Soldier Boy (The Shirelles song)
1962 single by The Shirelles
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Soldier Boy" is a song written by Luther Dixon and Florence Greenberg and made famous by the girl group the Shirelles. Released as a single in 1962, it met with great success, topping the US Billboard Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks.[1] Billboard ranked it as the No. 10 song for 1962.[2]
| "Soldier Boy" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The Shirelles | ||||
| from the album Baby It's You | ||||
| B-side | "Love Is a Swingin' Thing" | |||
| Released | March 1962 | |||
| Recorded | Bell Sound (New York City) | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 2:42 | |||
| Label | Scepter (Florence Greenberg-Owner) | |||
| Songwriters | Luther Dixon, Florence Greenberg | |||
| Producer | Luther Dixon | |||
| The Shirelles singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
Record executive Florence Greenberg, founder of Scepter Records (the Shirelles' record label), co-wrote the song with Luther Dixon, which was originally titled "I'll Be True to You". The main frame of the lyrics make no mention of a soldier. It was only while recording at Bell Sound Studios that the Shirelles decided upon a much better title to reflect the narrative, the profession of someone's love for the titular soldier boy in which she promises to remain true to him while he's away.[3] The song was released as a single by The Shirelles in 1962 and met with great success, topping the US Billboard Hot 100.[4]
In popular culture
- The recording was used in the film The Wanderers (1979).
- The recording was used in the television series Tour of Duty season 1 episode "Battling Baker Brothers" (1987)
- The recording was used in the film Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
- Actress Brittany Murphy sings the song in the 2001 movie Riding in Cars with Boys.
- The recording was used in the television series 11.22.63 (2016) episode 7 "Soldier Boy"
- The recording was used in the film One Battle After Another (2025).
Charts
| Chart (1962) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (CHUM Chart)[5] (3 weeks) | 1 |
| New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade)[6] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| US R&B | 3 |
| UK Singles Chart | 23 |
Cover versions
- "Soldier Boy" was covered by American country music artist Donna Fargo in 1991. Her version peaked at number 71 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.[7]
- It was recorded by Diane Renay in 1964.
- "Soldier Boy" was covered by the Mexican children's group La Onda Vaselina in 1989, under the title "Yo te esperaré" and adapted by the composer and Mexican singer Julissa.
