"Soldier Boy" is a song written by Luther Dixon and Florence Greenberg and made famous by the girl group

the Shirelles The Shirelles were an American girl group formed in Passaic, New Jersey, in 1957. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens (later Shirley Alston Reeves), Doris Coley (later Doris Kenner-Jackson), Addie "Micki" Harris (later Addie Harris McF ...

. Released as a single in 1962, it met with great success, topping the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the No. 10 song for 1962.

Background

Record executive Florence Greenberg, founder of Scepter Records (the Shirelles' record label), wrote the song and was originally titled it "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 Bell Sound Studios was an independent recording studio in New York City from 1950 to 1976. At its height, the studio was the largest independent recording studio in the United States, and the site of recording sessions that produced seminal hits b ...

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. The song was released as a single by

The Shirelles The Shirelles were an American girl group formed in Passaic, New Jersey, in 1957. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens (later Shirley Alston Reeves), Doris Coley (later Doris Kenner-Jackson), Addie "Micki" Harris (later Addie Harris McF ...

in 1962 and met with great success, topping the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

In popular culture

* The recording was used in the film '' The Wanderers'' (1979). * The recording was used in the television series

Tour of Duty For military personnel, a tour of duty is usually a period of time spent in combat or in a hostile environment. In an army, for instance, soldiers on active duty serve 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the length of their service commitment. ...

season 1 episode ''Battling Baker Brothers'' (1987) * The recording was used in the film '' Born on the Fourth of July'' (1989) * Actress

Brittany Murphy Brittany Anne Murphy-Monjack (; November 10, 1977 – December 20, 2009) was an American actress and singer, known for her work in both comedy and drama. Born in Atlanta, Murphy moved to Los Angeles as a teenager to pursue a career in a ...

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''

Charts

Cover versions

* "Soldier Boy" was covered by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

artist Donna Fargo in 1991. Her version peaked at number 71 on the ''

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 advertis ...

'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. * 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.

References

1962 songs 1962 singles Songs about soldiers The Shirelles songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Songs written by Luther Dixon Scepter Records singles Donna Fargo songs {{1960s-pop-song-stub