Universal Soldier
by Buffy Sainte-Marie

Album: It's My Way! (1964)
  • Buffy Sainte-Marie wrote this song in the basement of The Purple Onion coffee house in Toronto in 1963 after witnessing wounded soldiers returning from Vietnam. She has described the song as being "About individual responsibility for war and how the old feudal thinking kills us all." Though not a hit for her, it was covered by British folk singer Donovan in 1965 on an EP titled The Universal Soldier, which was a success and bought attention to the song. In the US it was released as a single peaking at #53. The song became an anthem of the Vietnam Peace movement.
  • Sainte-Marie naively sold the publishing rights to this song for a dollar to a man she met one night at the Gaslight Cafe in Greenwich Village who wrote a contract on a napkin. She recalled to The Guardian July 31, 2009: "Ten years later I bought it back for 25,000 bucks – the good news is that I had 25,000 bucks."
  • Speaking to Bruce Pollock about this song, Sainte-Marie said: "I wanted it to get people out of their classrooms and onto their feet. But certain things I have to say are pitched at too high a level to bring any lasting benefit to as many people as I would like to bring it to. If I have something of myself that gets me off, that's brought me through hard times and that refreshes and nourishes me, what good does it do if I'm not smart enough to get it to the people? And I don't mean only the people who are like me, I mean all the people. That's communication. There's no sense being a closet genius. It doesn't do me any good to keep the medicine in the bottle."
  • Folk singer Donovan covered this song in 1965 for his Universal Soldier EP and included it on his second album, Fairytale.
  • When it comes to writing a protest number like this, as opposed to lighter love songs like "Up Where We Belong" and "Until It's Time For You to Go," Sainte-Marie takes a scholarly approach. She told the Huffington Post in 2011: "It's like writing a thesis for a professor, and I really want to get an 'A' and she doesn't like me very much. So I really try to make them thoughtful."
  • This is also the name of a 1992 action flick starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as a fallen Vietnam soldier who is turned into a cyborg. The song, however, doesn't appear in the film.
  • Glen Campbell's 1965 cover was a minor hit, peaking at #45 on the Hot 100.
  • Jan Berry of the rock duo Jan & Dean released an answer song in 1965 titled "The Universal Coward," which criticized anti-war protesters.
  • Sainte-Marie is meticulous about researching the facts before they're turned into lyrics. "I've always worked very hard to make my protest songs bulletproof," she told Vogue in 2018. "When it says 'He’s 5-foot-2 and he's 6-feet-4' [in 'Universal Soldier'], I didn’t make that up - those were the height parameters of the Vietnam War."

Comments: 9

  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn October 9th 1965, Glen Campbell performed "Universal Soldier" on the ABC-TV program 'Shindig!'; twenty days earlier on September 19th the song entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #90 {See next post below}...
    R.I.P. Jimmy O'Neill {Shindig's host, 1940 -2013}.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn September 19th 1965, two covered versions of Buffy Sainte Marie's "The Universal Soldier" entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; Donovan at position #84 and Glen Campbell at #90...
    Both versions stayed on the Top 100 for seven weeks; and both versions also peaked on the same day, October 24th, Glen Campbell at #45 {for 1 week} while Donovan reached #53 {also for 1 week}...
    May God bless and watch over Mr. Campbell.
  • Donald from Rangoon, MyanmarGlen Campbell's version is also very good and I prefer his to the one by Donovan although Donovan's is more well-known. Donald (Burma)
  • Sara from Silver Spring, MdAccording to The Originals Project The Highywaymen released the song in 1963 prior to
    Buffy St. Marie's version
  • Sara from Silver Spring, MdIn the Donovan version the name "Dachau" is replaced by "Labau" perhaps because it was hard for him to prounounce. He got it right at the 2007 Los Angeles Kodak Theatre performance.
  • Joel from Columbia, ScThis is a good but controversial song. I do not support war of any type but do support the boys and girls who have to fight. Donovan has covered this song and his version is better known.
  • Zachariah from Detroit, MiThe passage of time never forgets to ignore this song's message. Alas.
  • John from Overland Park, KsGlen Campbell also covered this song.
  • Hugh from Kansas City, MoThere is a live version of the Donovan cover of this song on 'The Secret Policeman's Other Ball' benefit album. Donovan also give credit to Buffy for this prior to performing it on his recent PBS concert show.
see more comments

Bill WithersSongwriter Interviews

Soul music legend Bill Withers on how life experience and the company you keep leads to classic songs like "Lean On Me."

Jason Newsted (ex-Metallica)Songwriter Interviews

The former Metallica bassist talks about his first time writing a song with James Hetfield, and how a hand-me-down iPad has changed his songwriting.

Facebook, Bromance and Email - The First Songs To Use New WordsSong Writing

Do you remember the first time you heard "email" in a song? How about "hater" or "Facebook"? Here are the songs where they first showed up.

Chris Fehn of SlipknotSongwriter Interviews

A drummer for one of the most successful metal bands of the last decade, Chris talks about what it's like writing and performing with Slipknot. Metal-neck is a factor.

Elton JohnFact or Fiction

Does he have beef with Gaga? Is he Sean Lennon's godfather? See if you can tell fact from fiction in the Elton John edition.

Taylor DayneSongwriter Interviews

Taylor talks about "The Machine" - the hits, the videos and Clive Davis.

Songfacts Newsletter

A monthly update on our latest interviews, stories and added songs

Information

Follow Us

  • facebook twitter youtube

Contribution

©2020 Songfacts®, LLC