Wikipedia

One Tin Soldier

"One Tin Soldier"is a1960s countercultureeraanti-warsong written byDennis LambertandBrian Potter.Canadian pop groupThe Original Caste(consisting of Dixie Lee Innes, Bruce Innes, Graham Bruce, Joseph Cavender and Bliss Mackie) first recorded it in 1969 for both the TA label and its parent Bell label.

"One Tin Soldier"
SinglebyThe Original Caste
from the albumOne Tin Soldier
B-side"Live for Tomorrow"
ReleasedNovember 1969
Recorded1969
GenreFolk rock
Length3:38
LabelBell
Songwriter(s)Dennis Lambert,Brian Potter
The Original Castesingles chronology
"I Can't Make It Anymore"
(1968) 		"One Tin Soldier"
(1969) 		"Mr. Monday"
(1970)

The song, recorded by various artists, charted each year from 1969 to 1974 on various charts in the United States and Canada. However, it did not chart outside North America.

"One Tin Soldier" went to number 6 on theRPM Magazinecharts, hit the number 1 position onCHUM AMinTorontoon 27 December 1969,[1]and reached number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart in early 1970. It was a bigger hit on the Billboard Easy Listening Chart (Adult Contemporary), reaching number 25 and number 5 on the Canada Adult Contemporary Chart.[2]

A 1971coverwas a hit in the U.S. for Jinx Dawson, lead vocalist ofCoven,whose recording was featured in the filmBilly Jack.The single went to number 26 on theBillboardpop chart[3][4]before it was pulled from radio by the film's producer. On November 20, 1971, Coven performed "One Tin Soldier" on the Dick Clark ABC-TV Saturday-afternoon programAmerican Bandstand.A re-recorded version by Coven made theBillboardchart in 1973, peaking at number 79.

In 1972,Skeeter Davishad moderate success on the American country charts with her rendering, but did very well in Canada, peaking at number 4 on the country chart and number 2 on the Adult Contemporary chart.[5]Davis received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Country Vocal.

Harmony

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One Tin Soldierhas been said to have the same harmonic base asPachelbel's Canon.The intro is pulled directly fromPachelbel's Canonwith the first seven chords ofOne Tin Soldiermatching those ofPachelbel's Canon.However, the two pieces diverge at the eighth chord and eighth note of each part, respectively. The remainder ofOne Tin Soldiermerely has some aural similarities in the verses and has several significantly different chords.[6][7]

Lyrics synopsis

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"One Tin Soldier" describes the story of a fictional Kingdom located on a mountain, who possess a great treasure. The neighboring faction from the mountain's valley becomes envious of this treasure, and intend to claim it for themselves, suspecting it may be gold. The Kingdom refuses their request, instead offering to share it rather than surrender it outright. The people of the valley proceed to invade the Kingdom and kill everyone in order to seize the treasure. Once the treasure is located, it is revealed that it is actually a boulder inscribed with "peace on earth"on the bottom, implying the invasion was pointless.

Coven version

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"One Tin Soldier (The Legend of Billy Jack)"
SinglebyCoven
from the albumOriginal Sound Track Music from the Motion Picture "Billy Jack"
B-side"I Think You Always Knew (The Theme from Billy Jack)"
ReleasedSeptember 1971
Recorded1971
GenrePop
Length3:18
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)Dennis LambertandBrian Potter
Producer(s)Mundell Lowe

Singer Jinx Dawson of the bandCovenperformed the song at a 1971 session with the film's orchestra as part of the soundtrack for theWarner Bros.filmBilly Jack.Dawson asked that her band, Coven, be listed on the recording and film, not her name as a solo artist. This Warner release, titled as "One Tin Soldier (The Legend of Billy Jack)", reached number 26 on theBillboardHot 100in the fall of 1971.[3][4]

The full Coven band then re-recorded the song for their self-titledMGMalbum, which displayed the band members' whited-out faces on the cover, contrived by the film's producerTom Laughlin.Coven hit the charts again with the song in 1973, in both the new MGM recording and a reissue of their Warner original. The Coven recording was named Number One All Time Requested Song in 1971 and 1973 by the American Radio Broadcasters Association.[citation needed]

Chart history

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The Original Caste
Chart (1969–1970) Peak
position
CanadaRPMAdult Contemporary[8] 5
CanadaRPMTop Singles[9] 6
U.S.BillboardHot 100[10] 34
U.S.BillboardAdult Contemporary 25
U.S.Cash BoxTop 100 34
Coven cover
Chart (1971–72) Peak
position
AustraliaKent Music Report[11] 45
CanadaRPMTop Singles[12] 89
CanadaRPMAdult Contemporary[13] 34
U.S.BillboardHot 100[10] 26
U.S.BillboardAdult Contemporary 16
U.S.Cash BoxTop 100 26
Skeeter Davis cover
Chart (1972) Peak
position
CanadaRPMAdult Contemporary[14] 2
CanadaRPMCountry[15] 4
U.S.BillboardCountry[10] 54
Coven (2nd charting)
Chart (1973) Peak
position
U.S.BillboardHot 100[10] 79
U.S.Cash BoxTop 100[16] 68
Original Caste (2nd charting)
Chart (1973) Peak
position
CanadaRPMTop Singles[17] 45
Coven (3rd charting)
Chart (1974) Peak
position
CanadaRPMTop Singles[18] 79
U.S.BillboardHot 100[10] 73
U.S.Cash BoxTop 100[19] 73

Other recordings

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A version recorded by Guy Chandler (titled "One Tin Soldier [The Legend of Billy Jack]" ) was released in the summer of 1973.

A version sung byCoven,with a video created byanimatorJohn David Wilsonwas produced forThe Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.

Roseanne Barrparodied the song on her 1990 albumI Enjoy Being a Girl.

Delores Laughlin sang an abbreviated version of the song during the end credits of the film sequel "Billy Jack Goes to Washington" (1977).

The song has beencoveredby other artists, includingBilly Strings,Mad Parade,Gimp,Me First and the Gimme Gimmes,Bushman,andKilldozer.ActressBrittany Murphy,in character asLuanne Platter,sang the song on theKing of the Hillsoundtrack. This song was also covered by Voices for Peace, a band consisting of a group of voice actors includingGreg AyresandTiffany Grant.Abigail andMilly Shapirocovered the song for their live albumLive Out Loud.

Toronto hardcore punk band, Direct Action, included a cover of the song on their "Trapped in a World" LP (1985).

The progressivebluegrassbandThe Bluegrass Alliancecovered the song at bluegrass festivals in the early 1970s.[20]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"CHUM 30 - December 27, 1969".
  2. ^"Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada".Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1970-02-14.Retrieved2018-10-10.
  3. ^abEduardo Rivadavia."Coven | Awards".AllMusic.Retrieved2014-08-25.
  4. ^abCasey Kasem's American Top 40 - The 70s from November 27, 1971
  5. ^"Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada".Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1972-02-19.Retrieved2018-11-18.
  6. ^"ONE TIN SOLDIER Sheet Music".Blogspot. 23 April 2014.Retrieved31 October2020.
  7. ^"Pachelbel - Canon in D".Internet Archive.Retrieved31 October2020.
  8. ^"Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada".Collectionscanada.gc.ca.1970-02-14.Retrieved2018-10-10.
  9. ^"RPM Top 100 Singles - January 24, 1970"(PDF).
  10. ^abcdeJoel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990-ISBN0-89820-089-X
  11. ^Kent, David(1993).Australian Chart Book 1970–1992(illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 74.ISBN0-646-11917-6.
  12. ^"RPM Top 100 Singles - October 2, 1971"(PDF).
  13. ^"Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada".Collectionscanada.gc.ca.1971-11-06.Retrieved2018-11-18.
  14. ^"Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada".Collectionscanada.gc.ca.1972-02-19.Retrieved2018-11-18.
  15. ^"RPM Country Playlist - February 12, 1972"(PDF).
  16. ^Cash Box Top 100 Singles, August 18, 1973
  17. ^"RPM Top 100 Singles - September 8, 1973"(PDF).
  18. ^"Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada".Collectionscanada.gc.ca.1974-02-23.Retrieved2018-10-10.
  19. ^Cash Box Top 100 Singles, February 9, 1973
  20. ^1971 festivalonYouTube
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