"The Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley" is a 1971

spoken word Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...

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with vocals by Terry Nelson and music by pick-up group C-Company.

Inspiration and meaning

The song is set to the tune of "

The Battle Hymn of the Republic The "Battle Hymn of the Republic", also known as "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory" or "Glory, Glory Hallelujah" outside of the United States, is a popular American patriotic song written by the abolitionist writer Julia Ward Howe. Howe wrote her l ...

". It offers a heroic description of Lieutenant

William Calley William Laws Calley Jr. (born June 8, 1943) is a former American army officer and war criminal convicted by court-martial for the premeditated killings of 200 to 400 unarmed South Vietnamese civilians in the Mỹ Lai massacre on March 16, 1968, d ...

, who in March 1971 was convicted of murdering Vietnamese civilians in the

Mỹ Lai massacre The Mỹ Lai massacre (; vi, Thảm sát Mỹ Lai ) was the mass murder of unarmed South Vietnamese civilians by United States troops in Sơn Tịnh District, South Vietnam, on 16 March 1968 during the Vietnam War. Between 347 and 504 unarme ...

of March 16, 1968. The song discusses different opinions of the Vietnam War. It starts off with Calley's childhood and how being a part of the war and fighting for your country was an aspiration for young children. It later on discusses how at the time many Americans believed the killings in the war were wrong: "they've made me out a villain". Then the song talks about how in Vietnam soldiers were being killed and ambushed. Finally it ends by saying that Calley was not to blame; he was only following orders and he thought it was an honor to fight at first, but there was no purpose or reward in doing so. The

Vietnam War Song Project The Vietnam War Song Project (VWSP) is an archive and interpretive examination of over 6000 Vietnam War songs identified. It was founded in 2007 by its current editor, Justin Brummer, a historian with a PhD in contemporary Anglo-American relation ...

has identified over 100 songs about Lt. Calley and the Mỹ Lai massacre, with music historian Justin Brummer writing in History Today that "The most well-known song defending Calley was the ‘Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley’ (1971), by Terry Nelson, which sold over one million copies".

Lyrical account

The song begins with an idealized, fictional account of Calley's childhood. Nelson then speaks as Calley, describing himself as a persecuted and forgotten soldier resentful of anti-war protesters and politicians who gave away battlefield victories at the negotiating table. "Calley" then gives a false account of the sustained and deliberate massacre of noncombatants at My Lai as an incident of battlefield

collateral damage Collateral damage is any death, injury, or other damage inflicted that is an incidental result of an activity. Originally coined by military operations, it is now also used in non-military contexts. Since the development of precision guided ...

caused by non-uniformed enemy firing from amidst civilians.

Background and success

The song was written in April 1970 by Julian Wilson and James M. Smith of

Muscle Shoals, Alabama Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama, Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is located along the Tennessee River in the northern part of the state and, as of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the populati ...

. In November 1970 a few copies of it were issued by Quickit Publishing. In March 1971

Shelby Singleton Shelby Sumpter Singleton, Jr. (December 16, 1931 – October 7, 2009) was an American record producer and record label owner. Early life He was born Shelby Sumpter Singleton, Jr. in Waskom, Texas. His parents were Shelby Sumpter Singleton, Sr. and ...

, publisher of "

Harper Valley PTA "Harper Valley P.T.A." is a country song written by Tom T. Hall which in 1968 became a major international hit single for country singer Jeannie C. Riley. Riley's record, her debut, sold over six million copies as a single, and it made her the ...

," obtained the rights to the song and issued a new recording under his

Plantation Records Plantation Records was a country music record label of the 1960s and 1970s helmed by Shelby Singleton. The label is best known for Jeannie C. Riley's 1968 hit "Harper Valley PTA", which topped both the country and ''Billboard'' Hot 100 charts. ...

label. The single sold over one million copies in just four days, and was

certified gold Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

on 15 April 1971. It went on to sell nearly two million copies, and got "a lot of C&W airplay".

References in pop culture

*The song is mentioned in

Hunter S. Thompson Hunter Stockton Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) was an American journalist and author who founded the gonzo journalism movement. He rose to prominence with the publication of '' Hell's Angels'' (1967), a book for which he s ...

's novel ''

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas ''Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream'' is a 1971 novel in the gonzo journalism style by Hunter S. Thompson. The book is a ''roman à clef'', rooted in autobiographical incidents. The story follo ...

'' in a section where Raoul Duke believes he hears the song playing over the radio, much to his dismay, while expressing gratitude that his attorney Dr. Gonzo can't seem to hear it, remarking it would "drive him into a racist frenzy".

References

Mỹ Lai massacre 1971 singles Recitation songs 1970 songs Songs of the Vietnam War Spoken word {{1970s-single-stub