The Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley is a 1971 spoken word

Spoken word

Spoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....

 recording

Recording

Recording is the process of capturing data or translating information to a recording format stored on some storage medium, which is often referred to as a record or, if an auditory medium, a recording....

 with vocals by Terry Nelson

Terry Nelson (musician)

Terry Nelson Skinner was an American disc jockey from Russellville, Alabama. Together with a group of studio musicians, Nelson released a single in 1971 on Plantation Records under the name C. Company featuring Terry Nelson. The single, entitled "Battle Hymn of Lt...

 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

"The Battle Hymn of the Republic" is a hymn by American writer Julia Ward Howe using the music from the song "John Brown's Body". Howe's more famous lyrics were written in November 1861 and first published in The Atlantic Monthly in February 1862. It became popular during the American Civil War...

". It offers a heroic description of Lieutenant William Calley

William Calley

William Laws Calley is a convicted American war criminal and a former U.S. Army officer found guilty of murder for his role in the My Lai Massacre on March 16, 1968, during the Vietnam War.-Early life:...

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

My Lai Massacre

The My Lai Massacre was the Vietnam War mass murder of 347–504 unarmed civilians in South Vietnam on March 16, 1968, by United States Army soldiers of "Charlie" Company of 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 11th Brigade of the Americal Division. Most of the victims were women, children , and...

 of March 16, 1968.

Lyrical account

The song begins with an idealized, fictional account of Calley's childhood. It subsequently portrays factually Calley's early war experiences and the fatalities of young men in his company. It then goes on to relate the events at My Lai from Calley's point of view.

Background and success

Chart (1971)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	37
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles	49

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

Muscle Shoals, Alabama

Muscle Shoals is a city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. As of 2007, the United States Census Bureau estimated the population of the city to be 12,846. The city is included in The Shoals MSA. It is famous for its contributions to American popular music.-Geography:Muscle Shoals is located...

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

Shelby Singleton

Shelby Singleton was an American record producer and record label owner.-Early Life:...

, publisher of "Harper Valley PTA

Harper Valley PTA

"Harper Valley PTA" is a country song written by Tom T. Hall that was a major international hit single for country singer Jeannie C. Riley in 1968. Riley's record sold over six million copies as a single. The song made Riley the first woman to top both Billboard's Hot 100 and the U.S...

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

Plantation Records

Plantation Records was a country music record label started by Shelby Singleton. The label is best known for the Jeannie C. Riley 45rpm single, "Harper Valley P.T.A." which was a number one pop record in 1968....

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

Music recording sales certification

Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...

 by the RIAA

Recording Industry Association of America

The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...

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