ID this song? Heard this other song recently?

September 14, 2005 8:38 PM

Two simple music questions....

1). Know of a (country/novelty) song based on this urban legend? A friend swears he remembers something, circa early-to-mid-70s.

2). When was the last time you heard "Billy, Don't Be A Hero" on the radio in the US? I'd always dismissed it as schmaltzy 70s bubblegum but realized it's decidedly anti-war, and I'm curious to know if in ClearChannel/Support the Troops America it's getting any play at all.

posted by kimota to society & culture (12 comments total)

1. No

2. I have not heard that song for at least twenty years, thank God. Whatever its political statement, it was scmaltzy bubblegum, and stole bandwidth from better music.


posted by Kirth Gerson at 3:36 AM on September 15, 2005

1. No. Never even heard of the urban legend. And I'm old enough to remember plenty of novelty songs from the 70s.

2. I *think* I have heard this on the 70s oldies stations I am fond of (and my local one is ClearChannel), but I could be thinking of those 70s music channels you get with digital cable or online. At any rate, I know I've heard it more than once at least within the last year, because I remember going "Ahgh!" and changing the station because I too dislike it (although unlike Kirth Gerson I adore schmaltzy bubblegum as a genre).
posted by JanetLand at 5:19 AM on September 15, 2005

1 no
2 i know i've heard this in the past 5 years ... but i don't listen to the radio that much ... especially stations that play junk like this
posted by pyramid termite at 7:00 AM on September 15, 2005

[sniffs pitifully and goes off to chew her bubblegum in a corner]
posted by JanetLand at 7:27 AM on September 15, 2005

Janetland, perhaps we have different definitions of what's bubblegum. If you include, say, Daydream believer, then I don't think yours is the same as mine, which is limited to stuff like Billy here, and Patches.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 7:45 AM on September 15, 2005

When was the last time you heard "Billy, Don't Be A Hero" on the radio in the US?

Just this week. But it was on an oldies station that they had playing in the barber shop.
posted by kindall at 8:52 AM on September 15, 2005

patches? ... patches by clarence carter bubblegum? ... no, i don't think so ...
posted by pyramid termite at 10:19 AM on September 15, 2005

I think Kirth means Patches by Dickey Lee; different song.
posted by JanetLand at 11:13 AM on September 15, 2005

Both Patches. (scroll down)
posted by JanetLand at 11:16 AM on September 15, 2005

The one by Dickey Lee, of course. Clarence Carter can't do bubblegum.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 11:24 AM on September 15, 2005

oh, ick ... i'd forgotten about that one ... no thanks for reminding me ...
posted by pyramid termite at 11:30 AM on September 15, 2005

Getting back to the question, I have googled like crazy and can't find nothin'. This article is about old country novelty songs -- any of these names ring a bell with your friend?
posted by JanetLand at 11:33 AM on September 15, 2005