The Ballad of the Green Berets
| "The Ballad of the Green Berets" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Barry Sadler | ||||
| from the album Ballads of the Green Berets | ||||
| B-side | "Letter from Vietnam" | |||
| Released | January 1966 | |||
| Recorded | December 18, 1965 | |||
| Studio | RCA Victor, New York City | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:27 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Andy Wiswell | |||
| Barry Sadler singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"The Ballad of the Green Berets" is a 1966 patriotic song co-written and performed by Barry Sadler, in the style of a ballad about the United States Army Special Forces. It was one of the few popular songs of the Vietnam War years to cast the military in a positive light.
The song became a major hit in January 1966, reaching number one for five weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, and was ranked number one of that chart's most successful songs of 1966. It was also a crossover hit, reaching number one on Billboard's Easy Listening chart and number two on Billboard's Country survey. "The Ballad of the Green Berets" was the most commercially successful topical song of the Vietnam War era.[3]
Background
[edit]Sadler began writing the song while he was training to be a Special Forces medic. After earning his Parachutist Badge, Sadler knew one line of the song would mention "silver wings upon their chests."[4] Author Robin Moore, who wrote the book The Green Berets, helped him write the lyrics and later sign a recording contract with RCA Records. The demonstation tape of the song was produced in a rudimentary recording studio at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, with the help of Gerry Gitell and Lieutenant General William P. Yarborough.[5]
The lyrics were written, in part, in honor of U.S. Army Specialist 5 James Gabriel Jr., a Special Forces operator and the first native Hawaiian to die in Vietnam. Gabriel was killed by Viet Cong gunfire while on a training mission with the South Vietnamese Army on April 8, 1962.[6] One verse mentioned Gabriel by name, but it was not used in the recorded version.[7]
Sadler recorded the song and 11 others with Sid Bass at RCA's 24th Street Studios in New York City on December 18, 1965. The song and album, Ballads of the Green Berets, were released in January 1966.[8]
Release and reception
[edit]In the United States, "The Ballad of the Green Berets" shipped two million copies in its first five weeks of release, making it the then-fastest selling single in RCA's history.[4] It topped the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1966, staying at number one for five weeks.[9] It placed tenth on the year-end Hot 100 chart published by Billboard in December 1966.[10] When Billboard later revised its year-end rankings for 1966, the song was re-ranked at number one;[11][12] since then, Billboard has recognized "The Ballad of the Green Berets" as the top Hot 100 song of that year.[13][14][15] On Cash Box's 1966 year-end chart, "The Ballad of the Green Berets" tied for first with "California Dreamin'" by the Mamas and the Papas.[16] It was also the number-21 song of the 1960s as ranked by Joel Whitburn. The single sold more than nine million copies.[8]
Sadler performed the song on television on January 30, 1966, on The Ed Sullivan Show, and on other TV shows, including The Hollywood Palace and The Jimmy Dean Show.[4]
"The Ballad of the Green Berets" was uniquely successful in an era of protest songs and anti-Vietnam War sentiment, focusing not on battle but the humanity of the soldiers. Its appearance on the Billboard Country chart, despite not having any overtly country music traits, is a testament to its broad appeal.[17] In terms of sales and chart activity, musicologist R. Serge Denisoff called "The Ballad of the Green Berets" the most successful topical song of the Vietnam War era.[18]
In film
[edit]"The Ballad of the Green Berets" was used in the 1968 John Wayne film The Green Berets, based on Robin Moore's book. Though Wayne personally requested the song as his theme, the film's composer, Miklós Rózsa, feared it would sound old-fashioned. Nevertheless, Rózsa made two distinct arrangements of the song for the film's opening and closing credits. Though he considered the results "corny," he realized the charismatic Wayne could could "get away" with having the song as his theme. "I don't think anyone mentioned whether the music was good or bad," said Rózsa of the film's predominately negative reviews.[19]
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1966) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Germany (Official German Charts)[20] | 4 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[21] | 31 |
| South Africa (Springbok Radio SA Top 20)[22] | 1 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[23] | 24 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[9] | 1 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[24] | 1 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[25] | 2 |
Certifications
[edit]| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[26] | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
[edit]- ^ Doggett, Peter (January 1, 2015). "Freak Out People". Electric Shock: From the Gramophone to the iPhone - 125 Years of Pop Music. London: The Bodley Head. p. 364. ISBN 978-1-847-92218-2. Retrieved February 21, 2025.
- ^ Molanphy, Chris (December 16, 2022). "Hits of the Year Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ Perone, James E. (2012). The Album: A Guide to Pop Music's Most Provocative, Influential, and Important Creations. London: Bloomsbury. pp. 111–112. ISBN 979-8-216-04428-4. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
- ^ a b c Collins, Ace (2003). Songs Sung, Red, White, and Blue: The Stories Behind America's Best-Loved Patriotic Songs. New York: HarperResource. pp. 42–43. ISBN 0-06-051304-7. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
- ^ "'Ballad of the Green Berets' singer's biographer talks about Barry Sadler's meteoric rise, murder charge, violent death". Stars and Stripes.
- ^ Mizutani, Ron (May 18, 2010). "First Native Hawaiian Killed in Vietnam Conflict Honored". KHON2.com. KHON-TV. Archived from the original on June 16, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
- ^ Sadler, Barry; Mahoney, Tom (1967). I'm a Lucky One. New York: Macmillan. pp. 80–81. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
- ^ a b Leepson, Marc (2017). Ballad of the Green Beret: The Life and Wars of Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler from the Vietnam War and Pop Stardom to Murder and an Unsolved, Violent Death. Guilford, Connecticut: Stackpole. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-8117-1749-6. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
- ^ a b "SSgt Barry Sadler Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Top Singles". Billboard. Vol. 78, no. 52. December 24, 1966. p. 34. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
- ^ "1966". Billboard. Vol. 96, no. 50. December 15, 1984. p. 90TH-45. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
- ^ "Year End Charts – Year-end Singles – The Billboard Hot 100 (1966)". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 24, 2009. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
- ^ "The Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Year (1958–1969)". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
- ^ Trust, Gary (April 17, 2009). "Ask Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
- ^ "Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 Songs of the Year: 1958–2015". Billboard. December 10, 2015. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
- ^ "Top 100 Chart Hits of 1966" (PDF). Cash Box. December 24, 1966. pp. 29–30. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
- ^ Perone, James E. (2001). Songs of the Vietnam Conflict. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood. pp. 82–83. ISBN 0-313-31528-0. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
- ^ Perone, James E. (2012). The Album: A Guide to Pop Music's Most Provocative, Influential, and Important Creations. London: Bloomsbury. pp. 111–112. ISBN 979-8-216-04428-4. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
- ^ Munn, Michael (2004). John Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth. London: Robson. pp. 297–298. ISBN 1-86105-7229. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – STAFF SERGEANT BARRY SADLER - THE BALLAD OF THE GREEN BERETS". Singles Top 100.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Barry Sadler" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
- ^ "South African Rock Lists Website - SA Charts 1969 - 1989 Songs (A-B)".
- ^ "Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "SSgt Barry Sadler Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
- ^ "SSgt Barry Sadler Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "American single certifications – Sgt. Barry Sadler – Ballad of the Green Berets". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
