Billy Don't Be a Hero US version sold over three and a half million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in June 1974. Donaldson and the Heywoods's version was a massive hit in Latin America and Japan as well, but it remained largely unknown elsewhere as of late July 2017. "Billboard" ranked it as the No. 21 song for 1974. Despite the song's popularity, it was poorly received, and it was voted No. 8 on "Rolling Stone" magazine's readers' poll of "10 Worst Songs of the 1970s." The song is mentioned as having played on K-Billy's "Super Sounds of the '70s
To Be a Lover To Be a Lover "To Be a Lover" is a song by Billy Idol from his 1986 album "Whiplash Smile". As the album's lead single, it became Idol's second top 10 hit in the US, peaking at No. 6 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and No. 22 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was co-written (with Booker T. Jones) and originally performed by William Bell as a soul ballad titled "I Forgot to Be Your Lover", released in late 1968 and hitting No. 45 on the Hot 100 and No. 10 on "Billboard"′s Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart