"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, 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"
"single with ABC, ""Deeper and Deeper,"" failed to make a big impression on the charts, beginning in 1974, the band began a string of hit songs. Their first two (and largest two) hits were cover versions of British hit songs whose original versions had not been hits in the U.S.: ""Billy Don't Be A Hero"" (a cover of a #1 UK Paper Lace song that reached #1 for 2 weeks on the Hot 100 with the Heywoods's version) and ""Who Do You Think You Are"" (written by Clive Scott & Des Dyer of Jigsaw, which originally became a hit for"
"chart. It was followed by another Murray/Callander composition, the story song ""The Night Chicago Died"" which reached Number 3 and spent 11 weeks on the charts. A third Murray/Callander-penned release, ""The Black-Eyed Boys"", took Paper Lace to number 11 in late 1974 and number 37 in Canada. With their subject matter assumed in America to be about the American Civil War, it was logical that ""Billy Don't Be a Hero"" should become a hit in the United States. However, Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods were the first to release the song in the United States, and Paper Lace had to"
"Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods are an American pop music group, known mainly for their 1970s hit singles, ""Billy Don't Be A Hero"" and ""Who Do You Think You Are"". The band was formed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1965 by their leader, Robert Walter ""Bo"" Donaldson. They were first discovered while touring with The Osmonds in the early 1970s and signed with Family Productions, releasing their first single in 1972, ""Special Someone,"" but their big break came after moving to ABC Records and working with the record producer Steve Barri in 1973. Although their first"
"and Mina. Murray also wrote ""My Brother"" which became a children's favourite when recorded by Terry Scott. Later Murray and Callander formed their own record label, Bus Stop, through which they launched the career of Paper Lace. Their first two singles, released in 1974, were both written by Murray and Callander, ""Billy Don't Be a Hero"" (No. 1 UK, with a cover version by Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods reaching Number 1 in the US), and ""The Night Chicago Died"" (Number 1 US). Another song Murray was involved in was ""Sing Me"", a UK Top Ten hit for one-hit wonders,"
"Phil Wright's Original 70s Paper Lace) the band initially questioned appearing. However, with the show having weekly viewing figures of 7 million, they concluded that going on the programme was a ""no brainer"", and the band won Opportunity Knocks for five consecutive weeks. Based on Opportunity Knocks' performances, songwriters (Mitch Murray and Peter Callander) offered the band ""Billy Don't Be a Hero"", with the possibility of more songs if it took off. Billy Don't Be a Hero would spend three weeks at Number 1 on the UK Singles Chart in March 1974, with a total of 14 weeks on the"
"Records (1973–1975). The CD contains all their charted singles and, in fact, includes 9 of the 11 songs featured on the 1974 LP ""Billy Don't Be a Hero"" (#97 on the Hot 200). The CD booklet includes liner notes written by Gordon Pogoda and the CD features such highlights as ""Who Do You Think You Are"", ""The House on Telegraph Hill"", and ""The Heartbreak Kid"". In 1975, the band was working on a second album of material for ABC including ""Our Last Song Together"", released as a single (and which made the pop charts), and ""Take Me Make Me Yours"","
"which to this day remains unreleased. Ultimately the group left the label and joined Capitol Records, where they recorded songs by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, the writing/producing team behind the UK act The Sweet. Lead singer and trumpeter Mike Gibbons died on 2 April 2016. Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods are an American pop music group, known mainly for their 1970s hit singles, ""Billy Don't Be A Hero"" and ""Who Do You Think You Are"". The band was formed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1965 by their leader, Robert Walter ""Bo"" Donaldson. They were first"
"""Dear Mom and Dad"". Into the 1970s, as the Vietnam War continued, hit ballads of youth and death included B. J. Thomas' ""Billy and Sue"" (1972) and Terry Jacks' No. 1 hit ""Seasons in the Sun"" (1974), their protagonists of indeterminate age, or slightly older than teens. A song that was thought to have referenced the Civil War was Paper Lace's 1974 hit ""Billy Don't Be a Hero,"" made a bigger hit in the U.S. by Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods. Hard-rock acts recorded vehicular death scenarios such as ""D.O.A."" (Bloodrock, 1971), ""Detroit Rock City"" (Kiss, 1976) and ""Bat Out"
"Candlewick Green and reached #15 on the Hot 100 with the Heywoods's version). This was followed by their last top-40 hit, ""The Heartbreak Kid"" (#39 Hot 100), and their ominously titled last Hot 100 hit, ""Our Last Song Together"" (#95 on the Hot 100, the last song written by the Sedaka-Greenfield tandem before its breakup). ""Billy Don't Be A Hero"" sold over three and a half million copies, receiving a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in June 1974. Despite the song's popularity, many people disliked it, and it was voted #8 on ""Rolling Stone"" magazine's readers' poll of ""10 Worst"
"Two Bonus tracks (2001 re-issue): I'm No Hero I'm No Hero is a 1980 album by Cliff Richard. It featured the singles ""Dreamin'"" and ""A Little in Love"", which were top 20 hits in both the UK and the US. Following the success of his 1979 single ""We Don't Talk Anymore"" which was written and arranged by Alan Tarney, the record company were keen to use his services again. For the follow-up album in 1980, he was employed as producer for the entire album. This gave ""I'm No Hero"" a cohesive sound but was criticised at the time for being"
"""High Fidelity"". The song is also featured in a Season 1 episode of ""That '70s Show"". ""The Night Chicago Died"" was Paper Lace's follow-up single to ""Billy Don't Be a Hero"", a #1 hit in the U.K. but virtually unheard in the U.S. where Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods' cover reached #1. Callander and Murray wrote both songs. The U.S. single received a Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America, signifying sales of at least one million copies. Though the song's story is set in the United States, Paper Lace were unable to perform the song live in"
"I'm No Hero I'm No Hero is a 1980 album by Cliff Richard. It featured the singles ""Dreamin'"" and ""A Little in Love"", which were top 20 hits in both the UK and the US. Following the success of his 1979 single ""We Don't Talk Anymore"" which was written and arranged by Alan Tarney, the record company were keen to use his services again. For the follow-up album in 1980, he was employed as producer for the entire album. This gave ""I'm No Hero"" a cohesive sound but was criticised at the time for being too unadventurous. The songs on"
"I Don't Want to Be a Hero ""I Don't Want to be a Hero"" is a 1987 song by the British band Johnny Hates Jazz. It reached #11 in the UK top 40 in August 1987 spending 10 weeks on the chart. It is taken from their #1 album ""Turn Back the Clock"". The song was written by the band's lead singer and main songwriter, Clark Datchler. It has a strong anti-war sentiment and is written from the perspective of a soldier who is questioning their participation in what they consider an unjust war. The band's American record company were"
"A House Is Not a Home (song) ""A House Is Not a Home"" is a 1964 ballad recorded by American singer Dionne Warwick, and written by the team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David for the 1964 film of the same name, starring Shelley Winters and Robert Taylor. The song was a modest hit in the United States for Warwick, peaking at #71 on the pop singles chart as the B-side of the top 40 single, ""You'll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart)"". Another version of the song, by Brook Benton, which was the version that appeared"
"by ""non-pop"" artists, including the 1979 U.S. number one hit ""No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)"" by Easy listening singer Barbra Streisand in a duet with Donna Summer. Country music artist Connie Smith covered Andy Gibb's ""I Just Want to Be Your Everything"" in 1977, Bill Anderson did ""Double S"" in 1978, and Ronnie Milsap recorded ""Get It Up"" and covered Tommy Tucker's ""Hi-Heel Sneakers"" in 1979. Also noteworthy are John Paul Young's ""Love Is in the Air"" (1977), Patrick Hernandez's ""Born to Be Alive"" (1978), Cheryl Lynn's ""Got to Be Real"" (1978), Evelyn ""Champagne"" King's ""Shame"" (1978), Sister Sledge's"
"""Go-Set"" National Top 40. In 1968 they toured United States supporting The Supremes and Herb Alpert. By 1970 they had signed with independent label, Fable Records, which released Bill and Boyd's version of ""It's a Small World"". On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 1974 Cyclone Tracy devastated the Northern Territory capital, Darwin. Cate wrote ""Santa Never Made It into Darwin"", which appeared as a charity single in January the following year by Bill and Boyd to support the city's rebuilding. It peaked at No. 2 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart. At the Country Music Awards of Australia"
"thwarted after the group's 1969 song ""Baby Baby Don't Cry"" hit the ""Billboard"" Pop Top 10, and when the Miracles' 1967 song, ""The Tears of a Clown"",(their ""fourth Grammy Hall of Fame-""inducted hit) was released as a single in 1970, it became a number-one hit in the UK. It was subsequently released in the U.S., where it duplicated its U.K. success, reaching number 1 on the """"Billboard"" Hot 100 Pop Chart"" and selling over 3 million copies. As a result, the Miracles became hotter than ever, and Robinson decided to stay with the group for another two years. In 1970,"
"Hot 100 hit with ""Billy Don't Be A Hero"" in 1974. In addition, Ohio musicians with a #1 album on the Billboard 200 include the R&B group The Isley Brothers (from Cincinnati) with 2 #1 albums, including ""The Heat is On"" in 1975, folk singer Tracy Chapman with her ""Tracy Chapman"" album in 1988, Nine Inch Nails with 2 #1 albums including ""With Teeth"" in 2005, Marilyn Manson with 2 including ""Mechanical Animals"" in 1998, The Black Keys with ""Turn Blue"" in 2014, and Twenty One Pilots (from Columbus) with ""Blurryface"" in 2015. Country group Rascal Flatts (from Columbus) has"
"Yesterday's Hero (John Paul Young song) ""Yesterday's Hero"" is a pop song by John Paul Young. The song was written by George Young and Harry Vanda and was released in February 1975 as the lead single from Young's debut studio album, ""Hero"" (1975). The song became a worldwide hit, peaking at No. 8 in Australia, No. 1 in South Africa and No. 41 in the United States. ""Yesterday's Hero"" is a song about the fleeting nature of pop stardom. It drew on Vanda & Young's own experiences as former teen idols. The song gave Young his first top ten hit,"
"He Don't Love You (Like I Love You) ""He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)"" is a 1975 No. 1 song in the United States sung by Tony Orlando and Dawn. It topped the ""Billboard"" Hot 100 chart on May 3, 1975, and remained there for three weeks. The song also went to No. 1 on the US adult contemporary chart for one week in 1975. It was later certified Gold by the RIAA. Under its original title ""He Will Break Your Heart,"" the song was also a top-ten hit for one of its songwriters, Jerry Butler, in 1960."
"(1974) and ""It's That Time Of Night"" (1974). Beginning in 1976, Brown released a string of major duet hits with Helen Cornelius starting with the No. 1 hit, ""I Don't Want to Have to Marry You"". Other hits for the duo included ""Saying Hello, Saying I Love You, Saying Goodbye"" (1977), ""Born Believer"" (1977), ""I'll Never Be Free"" (1978), ""If the World Ran Out of Love Tonight"" (1978), ""You Don't Bring Me Flowers"" (a cover of the then-recent Neil Diamond-Barbra Streisand hit) (1979), ""Lying In Love With You"" (1979), ""Fools"" (1979), ""Morning Comes Too Early"" (1980) and ""Don't Bother to"
"""Heroes"" (David Bowie song) ""Heroes"" is a song by English musician David Bowie. It was co-written by Bowie and Brian Eno, produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti, and recorded in July and August 1977 at Hansa Studio by the Wall. It was released on 23 September 1977 as the lead single from his 12th studio album of the same name, backed with the song ""V-2 Schneider"". A product of Bowie's ""Berlin"" period, the track was not a huge hit in the United Kingdom or United States after its release, but it has since become one of his signature songs. In"
"as a 7"". King Heroin ""King Heroin"" is an anti-drug song by James Brown, David Matthews, Manny Rosen and Charles Bobbit. Brown recorded this poem set to music at a studio in New York with session musicians in January 1972 and released it as a single in March. It was his fifth single for Polydor Records and reached number six on the U.S. Hot Soul Singles chart and number forty on the ""Billboard"" Hot 100 in the spring. The song was included on Brown's 1972 album ""There It Is"". The poem was originally written by Rosen, who worked at the"
"television advertisement for Miller Lite beer used the 1969 song ""He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother"" by The Hollies, which became a number 1 in September 19 years after its original release, and an advert for Coca-Cola gave Robin Beck a number 1 with the ballad ""First Time"". Film and Television actress Patsy Kensit, a teenager in 1988, also reached the Top 10 this year in the band Eighth Wonder. Their Pet Shop Boys-produced UK debut ""I'm Not Scared"" slowly climbed up the Top 40 and peaked at number 7 in May. The band were more popular in Italy and"
"reluctant to release the single in the U.S. because of its anti-war stance. The song makes references to conscription and propaganda. The international music video for the song was directed by Andy Morahan. In 1988, Japanese singer Yōko Nagayama covered the song, ""反逆のヒーロー"". I Don't Want to Be a Hero ""I Don't Want to be a Hero"" is a 1987 song by the British band Johnny Hates Jazz. It reached #11 in the UK top 40 in August 1987 spending 10 weeks on the chart. It is taken from their #1 album ""Turn Back the Clock"". The song was written"
"Billboard Top 20, seven top 10 singles, and a number one single (""The Tears of a Clown"") while the Robinsons and Tarplin were members. Following the departure of Tarplin and the Robinsons, the rest of the group continued with singer Billy Griffin and managed by Martin Pichinson who helped rebuild the Miracles, they scored two final top 20 singles, ""Do It Baby"" and ""Love Machine"", a second No. 1 hit, which topped the charts before the group departed for Columbia Records in 1977, recording as a quintet with Billy's brother Donald Griffin replacing Marv Tarplin, where after a few releases,"
"#1 hit ""The Tears of a Clown"". Baby, Baby Don't Cry ""Baby, Baby Don't Cry"", released in December 1968, is a single recorded by The Miracles for Motown Records' Tamla label. The composition was written by Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson, Motown staff writers Al Cleveland and Terry Johnson, a former member of The Flamingos. Robinson, Johnson, and Miracles member Warren ""Pete"" Moore were the song's producers. ""Baby Baby Don't Cry"" was a top 10 pop hit for The Miracles, peaking at number eight on the ""Billboard"" Hot 100 in the United States, and at a Top 10 R&B hit"
"It Be"", Paul McCartney's ""Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey"", George Harrison's ""My Sweet Lord"", and Ross' ""Ain't No Mountain High Enough"" . Popular British acts were The Rolling Stones, Peter Frampton, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Leo Sayer, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Supertramp and The Who; who's lead singer Roger Daltrey made a splash in the movie Tommy, playing the title role, based on the groups 1969 album of the same name. Elton John, Tina Turner, Ann-Margret, Oliver Reed, Jack Nicholson and the other band members made up the ensemble cast. Along with disco, funk was one of the most popular genres of music in the"
"the 1974 album ""One Hell of a Woman"" by Vikki Carr. In 1975, Helen Reddy recorded ""Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady"" for an album which was entitled ""No Way to Treat a Lady"". Personnel on Reddy's album included guitarist Lee Ritenour. Although the choice of lead single from ""No Way to Treat a Lady"" went to the Leon Russell song ""Bluebird"", the influential LA radio station 93 KHJ began playing ""Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady"" resulting in its release as a single in August 1975 with a chart peak that October of #8 on the ""Billboard"""
"was 1975's ""Hope That We Can Be Together Soon"" which featured female vocalist Sharon Paige. A 1976 remake of ""Don't Leave Me This Way"" by Motown artist Thelma Houston was a number-one hit on the US pop chart; her version is one of the defining recordings of the disco era. The Blue Notes' version on the album, ""Wake Up Everybody"" was not released as a single in the USA at the time, but proved to be the group's biggest hit in the UK (#5) when released there as a single in 1977. The track was finally issued as a single"
"single of all time, confirmed by the Guinness Records. The early seventies also marked the deaths of rock legends Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, gospel great Mahalia Jackson and Cass Elliot of the Mamas and the Papas. The decade also saw the plane crash in 1977 in which three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd were killed. Elton John became the decade's biggest solo pop star, releasing diverse styles of music that ranged from ballads to arena rock; some his most popular songs included ""Crocodile Rock"", ""Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"", ""Bennie and the Jets"", ""Philadelphia Freedom"" and ""Don't Go Breaking My"
"as a country hit maker that very year with a top five hit, ""Gwen (Congratulations)"", which peaked at No. 5 on the ""Billboard"" country music chart. Overstreet made frequent guest appearances on the TV variety show ""Hee Haw"". His highest charting Billboard hit was 1972's ""Ann (Don't Go Runnin')"", which went to No. 2. His other top-20 hits were ""I Don't Know You Anymore"" (#5 in 1971), ""Heaven is My Woman's Love"" (#3 in 1972), ""Send Me No Roses"" (#7 in 1973); ""I'll Never Break These Chains"" (#7 in 1973), ""(Jeannie Marie) You Were a Lady"" (#7 in 1974), ""If"