The lyrics were written, in part, in honor of U.S. Army
Specialist 5 James Gabriel Jr., a Special Forces operator and the first
native Hawaiian to die in Vietnam. Gabriel was killed by
Viet Cong gunfire while on a training mission with the
South Vietnamese Army on April 8, 1962.[4] One verse mentioned Gabriel by name, but it was not used in the recorded version.[5]
In the United States, "The Ballad of the Green Berets" topped the BillboardHot 100 in March 1966, staying at No. 1 for five weeks.[7] It placed tenth on the year-end Hot 100 chart published by Billboard in December 1966.[8] When Billboard later revised its year-end rankings for 1966, the song was re-ranked at No. 1;[9][10] since then, Billboard has recognized "The Ballad of the Green Berets" as the top Hot 100 song of that year.[11][12][13] On Cash Box's 1966 year-end chart, "The Ballad of the Green Berets" tied for first with "
California Dreamin'" by
the Mamas and the Papas.[14] It was also the No. 21 song of the 1960s as ranked by
Joel Whitburn. The single sold more than nine million copies; the album, more than two million.
The cast of the 2018 movie 12 Strong sing the tune as their Chinook helicopter takes off.
This song is featured in the 1979 film More American Graffiti, during the first sequence of Terry the Toad's New Year's Eve in 1965 Vietnam.
The song is featured prominently as a prop (with French lyrics unrelated to the American lyrics), in the opening scene of the French-produced Netflix biopic miniseries about
Bernard Tapie eponymously titled Tapie.[16][17]
Other versions derivatives
Many other American recording artists did their own versions of the song ranging from
Kate Smith and
Duane Eddy to unknown artists singing on various
drugstore records.
Many versions in other languages are rewritten to reference local units; these include:
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.
Freddy Quinn sings the song from the point of view of a reluctant but forced soldier,[citation needed] Heidi Brühl from the point of view of the crying girlfriend of the soldier.[citation needed] Freddy Quinn's version was later recorded by
Welle: Erdball and also by
Cryptic Wintermoon.
The Royal Netherlands Army's
Korps Commandotroepen (KCT) use the original lyrics with a couple changes referencing the Netherlands. This version is sung to recruits who have successfully completed the harsh Basic Commando Training (ECO), and who receive their Green Beret.
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
greencolor, with a slight difference in the chorus, saying "These are men, of The Fatherland’s Best." & "Make him one of The Fatherlands best" A "Ballad of the Red Beret" was sung by the Rhodesian Ministry of Internal Affairs at their battlecamp in
Chikurubi. 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. Also this song was re-recorded by South African opera singer Leonore Veenemans as "My Land Suid-Afrika".
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). It was sung by
Anita Lindblom.
The Italian version is called La Ballata del Soldato, sung by
Quartetto Cetra.
Since 2004, the Infantry Officer's School of the
Swiss Armed Forces uses a
quadrlingual (German, French, Italian and Rumansch) version of the song, Die Infanterieballade (The
Infantry Ballad), as their anthem. The lyrics were written by cadets from all linguistical regions of Switzerland.[18] It is sung everyday onwards to the morning
roll call, before the
National Anthem.
In 1966, Bernard Tapy (real name
Bernard Tapie, businessman and politician), recorded an adaptation in French as "Passeport pour le soleil"[19]
The official song of the
Portuguese Paratroopers a.k.a. "Boinas Verdes" ("Green Berets") uses the melody with Português-language lyrics
The Finnish version titled "Balladi punaisista bareteista" was released in 1966 by Kivikasvot.[21]
The Norwegian version "Balladen om den grønne beret" (both Norwegian and English lyrics) is about the
Garrison of Sør-Varanger (GSV). They monitor the border between Norway and Russia 24/7. Their motto is "VOGT OG VERN" (GUARD AND PROTECT).
The melody and rhyme pattern were adapted by Filipino musician Eddie Tallada recording the Ballad of Subic Bay describing Vietnam war sailors'
liberty in the town of
Olongapo adjacent to the
Subic Bay Naval Base.[22]
In 1968, The Beach Bums, an ad hoc group featuring a young
Bob Seger, recorded "The Ballad of the Yellow Beret", chronicling the adventures of a
draft dodger. The record was withdrawn after a
cease and desist letter from Sadler.
Another parody was used on an episode of Saturday Night Live that
William Shatner hosted in 1986, called "Ollie North, The Mute Marine". Shatner participated in the sketch, outfitted in a USMC Class A uniform, alluding to
Oliver North's refusal to speak about his participation in the
Iran-Contra Affair; Shatner spoke no words.
The song is used to humorous effect in
Michael Moore's film Canadian Bacon as ill-informed Americans prepare for an invasion by
Canada.
In the film Caddyshack,
Bill Murray mumbles the song under his breath while he is connecting the wires to the plunger as he prepares for his final battle with his
gopher nemesis.
In an episode of Cheers, Cliff Clavin aborts his plans to emigrate to Canada with his love interest when Sam, Woody, and Frasier appeal to his patriotic side by singing the song.
Charts
Chart performance for "The Ballad of the Green Berets"
^Molanphy, Chris (December 16, 2022).
"Hits of the Year Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast).
Slate. Retrieved February 26, 2023.