Billy Don't Be a Hero to ride out and seek reinforcements. (This suggests mounted infantry and a lack of modern two-way radio communications.) In the end, the heartbroken woman throws away the official letter notifying her of Billy's "heroic" death. Paper Lace's version of "Billy Don't Be a Hero" reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart on 16 March 1974, and did likewise in Australia, where it spent eight weeks at the top spot. Thereafter, Bo Donaldson's and the Heywoods's version reached No. 1 in the U.S. on the "Billboard" Hot 100 on 15 June 1974, but was dubbed into French for Canada. The
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