"Ballad of the Green Berets"
Single by Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler
from the album The Ballad Of The Green Berets
Released	1966
Genre	Ballad, Patriotic
Label	RCA Victor
Writer(s)	Robin Moore and Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler
Peak chart positions
#1 (U.S. Billboard Hot 100) 5 weeks #24 (UK Singles Chart) #21 song of the 1960's

"Ballad of the Green Berets" is a patriotic song in the ballad style about the Green Berets, an elite special force in the U.S. Army. It is one of the very few songs of the era to cast the military in a positive light and yet it became a major hit. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... United States Military Staff Sergeant insignia (U.S. Air Force) Staff Sergeant is the fifth enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force, just above Senior Airman and below Technical Sergeant. ... SSgt. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... In jazz and popular music, the term ballad denotes a short song in a slow tempo, usually with a romantic or sentimental text, though the term is also used for instrumental pieces. ... Patriotism is a feeling of love and devotion to ones own homeland (patria, the land of ones fathers). ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Sony BMG Music Entertainment is the result of a 50/50 joint venture between Sony Music Entertainment (part of Sony) and BMG Entertainment (part of Bertelsmann AG) completed in August 2004. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... Robin Moore (b. ... United States Military Staff Sergeant insignia (U.S. Air Force) Staff Sergeant is the fifth enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force, just above Senior Airman and below Technical Sergeant. ... SSgt. ... // A record chart, also known as a music chart, is a method of ranking music according to popularity during a given period of time. ... “Hot 100” redirects here. ... “British Hit Singles” redirects here. ... In jazz and popular music, the term ballad denotes a short song in a slow tempo, usually with a romantic or sentimental text, though the term is also used for instrumental pieces. ... The United States Army Special Forces —Special Forces or SF — is an elite Special Operations Force of the United States Army trained for unconventional warfare and special operations. ... Special forces or special operations forces is a term used to describe relatively small military units raised and trained for reconnaissance, unconventional warfare and special operations. ... The United States Army is the largest and oldest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ...

The song was written by Robin Moore and Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler, while the latter was recuperating from a leg wound suffered as a medic in the Vietnam War. Moore also wrote a non-fiction book, The Green Berets, about the force. Robin Moore (b. ... United States Military Staff Sergeant insignia (U.S. Air Force) Staff Sergeant is the fifth enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force, just above Senior Airman and below Technical Sergeant. ... SSgt. ... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... For the book by Chuck Palahniuk titled Non-fiction, see Stranger Than Fiction: True Stories. ... The Green Berets was is a non-fiction book (ISBN 0-312-98492-8) written by Robin Moore about the Green Berets in the Vietnam War, originally published in 1965. ...

Popularity

The recording of the song was the number one hit in the United States for five weeks in 1966 and was the number twenty-one song of 1960s, despite the later unpopularity of the Vietnam War. Refer to United States Army Special Forces in popular culture Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A United States Army Special Forces trooper will be the first to emphatically tell you that the Green Beret is a hat and not the man who wears it. ...

It has sold over nine million singles and albums. It was the top single of a year in which the British Invasion, led by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, dominated the U.S. charts. For other uses, see British Invasion (disambiguation). ... The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ... “Rolling Stones” redirects here. ...

It is currently used as one of the four primary marching tunes of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band. An American college marching band on the field (University of Texas) A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who generally perform outdoors, and who incorporate movement â€“ usually some type of marching â€“ with their musical performance. ... The Fightin Texas Aggie Band (also known as The Noble Men of Kyle or the Aggie Band) is the official marching band of Texas A&M University. ...

In film

The song is heard in a choral rendition by Ken Darby in the 1968 John Wayne film The Green Berets, which was based on Moore's book. The score of the movie was never released as an album until Film Score Monthly released it in 2005. A film tie in featuring artwork from the film and a cover version by Ennio Morricone was released in Europe, though the other tracks on the album were soundtracks from A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More. Ken Darby is an Academy Award winning composer, he has shared in winning an Academy Award for Original Music Score 3 times and being nominated for three others: Awarded Scoring of a Musical Picture The King and I (1956) (with Alfred Newman) Nominated Scoring of a Musical Picture Gigi (1958... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other persons named John Wayne, see John Wayne (disambiguation). ... The Green Berets is the title of a 1968 film starring John Wayne and featuring George Takei, David Janssen, Jim Hutton, and Aldo Ray. ... Film Score Monthly was a magazine founded by Lukas Kendall in June 1990 as The Soundtrack Correspondence List. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... In popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition (performance or recording) of a previously recorded song. ... Ennio Morricone (born November 10, 1928; sometimes also credited as Dan Savio or Leo Nichols) is an Italian composer especially noted for his film scores. ... A Fistful of Dollars (Per un pugno di dollari in Italy and officially on-screen in the U.S. and UK as simply Fistful of Dollars) is a 1964 film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood. ... For a Few Dollars More (Italian: Per qualche dollaro in più) is a 1965 spaghetti western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Gian Maria Volonté. German actor Klaus Kinski also plays a supporting role as a secondary villain. ...

It also appears in the film More American Graffiti. More American Graffiti (1979) is the little-seen follow-up film to George Lucass hit film American Graffiti (1973). ...

It can also be heard in the gun show scene from the 2002 film Showtime (film). Showtime is a 2002 comedy/action film starring Eddie Murphy and Robert De Niro and directed by Tom Dey. ...

Parodies

• In 1966, The Beach Bums, an ad hoc group featuring a young Bob Seger, recorded "The Ballad of the Yellow Beret". The song was a clear send-up of "The Ballad of the Green Berets", chronicling the adventures of a draft dodger. The record was withdrawn after a cease and desist letter from Sadler.

• The Residents parodied the song on their Third Reich & Roll album.

• Another parody was used on Saturday Night Live in 1986, "Ollie North, The Mute Marine" as a satire of Oliver North and his refusal at that point to speak up about his participation in the Iran-Contra Affair. The parody may seem odd to contemporary viewers, since North's outspoken defense of the operation in 1987 is now far better remembered.

• Rhodesian singer-songwriter John Edmond recorded the "Ballad of the Green Berets" with reference to the soldiers of the Rhodesian Light Infantry (RLI), commando-style fireforce units of Rhodesian Security Forces who wore berets of green color. Also, in South Africa, the "Ballad of the Green Berets" was recorded as the "Ballad of the Maroon Berets". The Maroon beret is a symbol of the South African Special Forces Brigade and the South African 44 Parachute Regiment.

• The song is used to humorous effect in Michael Moore's film Canadian Bacon as ill-informed Americans prepare for an invasion by Canada.

• A German version (Hundert Mann und ein Befehl), sung by Freddy Quinn and later again by Heidi Brühl had considerable success in Germany. The German version is a song against the war. It rejects any sacrifice, not only for the son, but not even for the father. Freddy Quinn sings the song from the point of view of the reluctant but forced soldier, Heidi Brühl from the point of view of the crying girlfriend of the soldier.

• The Swedish version "Balladen om den blå baskern" is a salute to the Swedish soldiers serving in the United Nations' peace-keeping forces (the Blue Berets).

• In the movie Wag the Dog the fictitious unit 303 Special Forces has song created titled The Men Of The 303 that is played to the same tune.

• In the film Caddyshack, Carl Spackler, played by Bill Murray, mumbles the song under his breath, dragging a water hose as he prepares for final battle with his gopher nemesis.

Robert Clark Seger (born May 6, 1945) is a Rock and Roll singer, songwriter, and musician from Michigan. ... Their actions were criminal offences and once they had left the country draft dodgers could not return or they would be arrested. ... For other uses, see Resident. ... Third Reich & Roll is a 1976 album by the U.S. avant-garde pop group The Residents. ... This article is about the American television series. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... Oliver Laurence North (born October 7, 1943) is most well known for his involvement in the Iran-Contra Affair. ... The Iran-Contra Affair was a political scandal occurring in 1987 as a result of earlier events during the Reagan administration in which members of the executive branch sold weapons to Iran, an avowed enemy, and illegally used the profits to continue funding anti-Communist rebels, the Contras, in Nicaragua. ... This article is about the break-away colony of (Southern) Rhodesia , today Zimbabwe. ... Unveiling of the regimental statue, 1979. ... Black beret A beret (UK: , US: ; IPA) is a soft round cap with a flat crown which is worn by both men and women. ... For other uses, see Green (disambiguation). ... Color is an important part of the visual arts. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Special Forces insignia - the Compass Rose Official force name South African Special Forces Nickname Recces Branch Joint Operations Chain of Command Chief of Joint Operations, SANDF Description South Africas main Special Operations Force Specialisations Conducting Airborne operations, conducting direct action operations, conducting raids, Counter-Terrorism, underwater reconnaissance, infiltrating and... 44 Parachute Regiment (popularly known as the Parabats) is the South African Armys chief airborne infantry unit. ... Michael Francis Moore (born April 23, 1954) is an American political-activist, a film director, author, social commentator, and political humorist. ... “Canadian bacon” redirects here. ... The seafaring image typical of Quinns early career Freddy Quinn (born September 27, 1931) is an Austrian singer and actor whose popularity within the German-speaking world soared in the late 1950s and 1960s. ... The seafaring image typical of Quinns early career Freddy Quinn (born September 27, 1931) is an Austrian singer and actor whose popularity within the German-speaking world soared in the late 1950s and 1960s. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Caddyshack is a 1980 U.S. comedy film directed by Harold Ramis and written by Brian Doyle-Murray, Ramis and Douglas Kenney. ... William James Bill Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an Academy Award-nominated, Emmy-winning and Golden Globe-winning American comedian and actor. ... These Boots Are Made for Walkin is a pop song composed by Lee Hazlewood and first recorded by Nancy Sinatra. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... “Hot 100” redirects here. ... This is a list of number-one hits in the United States by year from the Billboard Hot 100. ... This article is about the day. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... (Youre My) Soul My Inspiration was the first major hit for the Righteous Brothers after parting ways with their long time producer, Phil Spector, as well as the title track to the album [1]. After leaving Spectors Philles Records in late 1965, citing personal difficulties with the producer... The Righteous Brothers The Righteous Brothers were the musical duo of Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield. ... Music sample (I Cant Get No) Satisfaction ( file info) Problems? See media help. ... “Rolling Stones” redirects here. ... “Hot 100” redirects here. ... Billboard Year-End is a cumulative measure of a single or album cuts airplay and sales during that Billboard magazine chart year. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... To Sir, with Love is the theme from the 1967 film To Sir, with Love. ... Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie, OBE, (born 3 November 1948 in Lennoxtown, Stirlingshire), best known by her stage name Lulu, is a Scottish singer, songwriter, actor, model, and television personality who has been successful in the entertainment business from the 1960s through the 2000s. ...

References

External links

• Full lyric with instrumental audio (HTML)
• Track listings of the album "Ballads of The Green Berets" by SSgt. Barry Sadler