"Johnny Got a Zero" (alternatively "Johnny Zero") is a 1943 popular song inspired by

John D. Foley John D. Foley (March 1, 1918 – December 21, 1999), served in the United States Army Air Forces as a gunner during World War II. He was the inspiration of the popular 1943 song " Johnny Got a Zero". Biography Foley enlisted in November 1941. Aft ...

, who served in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

as a gunner during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and was popularly known as Johnny Zero. In the song, Johnny does poorly in school, with the other children mocking him with "Johnny got a zero" every time he fails a test. However, when he grows up and becomes a fighter pilot, the words take on an entirely different meaning. The song "Johnny Got a Zero" was released as

sheet music Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses List of musical symbols, musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chord (music), chords of a song or instrumental Musical composition, musical piece. Like ...

in 1943, lyrics by

Mack David Mack David (July 5, 1912 – December 30, 1993) was an American lyricist and songwriter, best known for his work in film and television, with a career spanning the period between the early 1940s and the early 1970s. David was credited with writing ...

and music by

Vee Lawnhurst VEE or Vee may refer to: * V, a letter * VEE, an IC power-supply pin label * Vee, Estonia, a village * Vee (surname), including a list of people with the name * Vee belt, a type of mechanical belt * VEE Corporation, now VStar Entertainment Group, ...

, and topped out at #4 on the ''Variety'' list for the week of April 28. An ''

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

'' rendition by

The Song Spinners The Song Spinners were an American singing quartet of two men and two women which began as a folk song group on radio in the 30's and then enjoyed a burst of popularity during the 1942–44 musicians' strike. They accompanied Dick Haymes on "You'l ...

, "Johnny Zero", stayed on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' magazine's charts from June to August 1943, peaking at #7.

References

{{authority control 1943 songs American songs