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 lyrics "take a walk, Billy, don't be a hero." In "," the song is briefly heard during a montage in a disco cover by Dewey Cox (John C. Reilly) performing on rollerblades during "The Dewey Cox Show." A much longer cut of this scene can be seen in the director's cut, and the whole performance was included in the extras for the 2-Disc editions. In "The Powerpuff Girls", the leader of the Gang Green Gang, Ace, says to another member, Billy, "Billy, don't be a hero!" when he decides to save the Powerpuff Girls from a subway train. In "The