"Soldier Boy" is a song written by Luther Dixon and Florence Greenberg and made famous by the girl group the Shirelles. Released as a single in 1962, it met with great success, topping the US Billboard Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks.[1] Billboard ranked it as the No. 10 song for 1962.[2]
| "Soldier Boy" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The Shirelles | ||||
| from the album Baby It's You | ||||
| B-side | "Love Is a Swingin' Thing" | |||
| Released | March 1962 | |||
| Recorded | Bell Sound (New York City) | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 2:42 | |||
| Label | Scepter (Florence Greenberg-Owner) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Luther Dixon, Florence Greenberg | |||
| Producer(s) | Luther Dixon | |||
| The Shirelles singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
editRecord executive Florence Greenberg, founder of Scepter Records (the Shirelles' record label), wrote the song and was originally titled "I'll Be True to You". The main frame of the song's lyrics make no mention of a soldier. It was only while recording at Bell Sound Studios that the Shirelles gave the song a much better title to reflect its narrative, the profession of someone's love for the titular soldier boy in which she promises to remain true to him while he's away.[3] The song was released as a single by The Shirelles in 1962 and met with great success, topping the US Billboard Hot 100.[4]
In popular culture
edit- The recording was used in the film The Wanderers (1979).
- The recording was used in the film Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
- Actress Brittany Murphy sings the song in the 2001 movie Riding in Cars with Boys.
- The recording was used in the television series 11.22.63 (2016) episode 7 Soldier Boy
Charts
edit| Chart (1962) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (CHUM Chart)[5] (3 weeks) | 1 |
| New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade)[6] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| US R&B | 3 |
| UK Singles Chart | 23 |
Cover versions
edit- "Soldier Boy" was covered by American country music artist Donna Fargo in 1991. Her version peaked at number 71 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.[7]
- It was covered by Diane Renay in 1964.
- "Soldier Boy" was covered too by the Mexican children's group La Onda Vaselina in 1989, titled "Yo te esperaré" and adapted by the composer and Mexican singer Julissa.
References
edit- ^ "The Hot 100 - 1962 Archive | Billboard Charts Archive". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
- ^ Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1962
- ^ The History of Rock and Roll Radio series, Bill Drake, 1978, Westwood One.
- ^ "The Hot 100 - 1962 Archive | Billboard Charts Archive". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
- ^ "CHUM Hit Parade - April 30, 1962".
- ^ Flavour of New Zealand, 14 June 1962
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Hot Country Songs 1944–2012. Record Research, Inc. p. 115. ISBN 978-0-89820-203-8.
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