I Don't Want to Be a Hero (song)
"I Don't Want to be a Hero" is a 1987 song by the British band Johnny Hates Jazz. It reached #11 in the UK top 40 in August 1987 spending 10 weeks on the chart.[1] It is taken from their #1 album Turn Back the Clock.
Writing and inspiration
The song was written by the band's lead singer and main songwriter, Clark Datchler. It has a strong anti-war sentiment and is written from the perspective of a soldier who is questioning their participation in what they consider an unjust war. The band's American record company were reluctant to release the single in the U.S. because of its anti-war stance.[2] The song makes references to conscription and propaganda.
Chart performance
| Chart (1987/1988) |
Peak
position |
| Austrian Singles Chart[3] |
22 |
| Belgian Singles Chart |
13 |
| Canadian Retail Sales Chart[4] |
19 |
| Canadian Singles Chart[5] |
16 |
| Dutch Singles Chart[6] |
25 |
| French Singles Chart[7] |
32 |
| German Singles Chart[8] |
17 |
| Irish Singles Chart[9] |
13 |
| Italian Singles Chart[10] |
11 |
| Polish Singles Chart |
14 |
| Swedish Singles Chart[11] |
10 |
| Swiss Singles Chart[12] |
12 |
| UK Singles Chart[13] |
11 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[14] |
31 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart[15] |
15 |
| U.S. Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs Chart[16] |
19 |
Yōko Nagayama version
In 1988, Japanese singer Yōko Nagayama covered the song, "反逆のヒーロー".
References
External links
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