Billy別當英雄

12月17日曾在本專欄介紹﹔｢鄉村歌星Merle Haggard 12月2 日因肺炎住院，他取消了四個城市的巡迴演唱，但是希望下週能恢復巡迴演出｣。但四個月後，Merle Haggard終於不敵病魔於四月六日去世(79歲)，一位令人懷念的鄉村歌手。

Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods的主唱與小喇叭手Mike Gibbons四月二日去世，1965年當他們還是高中生的時候，就組成了這個合唱團，1970年代初期他們曾替the Osmonds唱開場，讓他們有了比較正式的開始。

雖然1972年他們曾用"The Heywoods"的團名在故鄉辛辛那提的Family Productions公司灌過一張單曲"Special Someone"，但只獲得過64名，後來和ABC唱片公司簽約後，公司決定將主鍵琴手Robert "Bo" Donaldson的名字放在團名前，沒想到從此改運。

1974年Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods翻唱了Paper Lace的 "Billy, Don't Be A Hero"，獲得了二周排行榜冠軍，接推出的"Who Do You Think You Are (#15-1974) 及"The Heartbreak Kid" (#39-1974)成績都還可以，但"Our Last Song Together" (#95-1975)就很慘了，而且就像歌名講的，他們真的分手了，之後改名the Bo Donaldson Band之後他們不再有歌進入排行榜，即使再改名River Bend去鄉村歌唱界發展，也喚不回往日的榮光了。

Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods於1980年代解散，1996年團員們曾復合一同唱老歌。

"Billy, Don't Be A Hero"是一首有趣的歌，南北戰爭期間Billy在街頭加入行軍隊伍去從軍，雖然未婚妻叫他別走，別相當英雄...，最後她收到一封信，Billy戰死了，他是英雄，她應該以Billy為榮。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnCFfnLmB94

Billy, Don't Be A Hero

Songwriters

 CALLANDER, PETER / MURRAY, MITCH

The marchin' band came down along Maine Street

 The soldier blues fell in behind

 I looked across and there I saw Billy

 Waiting to go and join the line

And with her head upon his shoulder

 His young and lovely fiance

 From where I stood I saw she was cryin'

 And through her tears I heard her say

Billy, don't be a hero, don't be a fool with your life

 Billy, don't be a hero, come back and make me your wife

 And as Billy started to go she said keep your pretty head low

 Billy, don't be a hero, come back to me

The soldier blues were trapped on a hillside

 The battle raging all around

 The sergeant cried, we've got to hang on, boys

 We've gotta hold this piece of ground

I need a volunteer to ride out

 And bring us back some extra men

 And Billy's hand was up in a moment

 Forgettin' all the words she said, she said

Billy, don't be a hero, don't be a fool with your life

 Billy, don't be a hero, come back and make me your wife

 And as Billy started to go she said, keep your pretty head low

 Billy, don't be a hero, come back to me

I heard his fiance got a letter

 That told how Billy died that day

 The letter said that he was a hero

 She should be proud he died that way

 I heard she threw the letter away