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
Anyone Who Had a Heart (song) hit "All the Grey Haired Men" (#109); it is the second track on the first side of their album "Goin' Out of My Head" (Capitol ST2865). Peter Rivera of Rare Earth sang lead on a 1975 remake of "Anyone Who Had a Heart" fronting HUB. In 2008, the Shelby Lynne recording from "Just a Little Lovin"' was issued as a digital single release. Wynonna Judd performed "Anyone Who Had a Heart" on the TNT special "One Amazing Night" broadcast in 1998; her version is included on the soundtrack album. Judd also performed the song with Dionne Warwick on the latter's