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
Smooth 70s of its stations. Three stations were launched under the Smooth Radio brand; "Smooth 60s", "Smooth 70s" and "Smooth Soul". On 1 November 2011, GMG Radio launched a dedicated station playing nothing but Christmas music, under the brand "Smooth Christmas". The station, on the Digital One multiplex, had no news or advertisements but did promote Smooth Radio and broadcast until 27 December 2011. Smooth Christmas was subsequently replaced on a trial basis by "Smooth 70s", playing tracks from the 1970s. The station was received positively by listeners, and in January 2012 GMG Radio confirmed a deal with US syndication firm Premiere