Billy Don't Be a Hero Billy Don't Be a Hero "Billy Don't Be a Hero" is a 1974 pop song that was first a UK hit for Paper Lace and then, some months later, a US hit for Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods. The song was written and composed by two British songwriters, Mitch Murray and Peter Callander. Because the song was released in 1974, it was associated by some listeners with the Vietnam War, though the war to which it actually refers is never identified in the lyrics. It has been suggested that the drum pattern, references to a marching band leading soldiers in
Billy Don't Be a Hero Weekend" in the film "Reservoir Dogs." The song features in the 1993 film "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert." The "Mystery Science Theater 3000" characters often use the line "Billy, don't be a hero!" when riffing on movies, one example being the episode "The Creeping Terror." In the first episode of "Friends," Ross (David Schwimmer) is sad because it has been so long since he last picked up a woman, saying, "Do the words 'Billy, Don't Be a Hero' mean anything to you?" Massive Attack's 1991 track "Blue Lines" (from the album of the same name) features the