Peak
34
Weeks
17
Score
1,279
Chart Year
1970
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"One Tin Soldier" is a 1960s counterculture era anti-war song written by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter. Canadian pop group The 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. 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 the RPM Magazine charts, hit the number 1 position on CHUM AM in Toronto on 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 1971 cover was a hit in the U.S. for Jinx Dawson, lead vocalist of Coven, whose recording was featured in the film Billy Jack. The single went to number 26 on the Billboard pop 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 program American Bandstand. A re-recorded version by Coven made the Billboard chart in 1973, peaking at number 79. In 1972, Skeeter Davis had 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.
Listen, children, to a story That was written long ago 'Bout a kingdom on a mountain And the valley-folk below On the mountain was a treasure Buried deep beneath the stone And the valley-people swore They'd have it for their very own Go ahead and hate your neighbor Go ahead and cheat a friend Do it in the name of heaven You can justify it in the end There won't be any trumpets blowing Come the judgment day On the bloody morning after One tin soldier rides away So the people of the valley Sent a message up the hill Asking for the buried treasure Tons of gold for which they'd kill It came an answer from the mountain With our brothers we will share All the secrets of our mountain All the riches buried there Go ahead and hate your neighbor Go ahead and cheat a friend Do it in the name of heaven You can justify it in the end There won't be any trumpets blowing Come the judgment day On the bloody morning after One tin soldier rides away Now the valley cried with anger "Mount your horses! Draw your sword!" And they killed the mountain-people So they won their just reward Now they stood beside the treasure On the mountain, dark and red Turned the stone and looked beneath it "Peace on Earth" was all it said Go ahead and hate your neighbor Go ahead and cheat a friend Do it in the name of heaven You can justify it in the end There won't be any trumpets blowing Come the judgment day On the bloody morning after One tin soldier rides away Go ahead and hate your neighbor Go ahead and cheat a friend Do it in the name of heaven You can justify it in the end There won't be any trumpets blowing Come the judgment day On the bloody morning after One tin soldier rides away
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 15, 1969 | 99 | 27 |
| 2 | Nov 22, 1969 | 96 | 30 |
| 3 | Nov 29, 1969 | 88 | 38 |
| 4 | Dec 6, 1969 | 76 | 50 |
| 5 | Dec 13, 1969 | 70 | 56 |
| 6 | Dec 20, 1969 | 63 | 63 |
| 7 | Dec 27, 1969 | 62 | 64 |
| 8 | Jan 3, 1970 | 61 | 65 |
| 9 | Jan 10, 1970 | 60 | 66 |
| 10 | Jan 17, 1970 | 51 | 75 |
| 11 | Jan 24, 1970 | 50 | 76 |
| 12 | Jan 31, 1970 | 48 | 78 |
| 13 | Feb 7, 1970 | 36 | 90 |
| 14 | Feb 14, 1970 | 34 | 92 |
| 15 | Feb 21, 1970 | 43 | 83 |
| 16 | Feb 28, 1970 | 47 | 79 |
| 17 | Mar 7, 1970 | 66 | 60 |