Ballad of the Green Berets
Encyclopedia
"The Ballad Of The Green Berets" is a patriotic song in the ballad style about the Green Berets
, an elite special force in the U.S. Army
. It is one of the very few songs of the 1960s to cast the military in a positive light, yet it became a major hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard charts for five weeks in 1966. It was also a crossover smash, reaching No. 1 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart and No. 2 on Billboard's Country survey.
The song was written by Robin Moore
and Staff Sgt.
Barry Sadler
, while the latter was recuperating from a leg wound suffered as a medic in the Vietnam War
. Moore also wrote a non-fiction
book, The Green Berets
, about the force. Lyrics include:
"Back at home a young wife waits/
Her Green Beret has met his fate/
He has died for those oppressed/
Leaving her this last request
Put silver wings on my son's chest/
Make him one of America's best/
He'll be a man they'll test one day/
Have him win the Green Beret"
The lyrics were written in honor of Green Beret James Gabriel, Jr., the first Native Hawaiian who died in Vietnam, who was executed by the Viet Cong while on a training mission on April 8, 1962. One verse was written in honor of Gabriel, but it never made it into the final version. See Sadler's book I'm a Lucky One (Macmillan 1967, pp. 80-81).
Sadler debuted the song on television on January 30, 1966 on The Ed Sullivan Show
.
and the competing "California Dreaming", sharply dividing the popular music market. It has sold over nine million singles and albums and was the top single of a year in which the British Invasion
, led by the Beatles
and the Rolling Stones
, continued to dominate the U.S. charts. The Beatles' top hit was We Can Work It Out (#16), while the Stones' top hit was Paint It, Black
(#21). See Billboard charts.
It is currently used as one of the four primary marching tunes
of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band
.
in the 1968 John Wayne
film, The Green Berets
, based on Moore's book. The score of the movie was never released as an album until Film Score Monthly
released it in 2005. A film tie-in
featuring artwork from the film and a cover version
by Ennio Morricone
was released in Europe, though the other tracks on the album were soundtracks from A Fistful of Dollars
and For a Few Dollars More
.
The song appears in the films More American Graffiti
and Canadian Bacon
. It can be heard in the gun show scene from the 2002 film Showtime
, and in the film Jesus' Son
, in a scene that features a hitch-hiking Jack Black
.
s of the song appeared recorded by artists ranging from Kate Smith
and Duane Eddy
to unknown artists singing on various drugstore records
.
The punk band The F.U's performed a cover of the song, featured on the album This Is Boston, Not L.A.
Many cover versions are in different languages rewritten to reference local units; these include:
United States Army Special Forces
The United States Army Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets because of their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force tasked with six primary missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action, hostage rescue, and...
, an elite special force in the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. It is one of the very few songs of the 1960s to cast the military in a positive light, yet it became a major hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard charts for five weeks in 1966. It was also a crossover smash, reaching No. 1 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart and No. 2 on Billboard's Country survey.
The song was written by Robin Moore
Robin Moore
Robert Lowell "Robin" Moore, Jr. was an American writer who is most known for his books The Green Berets, The French Connection: A True Account of Cops, Narcotics, and International Conspiracy and, with Xaviera Hollander and Yvonne Dunleavy, The Happy Hooker: My Own Story.Moore also co-authored...
and Staff Sgt.
Staff Sergeant
Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in several countries.The origin of the name is that they were part of the staff of a British army regiment and paid at that level rather than as a member of a battalion or company.-Australia:...
Barry Sadler
Barry Sadler
Barry Sadler was an American soldier, author and musician. Sadler served as a Green Beret medic with the rank of Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War...
, while the latter was recuperating from a leg wound suffered as a medic in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Moore also wrote a non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
book, The Green Berets
The Green Berets (book)
The Green Berets is a book written by Robin Moore about the Green Berets during the Vietnam War. First published in 1965, it became a best-selling paperback in 1966. The latest edition was published in 2007.-Background:...
, about the force. Lyrics include:
"Back at home a young wife waits/
Her Green Beret has met his fate/
He has died for those oppressed/
Leaving her this last request
Put silver wings on my son's chest/
Make him one of America's best/
He'll be a man they'll test one day/
Have him win the Green Beret"
The lyrics were written in honor of Green Beret James Gabriel, Jr., the first Native Hawaiian who died in Vietnam, who was executed by the Viet Cong while on a training mission on April 8, 1962. One verse was written in honor of Gabriel, but it never made it into the final version. See Sadler's book I'm a Lucky One (Macmillan 1967, pp. 80-81).
Sadler debuted the song on television on January 30, 1966 on The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
.
Popularity
The song was the No. 1 hit in the U.S. for five weeks in 1966, and was the No. 21 song of 1960s, despite the later unpopularity of the Vietnam WarUnited States Army Special Forces in popular culture
Members of the U.S. Army Special Forces will emphatically assert that the "Green Beret" is a hat and not the man who wears it. Nevertheless, for a time in the 1960s the Green Berets and the men who wore them became a national fad emerging in a wide variety of popular culture referents...
and the competing "California Dreaming", sharply dividing the popular music market. It has sold over nine million singles and albums and was the top single of a year in which the British Invasion
British Invasion
The British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...
, led by the Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and the Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, continued to dominate the U.S. charts. The Beatles' top hit was We Can Work It Out (#16), while the Stones' top hit was Paint It, Black
Paint It, Black
"Paint It, Black" is a song released by The Rolling Stones on 13 May 1966 as the first single from their fourth album Aftermath. It was originally titled "Paint It Black" without a comma. Keith Richards has stated that the comma was added by the record label, Decca.The song was written by Mick...
(#21). See Billboard charts.
It is currently used as one of the four primary marching tunes
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band
Fightin' Texas Aggie Band
The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band is the official marching band of Texas A&M University. Composed of over 300 men and women from the school's Corps of Cadets, it is the largest military marching band in the world...
.
In film
The song is heard in a choral rendition by Ken DarbyKen Darby
Kenneth Lorin Darby was an American composer, vocal arranger, lyricist, and conductor. His film scores were recognized with three Academy Awards and one Grammy Award.- Personal life :...
in the 1968 John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
film, The Green Berets
The Green Berets (film)
The Green Berets is a 1968 war film featuring John Wayne, George Takei, David Janssen, Jim Hutton and Aldo Ray, nominally based on the eponymous 1965 book by Robin Moore, though the screenplay has little relation to the book....
, based on Moore's book. The score of the movie was never released as an album until Film Score Monthly
Film Score Monthly
Film Score Monthly is an online magazine founded by editor-in-chief and executive producer Lukas Kendall in June 1990 as The Soundtrack Correspondence List...
released it in 2005. A film tie-in
Tie-in
A tie-in is an authorized product based on a media property a company is releasing, such as a movie or video/DVD, computer game, video game, television program/television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property...
featuring artwork from the film and a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone, Grand Officer OMRI, , is an Italian composer and conductor, who wrote music to more than 500 motion pictures and television series, in a career lasting over 50 years. His scores have been included in over 20 award-winning films as well as several symphonic and choral pieces...
was released in Europe, though the other tracks on the album were soundtracks from A Fistful of Dollars
A Fistful of Dollars
A Fistful of Dollars is a 1964 Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood alongside Gian Maria Volonté, Marianne Koch, Wolfgang Lukschy, Sieghardt Rupp, José Calvo, Antonio Prieto, and Joseph Egger. Released in Italy in 1964 then in the United States in...
and For a Few Dollars More
For a Few Dollars More
For a Few Dollars More is a 1965 Italian spaghetti western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Gian Maria Volonté. German actor Klaus Kinski also plays a supporting role as a secondary villain...
.
The song appears in the films More American Graffiti
More American Graffiti
More American Graffiti is the 1979 sequel film to George Lucas's hit film American Graffiti. Whereas the first film followed a group of friends during the summer evening before they set off for college, this film shows us where the characters from the first film end up a few years later.Most of the...
and Canadian Bacon
Canadian bacon
Canadian bacon can mean:* Canadian bacon, a US name for two different pork products - back bacon and a smoked ham* Canadian Bacon, a 1995 comedy film* Canadian Bacon , a peak in the US state of Washington...
. It can be heard in the gun show scene from the 2002 film Showtime
Showtime (film)
Showtime is a 2002 action-comedy film directed by Tom Dey and starring Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy.-Plot:The film centers on two cops, Mitch Preston and Trey Sellars , who are paired together for a reality police show and run into real trouble with a crime lord...
, and in the film Jesus' Son
Jesus' Son
Jesus' Son is a 1999 film that was adapted from a collection of short stories of the same name by Denis Johnson. It stars Billy Crudup, Samantha Morton, Holly Hunter, Dennis Hopper, Denis Leary, Will Patton, John Ventimiglia, Michael Shannon and Jack Black...
, in a scene that features a hitch-hiking Jack Black
Jack Black
Jack Black , is an American actor and musician, notably of Tenacious D.Jack Black may also refer to:* Jack Black , late 19th - early 20th Century author and hobo* Jack Black , drummer for 1970s UK punk band The Boys...
.
Covers and derivatives
Many American cover versionCover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s of the song appeared recorded by artists ranging from Kate Smith
Kate Smith
Kathryn Elizabeth "Kate" Smith was an American Popular singer, best known for her rendition of Irving Berlin's "God Bless America". Smith had a radio, television, and recording career spanning five decades, which reached its pinnacle in the 1940s.Smith was born in Greenville, Virginia...
and Duane Eddy
Duane Eddy
Duane Eddy is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s he had a string of hit records, produced by Lee Hazlewood, which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" sound, including "Rebel Rouser", "Peter Gunn", and "Because They're Young"...
to unknown artists singing on various drugstore records
Drugstore Records
Budget albums were low-priced vinyl record LPS released during the 1950s to 1970s consisting either of previously released material or material recorded especially for the line Budget albums (also known as drugstore records) were low-priced vinyl record LPS released during the 1950s to 1970s...
.
The punk band The F.U's performed a cover of the song, featured on the album This Is Boston, Not L.A.
Many cover versions are in different languages rewritten to reference local units; these include:
- A German version (Hundert Mann und ein Befehl), sung by Freddy QuinnFreddy QuinnFreddy Quinn is an Austrian singer and actor whose popularity within the German-speaking world soared in the late 1950s and 1960s. Similar to Hans Albers two generations before him, Quinn adopted the persona of the rootless wanderer who goes to sea but longs for a home, family and friends...
and later again by Heidi BrühlHeidi BrühlHeidi Rosemarie Brühl was a German singer and actress who came to prominence as a young teenager and had a prolific career in film and television...
had considerable success in GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The German version is a song against the war. It rejects any sacrifice, not only for the son, but for the father as well. Freddy QuinnFreddy QuinnFreddy Quinn is an Austrian singer and actor whose popularity within the German-speaking world soared in the late 1950s and 1960s. Similar to Hans Albers two generations before him, Quinn adopted the persona of the rootless wanderer who goes to sea but longs for a home, family and friends...
sings the song from the point of view of the reluctant but forced soldier, Heidi Bruhl from the point of view of the crying girlfriend of the soldier. Freddy Quinn's version was later cover by Welle: Erdball and also by Cryptic Wintermoon.
- The Royal Netherlands Army's Korps CommandotroepenKorps CommandotroepenThe Korps Commandotroepen are the elite special forces of the Royal Netherlands Army. It is one of the two principal units tasked with special operations in the Netherlands , and it is deployable anywhere in the world under any circumstance, conducting all conceivable missions from...
(KCT) use the original lyrics. The only difference is that in the chorus, instead of singing "These are men, America's best", they sing "These are men, The Netherlands' best". Also in the final chorus, referring to the son of a deceased Green Beret, they sing "Make him one of The Netherlands' best". This version of the original ballad is sung to recruits who have successfully completed the harsh Basic Commando Training (ECO), and who receive their Green Beret.
- Rhodesian singer-songwriter John EdmondJohn EdmondJohn Edmond is a Rhodesian folk singer who became popular in the 1970s for his Rhodesian patriotic songs. He reached the height of his fame during the Rhodesian Bush War. He was sometimes called the "Bush Cat". During his childhood, he and his parents moved between Scotland and Central Africa...
recorded the "Ballad of the Green Berets" with reference to the soldiers of the Rhodesian Light InfantryRhodesian Light InfantryThe 1st Battalion, The Rhodesian Light Infantry, commonly the Rhodesian Light Infantry , was a regiment formed in 1961 at Brady Barracks, Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia as a light infantry unit within the army of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland...
(RLI), commando-style fireforceFireforceFireforce is a variant of the tactic of vertical envelopment of a target by helicopter-borne and parachute infantry developed by the Rhodesian Security Forces during the Rhodesian Bush War...
units of Rhodesian Security Forces who wore berets of greenGreenGreen is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...
colorColorColor or colour is the visual perceptual property corresponding in humans to the categories called red, green, blue and others. Color derives from the spectrum of light interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors...
. A "Ballad of the Red Beret" was sung by the Rhodesian Ministry of Internal Affairs at their battlecamp in Chikurubi. In South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, the "Ballad of the Green Berets" was recorded as the "Ballad of the Maroon Berets". The Maroon beretMaroon beretThe maroon beret is a military beret and has been an international symbol of elite airborne forces since it was chosen for British airborne forces in World War II. This distinctive head dress was officially introduced in 1942, at the direction of General Frederick Browning, commander of the British...
is a symbol of the South African Special Forces BrigadeSouth African Special Forces BrigadeThe South African Special Forces Brigade is the only Special Forces unit of the South African National Defence Force ....
and the South African 44 Parachute RegimentSouth African 44 Parachute Regiment44 Parachute Regiment is the South African Army's chief airborne infantry unit. It was created in 2000 by redesignating 44 Parachute Brigade, and is based at the Tempe military base near Bloemfontein.-History:...
.
- The Swedish version "Balladen om den blå baskern" is a salute to the Swedish soldiers serving in the United Nations' peace-keeping forces (the Blue Berets). It was sung by Anita Lindblom.
- The Croatian Bojna za specijalna djelovanjaSpecial Operations Battalion (Croatia)The Special Operations Battalion , or popularly BSD was founded on 8 September 2000 with merging of the Special Combat Skills Center from Šepurine and personnel from the 1st Croatian Guard Corps...
(BSD) use the lyrics, but instead of "These are men, America's best" they sing "These are men, Croatia's best" and in the final chorus, referring to the son of a killed Green Beret, they also sing "Make him one of Croatia's best". It is unclear when exactly is the song first sung by new recruits, but it is assumed to be sometime after completing training.
- The Italian version is called La Ballata del Soldato, sung by Quartetto CetraQuartetto CetraQuartetto Cetra, or simply I Cetra, was an Italian vocal quartet established during the 1940s.The group originated from the previous Quartetto Ritmo following the replacement of one singer. Felice Chiusano filled the vacancy left by Enrico Gentile and joined Tata Giacobetti, Virgilio Savona and...
.
Parodies
- In 1966, The Beach Bums, an ad hoc group featuring a young Bob SegerBob SegerRobert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...
, recorded "The Ballad of the Yellow Beret". The song was a send-up of "The Ballad of the Green Berets", chronicling the adventures of a draft dodgerDraft dodgerDraft evasion is a term that refers to an intentional failure to comply with the military conscription policies of the nation to which he or she is subject...
. The record was withdrawn after a cease and desistCease and desistA cease and desist is an order or request to halt an activity and not to take it up again later or else face legal action. The recipient of the cease-and-desist may be an individual or an organization....
letter from Sadler. - The ResidentsThe ResidentsThe Residents is an American art collective best known for avant-garde music and multimedia works. The first official release under the name of The Residents was in 1972, and the group has since released over sixty albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects and ten DVDs....
parodied the song on their Third Reich & RollThird Reich & RollThe Third Reich 'n Roll is a 1976 album by the U.S. avant-garde rock group The Residents. Their second released album, it is a parody and satire of pop music and commercials from the 1960s. The work consists of two side-long pastiches of various songs from the period. The liner notes state that...
album. - Another parody was used on the episode of Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
William ShatnerWilliam ShatnerWilliam Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
hosted in 1986, called "Ollie North, The Mute Marine." Shatner participated in the sketch, outfitted in a USMC Class A uniform, which was a satire of Oliver NorthOliver NorthOliver Laurence North is a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer, political commentator, host of War Stories with Oliver North on Fox News Channel, a military historian, and a New York Times best-selling author....
and his refusal at that point to speak up about his participation in the Iran-Contra AffairIran-Contra AffairThe Iran–Contra affair , also referred to as Irangate, Contragate or Iran-Contra-Gate, was a political scandal in the United States that came to light in November 1986. During the Reagan administration, senior Reagan administration officials and President Reagan secretly facilitated the sale of...
, and in which he had no lines. - The song is used to humorous effect in Michael MooreMichael MooreMichael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
's film Canadian BaconCanadian Bacon (film)Canadian Bacon is a 1995 comedy film which satirizes Canada – United States relations along the Canada – United States border written, directed and produced by Michael Moore, his only non-documentary feature...
as ill-informed Americans prepare for an invasion by CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. - In the movie Wag the DogWag the DogWag the Dog is a 1997 black comedy film starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro, co-starring Anne Heche, Denis Leary and William H. Macy about a Washington spin doctor who, merely days before a presidential election, distracts the electorate from a sex scandal by hiring a Hollywood film producer...
, the fictitious unit 303 Special Forces has a song created titled "The Men of the 303" that is played to a deliberately similar but original tune written by Huey Lewis for the film. - In the film CaddyshackCaddyshackCaddyshack is a 1980 American comedy film directed by Harold Ramis and written by Brian Doyle-Murray, Ramis, and Douglas Kenney. It stars Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Michael O'Keefe, Cindy Morgan, and Bill Murray...
, Carl Spackler, played by Bill MurrayBill MurrayWilliam James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live in which he earned an Emmy Award and later went on to star in a number of critically and commercially successful comedic films, including Caddyshack , Ghostbusters , and...
, mumbles the song under his breath while he is connecting the wires to the plunger as he prepares for his final battle with his gopherGopher (animal)The term gopher as it is commonly used does not relate to any one species, but is a generic term used to describe any of several small burrowing rodents endemic to North America, including the pocket gopher , also called true gophers, and the ground squirrel , including Richardson's ground squirrel...
nemesis. - Comedian Paul Shanklin parodied the song with "Ballad of the Black Beret", referring to the Clinton sex scandal, on his 1999 album Simply Reprehensible.
- Though its usage here is not a parody, in an episode of CheersCheersCheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
, Cliff aborts his plans to emigrate to Canada with his love interest when Sam, Woody, and Frasier appeal to his patriotic side by singing this song.
External links
- [ Ballads of The Green Berets] at All MusicAll MusicAll Music was an Italian free-to-air television station which mainly broadcast music videos and music programs. Originally called Rete A, the name was changed to Rete A - All Music , and for a brief period was affiliated before with MTV Italy and after with VIVA.-History:In late 2004 the former...
- Soon This Will Pass sung by Joan Gibbs at Barbara Joan Gushin