Billy Do n't be a Hero - wikipedia Billy Do n't be a Hero This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( March 2014 ) `` Billy Do n't Be a Hero '' Single by Paper Lace from the album Paper Lace ( US version ) B - side `` Celia '' Released Format 7 '' single Recorded Genre Pop Length 3 : 59 Label Mercury Songwriter ( s ) Mitch Murray, Peter Callander Producer ( s ) Mitch Murray, Peter Callander Paper Lace singles chronology `` Billy Do n't Be a Hero '' ( 1974 ) `` The Night Chicago Died '' ( 1974 ) `` Billy Do n't Be a Hero '' ( 1974 ) `` The Night Chicago Died '' ( 1974 ) `` Billy, Do n't Be a Hero '' Single by Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods from the album Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods B - side `` Do n't Ever Look Back '' Released April 1974 Format 7 '' single Recorded 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, Do n't Be a Hero '' ( 1974 ) `` Who Do You Think You Are '' ( 1974 ) `` Deeper and Deeper '' ( 1974 ) `` Billy Do n't Be a Hero '' ( 1974 ) `` Who Do You Think You Are '' ( 1974 ) `` Billy Do n'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. However the drum beat and cavalry `` riding out '' is not specific to the American Civil War, and blue uniforms were common in the 19th century. That being said, Paper Lace themselves performed the song on Top of the Pops wearing Union - style uniforms, as can be seen on YouTube. A young woman is distraught that her fiancé chooses to enlist with Army recruiters passing through the town, causing her to implore him : Billy, do n't be a hero, Do n't be a fool with your life Billy, do n'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, do n'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. ( This suggests mounted infantry and a lack of modern two - way radio communications. ) In the end, the heartbroken woman throws away the official letter notifying her of Billy 's `` heroic '' death. Contents 1 Chart performances 1.1 Paper Lace version 1.2 Weekly charts 1.3 Year - end charts 1.4 Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods version 1.5 Weekly charts 1.6 Year - end charts 2 Use in media 3 See also 4 References 5 External links Chart performances Paper Lace 's version of `` Billy Do n't Be a Hero '' reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart on 16 March 1974, and did likewise in Australia, where it spent eight weeks at the top spot. Thereafter, Bo Donaldson 's and the Heywoods 's version reached No. 1 in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100 on 15 June 1974, and No. 1 in Canada on 7 July. 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. Donaldson 's and the Heywoods 's version was a massive hit in North America, but it remained largely unknown elsewhere as of late July 2017. Billboard ranked it as the No. 21 song for 1974. Despite the song 's popularity, many people disliked it, and it was voted No. 8 on Rolling Stone magazine 's readers ' poll of `` 10 Worst Songs of the 1970s. '' Paper Lace version Weekly charts Chart ( 1974 ) Peak position Australia KMR Ireland ( IRMA ) New Zealand ( Listener ) UK ( OCC ) US Billboard Hot 100 96 US Cash Box Top 100 68 Year - end charts Chart ( 1974 ) Rank Australia UK 6 Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods version Weekly charts Chart ( 1974 ) Peak position Canada RPM Top Singles Canada RPM Adult Contemporary 29 US Billboard Hot 100 US Billboard Adult Contemporary 20 US Cash Box Top 100 Year - end charts Chart ( 1974 ) Rank Canada 13 US Billboard Hot 100 21 US Cash Box 30 Use in media The song is mentioned as having played on K - Billy 's Super Sounds of the ' 70s Weekend in the film Reservoir Dogs. The song features in the 1993 film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. The Mystery Science Theater 3000 characters often use the line `` Billy, do n't be a hero ! '' when riffing on movies, one example being the episode The Creeping Terror. In the first episode of Friends, Ross ( David Schwimmer ) is sad because it has been so long since he last picked up a woman, saying, `` Do the words ' Billy, Do n't Be a Hero ' mean anything to you ? '' Massive Attack 's 1991 track `` Blue Lines '' ( from the album of the same name ) features the lyrics `` take a walk, Billy, do n't be a hero. '' In Walk Hard : The Dewey Cox Story, the song is briefly heard during a montage in a disco cover by Dewey Cox ( John C. Reilly ) performing on rollerblades during `` The Dewey Cox Show. '' A much longer cut of this scene can be seen in the director 's cut, and the whole performance was included in the extras for the 2 - Disc editions. In The Powerpuff Girls, the leader of the Gang Green Gang, Ace, says to another member, Billy, `` Billy, do n't be a hero ! '' when he decides to save the Powerpuff Girls from a subway train. In The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, the episode `` K'nuckles, Do n't Be a Hero '' is named after the song. In The Justice Friends ( Cartoon Network, 1996 ), Major Glory says `` Billy, do n't be a hero ! '' to William, Valhallen 's pet goat, when it jumps to save Krunk from the attack of Valhallen 's living clothes. In an episode of ALF, the title character, Gordon `` Alf '' Shumway ( voice by Paul Fusco ), uses the line `` Willie, do n't be a hero, do n't be a fool with your life, '' referring to the head of the household, Wille Tanner ( Max Wright ), after Willie comes up with a bad idea. The Doug Anthony Allstars performed a comedic cover of this song, featuring the altered line, `` Where did Billy 's head go ? '' in place of `` Billy, keep your head low. '' 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 Do n't Be a Hero. '' Since then, the `` Billy Do n't Be a Hero '' homage has been applied to other characters whose names rhyme with `` Billy '' in several Captain Underpants spin - off comics. In the season 4 episode of Dinosaurs, the episode title was referenced, `` Earl, Do n't Be A Hero. '' See also List of anti-war songs References ^ Jump up to : Roberts, David ( 2006 ). British Hit Singles & Albums ( 19th ed. ). London : Guinness World Records Limited. p. 298. ISBN 1 - 904994 - 10 - 5. Jump up ^ `` Readers ' Poll : The 10 Worst Songs of the 1970s : # 8 - Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods - ' Billy Do n't Be A Hero ' ''. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 19 October 2011. Jump up ^ `` The Irish Charts -- Search Results -- Billy, Do n't Be a Hero ''. Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 22, 2017. Jump up ^ Flavour of New Zealand, 8 June 1974 ^ Jump up to : Joel Whitburn 's Top Pop Singles 1955 - 1990 - ISBN 0 - 89820 - 089 - X Jump up ^ `` Cash Box Top 100 5 / 25 / 74 ''. Tropicalglen.com. Retrieved 8 January 2018. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2016. Jump up ^ `` Top 100 1974 - UK Music Charts ''. Uk-charts.top-source.info. Retrieved 8 January 2018. Jump up ^ `` Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada ''. Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Missing or empty url = ( help ) Jump up ^ `` Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada ''. Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1974 - 06 - 15. Retrieved 2018 - 03 - 10. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 1993 ). Top Adult Contemporary : 1961 -- 1993. Record Research. p. 75. Jump up ^ `` Cash Box Top 100 7 / 06 / 74 ''. Tropicalglen.com. Retrieved 8 January 2018. Jump up ^ Canada, Library and Archives ( 17 July 2013 ). `` Image : RPM Weekly ''. Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 8 January 2018. Jump up ^ `` Top 100 Hits of 1974 / Top 100 Songs of 1974 ''. Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 8 January 2018. Jump up ^ `` Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1974 ''. Tropicalglen.com. Retrieved 8 January 2018. Jump up ^ `` Behind the Pages : Super Diaper Baby ''. Pilkey.com. Dav Pilkey. Archived from the original on 15 June 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2016. External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Preceded by `` Jealous Mind '' by Alvin Stardust UK Singles Chart number - one single ( Paper Lace version ) 16 March 1974 ( three weeks ) Succeeded by `` Seasons in the Sun '' by Terry Jacks Preceded by `` Band on the Run '' by Paul McCartney and Wings Billboard Hot 100 number - one single ( Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods version ) 15 June 1974 - 22 June 1974 ( two weeks ) Succeeded by `` Sundown '' by Gordon Lightfoot Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Billy_Don%27t_Be_a_Hero&oldid=833713480 '' Categories : 1974 singles Paper Lace songs Billboard Hot 100 number - one singles Number - one singles in Australia UK Singles Chart number - one singles Irish Singles Chart number - one singles Anti-war songs Songs about the military Songs written by Mitch Murray Songs written by Peter Callander Debut singles 1974 songs Mercury Records singles ABC Records singles Hidden categories : Pages using web citations with no URL Use dmy dates from September 2012 Use British English from September 2012 Articles needing additional references from March 2014 All articles needing additional references Articles with hAudio microformats Singlechart usages for Ireland2 Singlechart called without artist All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from July 2017 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Español Nederlands Norsk Türkçe Edit links This page was last edited on 2 April 2018, at 01 : 48. 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Question: who sang billy don't be a hero first
Answer: Paper Lace