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
Billy Don't Be a Hero Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack," the episode "K'nuckles, Don't Be a Hero" is named after the song. In "The Justice Friends" (Cartoon Network, 1996), Major Glory says "Billy, don't be a hero!" to William, Valhallen's pet goat, when it jumps to save Krunk from the attack of Valhallen's living clothes. In an episode of "ALF," the title character, Gordon "Alf" Shumway(voice by Paul Fusco), uses the line "Willie, don't be a hero, don't be a fool with your life," referring to the head of the household, Wille Tanner(Max Wright), after Willie comes up with a bad idea. The Doug Anthony Allstars