The Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley: Difference between revisions
Content deleted Content added
Monegasque (talk | contribs) mNo edit summary |
add and use two refs, add category |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{unreferenced|date=October 2008}} |
|||
{{Infobox Single <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Songs --> |
{{Infobox Single <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Songs --> |
||
| Name = The Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley |
| Name = The Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley |
||
| Line 13: | Line 12: | ||
| Label = [[Plantation Records|Plantation]] |
| Label = [[Plantation Records|Plantation]] |
||
| Writer = Julian Wilson<br>James M. Smith |
| Writer = Julian Wilson<br>James M. Smith |
||
| Producer = Shelby Singleton |
| Producer = [[Shelby Singleton]] |
||
| Certification = |
|||
| Last single = – |
|||
| This single = "'''The Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley'''"<br />(1971) |
|||
| Next single = – |
|||
}} |
}} |
||
{{refimprove|date=August 2009}} |
|||
'''The Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley''' is a 1971 [[spoken word]] [[recording]] with vocals by [[Terry Nelson (musician)|Terry Nelson]] and music by pick-up group C-Company. |
'''The Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley''' is a 1971 [[spoken word]] [[recording]] with vocals by [[Terry Nelson (musician)|Terry Nelson]] and music by pick-up group C-Company. |
||
| Line 26: | Line 21: | ||
== Background and success == |
== Background and success == |
||
| ⚫ | |||
The song was written in April 1970 by Julian Wilson and James M. Smith of [[Muscle Shoals, Alabama]]. In November 1970 a few copies of it were issued by Quickit Publishings. In March 1971 Shelby Singleton, publisher of "[[Harper Valley PTA]]," obtained the rights to the song and issued a new recording under his Nashville Music Company. In the first three days of April the song started to take off selling 300,000 copies. Its success was spurred by widespread public sympathy for William Calley following his conviction and sentencing to life in prison. Most of the copies were sold in the East, Midwest and South. |
|||
==Charts== |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
!align="left"|Chart (1971) |
!align="left"|Chart (1971) |
||
!align="left"|Peak<br />position |
!align="left"|Peak<br />position |
||
| Line 38: | Line 29: | ||
|- |
|- |
||
|} |
|} |
||
The song was written in April 1970 by Julian Wilson and James M. Smith of [[Muscle Shoals, Alabama]]. In November 1970 a few copies of it were issued by Quickit Publishing. In March 1971 [[Shelby Singleton]], publisher of "[[Harper Valley PTA]]," obtained the rights to the song and issued a new recording under his [[Plantation Records]] label<ref name="christgau"> {{cite web| url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cg17.php| title=Consumer Guide (17): Additional Consumer News| work=[[The Village Voice]]| last=Christgau| first=Robert | authorlink=Robert Christgau | date=April 22, 1971 | quote=Shelby Singleton's Plantation Records, which first hit with "Harper Valley PTA," is getting a lot of c&w airplay for "The Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley," written and performed ([[excrement|execrably]], by the way) by non-professionals and published, no kidding, by Quickit Publishing Co.}}</ref>. The single sold over one million copies in just four days, and was [[music recording sales certification|certified gold]] by the [[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]] on 15 April 1971.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book |
|||
| first= Joseph| last= Murrells| title= The Book of Golden Discs |
|||
| edition= 2nd | publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd | location= London | year= 1978 |
|||
| page= 299| isbn= 0-214-20512-6}}</ref> It went on to sell nearly two million copies,<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs"/> and got "a lot of [[Country and Western|C&W]] airplay".<ref name="christgau"/> |
|||
==References== |
|||
<references/> |
|||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley, The}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley, The}} |
||
[[Category:My Lai Massacre]] |
|||
[[Category:1971 singles]] |
[[Category:1971 singles]] |
||
[[Category:Novelty songs]] |
[[Category:Novelty songs]] |
||
Revision as of 01:18, 23 August 2009
| "The Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2009) |
The Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley is a 1971 spoken word recording with vocals by Terry Nelson and music by pick-up group C-Company.
Inspiration and meaning
The song is set to the tune of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic". It offers a heroic description of Lieutenant William Calley, who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for murdering Vietnam civilians in the My Lai.
Background and success
| Chart (1971) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 37 |
The song was written in April 1970 by Julian Wilson and James M. Smith of Muscle Shoals, Alabama. In November 1970 a few copies of it were issued by Quickit Publishing. In March 1971 Shelby Singleton, publisher of "Harper Valley PTA," obtained the rights to the song and issued a new recording under his Plantation Records label[1]. The single sold over one million copies in just four days, and was certified gold by the RIAA on 15 April 1971.[2] It went on to sell nearly two million copies,[2] and got "a lot of C&W airplay".[1]
References
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert (April 22, 1971). "Consumer Guide (17): Additional Consumer News". The Village Voice.
Shelby Singleton's Plantation Records, which first hit with "Harper Valley PTA," is getting a lot of c&w airplay for "The Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley," written and performed (execrably, by the way) by non-professionals and published, no kidding, by Quickit Publishing Co.
- ^ a b Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 299. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
 | This 1970s song-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |