.
• Darrell from EugeneI don't know for sure, but when this song first came out and again when I bought a 1970s mixed CD about 5 years ago, I heard mentions of the American Civil War in reference to this song. Am I right or am I mistaken?
• Mark from London, EnglandThe song was a number one hit in the UK for Paper Lace in the same year. They used it to win TV talent show "Opportunity Knocks" and went on to have 3 more chart hits.

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