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
Anyone Who Had a Heart (song) the Land of Make Believe" and included session drummer Gary Chester. According to published reports, Warwick nailed the tune in only one take – though an alternative remix of the take appears on a compilation album released in 1976 by Springboard International. Released on the Scepter label in November 1963, "Anyone Who Had a Heart" broke in Detroit, where it reached No.1 that December. The track became Warwick's first Top Ten single in January 1964, peaking at No.8 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and the "Cash Box" Pop 100 that February, also reaching No.6 on the "Cash Box" R&B chart.