"The Battle of New Orleans" is a song written by Jimmy Driftwood. The song describes the Battle of New Orleans from the perspective of an American soldier; the song tells the tale of the battle with a light tone and provides a rather comical version of what actually happened at the battle. It has been recorded by many artists, but the singer most often associated with this song is Johnny Horton. His version scored number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959. Billboard ranked it as the No. 1 song for 1959, it was very popular with teenagers in the late 50s/early 60s in an era mostly dominated by rock and roll music. In Billboard magazine's rankings of the top songs in the first 50 years of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, "The Battle of New Orleans" was ranked as the 28th song overall and the number-one country music song to appear on the chart. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.
History
The melody is based on a well-known American fiddle tune "The 8th of January," which was the date of the Battle of New Orleans. Jimmy Driftwood, a school principal in Arkansas with a passion for history, set an account of the battle to this music in an attempt to get students interested in learning history. It seemed to work, and Driftwood became well known in the region for his historical songs. He was "discovered" in the late 1950s by Don Warden, and eventually was given a recording contract by RCA, for whom he recorded 12 songs in 1958, including "The Battle of New Orleans." "The Battle of New Orleans" is often played during North American sporting events, and is commonly heard during home games of the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames.
Chart performance
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
All-time charts
Other versions
Covers and remakes
As noted, Johnny Horton's 1959 version is the best-known recording of the song, which omits the mild expletives and many of the historical references of the original. Horton also recorded an alternative version for release in British Commonwealth countries, avoiding the unfavorable lyrics concerning the British: the word "British" was replaced with "Rebels," along with a few other differences. Many other artists have recorded this song. Notable versions include the following:
In the United States, Vaughn Monroe's 1959 single competed with Horton's but did not achieve the same degree of success and became only a minor Hot 100 hit.
In Britain, Lonnie Donegan and his Skiffle Group's 1959 version competed with Horton's and achieved greater success, peaking at number two. In Donegan's spoken introduction, he made it obvious that the British were on the losing side.
The Royal Guardsmen covered the song in their unique 1960s rock/novelty style on their 1966 Album Snoopy vs. the Red Baron
Harpers Bizarre had a minor Hot 100 hit with their somewhat psychedelic version from their 1968 album Secret Life of Harpers Bizarre.
Doug Kershaw recorded the song for his third LP, Doug Kershaw in 1971
Sunny Ryder sang a version of the song in the 1971 spaghetti western A Town Called Hell
Johnny Cash's version of the song is on the 1972 album .
The Germany-based Les Humphries Singers' 1972 hit, "Mexico," used the melody and parts of the lyrics, violating copyright by crediting the song to British bandleader Les Humphries. Later the Les Humphries Singers re-released "Mexico" with different lyrics. Another new release contained the original lyrics again.
Leon Russell's cover of the song is on his 1973 album Hank Wilson.
Dolly Parton sang the song for her 1976/1977 variety show, Dolly.
Bill Haley recorded a version in 1979 at his final recording sessions and it was released on his final album, Everyone Can Rock and Roll.
The song features prominently in the 1982 film Veronika Voss directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
Sha Na Na appropriately performed the song as a part of a War of 1812 themed skit on their show.
Cornershop covered the song as a bonus track for their 2009 album Judy Sucks a Lemon for Breakfast.
Kingfish recorded a live version at their 1976 concert at the Beacon Theatre,, released in 1996.
Icelandic singer Erling Ágústsson recorded a cover titled Við gefumst aldrei upp.
Les Claypool released a version on his 2014 Duo de Twang debut album Four Foot Shack with Bryan Kehoe.
Parodies
"The Battle of Kookamonga"
Country music parodists Homer and Jethro had a hit when they parodied "The Battle of New Orleans" with their song "The Battle of Kookamonga". The single was released in 1959 and featured production work by Chet Atkins. In this version, the scene shifts from a battleground to a campground, with the combat being changed to the Boy Scouts chasing after the Girl Scouts.
