Billy—Don't Be a Hero

"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 (with its title punctuated as "Billy, Don't Be a Hero"), a US hit for Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods. The song was written and composed by two British songwriters, Mitch Murray and Peter Callander.

"Billy Don't Be a Hero"
Single by Paper Lace
from the album Paper Lace (US version)
B-side	"Celia"
Released	February 1974
Recorded	1974
Genre	Pop
Length	3:59 (album version) 3:45 (radio edit)
Label	Mercury
Songwriter(s)	Mitch Murray, Peter Callander
Producer(s)	Mitch Murray, Peter Callander
Paper Lace singles chronology
"Billy Don't Be a Hero" (1974) "The Night Chicago Died" (1974)

"Billy, Don't Be a Hero"
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
"Deeper and Deeper" (1974) "Billy, Don't Be a Hero" (1974) "Who Do You Think You Are" (1974)

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.

Chart performances

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^{[citation needed]}. 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^{[citation needed]} and Japan^{[citation needed]} 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]

Paper Lace version

Weekly charts Chart (1974) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[3] 1 Canada (RPM)[4] 51 Ireland (IRMA)[5] 1 New Zealand (Listener)[6] 3 UK (OCC)[1] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[7] 96 US Cash Box Top 100[8] 68

Year-end charts Chart (1974) Rank Australia (Kent Music Report)[9][10] 2 UK[11] 3

Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods version

Weekly charts Chart (1974) Peak position Canada RPM Top Singles[12] 1 Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[13] 29 US Billboard Hot 100[7] 1 US Billboard Easy Listening[14] 20 US Cash Box Top 100[15] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1974) Rank Canada[16] 13 US Billboard Hot 100[17][7] 21 US Cash Box[18] 30

See also

• List of anti-war songs