Posted on 03/17/2026 5:47:17 AM PDT by 11th_VA
Exactly 60 years ago today, on March 11, 1966, a song that was widely embraced at the time was the No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. While ‘The Ballad of the Green Berets’ by Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler was a huge success, the track would ultimately earn a reputation as one of the most divisive No. 1 songs in U.S. chart history.
Released in January 1966, SSgt. Barry Sadler’s ‘The Ballad of the Green Berets’ quickly caught on with many listeners. After the song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on February 5, 1966, it reached No. 1 on March 5 and held that position for five weeks. That means that 60 years ago today, on March 11, 1966, the track was dominating the charts.
In addition to reigning supreme over the charts in March 1966, the song would enjoy a staggering amount of sales success for much longer than that. After all, it spent a total of 13 weeks on the charts in total, and History.com reported that ‘The Ballad of the Green Berets’ became “Billboard magazine’s #1 single for all of 1966.“
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This "protest against the protests" is an early recording by Bob Seger.
The beret is distinctive and allows for an individual style in the manner of wearing/creasing it.
Taking the black beret from the Rangers and forcing the entire army to wear it was a nasty, ridiculous decision that should be overturned.
I never heard that one before. It was a good one!
Letter from Vietnam
Nice message, but as far as music goes...it was weak.
I had thought it a reference to Sgt. Pepper.
But none of that matters.
...only when racist or nazi just won’t float.
The family went on vacation to Carlsbad. The locals thought we were crazy to go there on vacation. They just couldn’t believe it. It turned out to be one of the best ever.
A tribute to the notorious Vietnamese beer that was said to contain formaldehyde as a preservative, to keep it from going bad in a tropical environment with no refrigeration. Today, 33 beer from Vietnam can be purchased at some locations in the US.
Tracey's Green Beret boyfriend is coming home!
Take the Time--The Shangri-Las (1967)
I remember it well. There was no controversy about it at all. Headline is journo-BS.
“Controversial” means “anti-American leftists hate it”.
The caves are cool.
The crazy is above the surface.
Thanks for the link. I have never heard that song, as far as I can remember, and I graduated college in 1967.
Agree with you both
Exactly
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