Sink the Bismark
{{About|the song by Johnny Horton|the film|Sink the Bismarck!|other uses|Sink the Bismarck (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Sink the Bismark (Sink the Bismarck)
| cover = Johnny_Horton-Sink_the_Bismarck-1960.jpg
| alt =
| caption = The photo on the "45" Columbia record jacket is from the movie, but depicts the model of HMS Prince of Wales made for the movie. The models made for this movie are closely modeled after their real-life counterparts.
| type = single
| artist = Johnny Horton
| album =
| B-side = The Same Old Tale the Crow Told Me
| released = 1960
| format =
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| length = {{Duration|m=3|s=12}}
| label = Columbia
| writer = Johnny Horton, Tillman Franks
| producer = Don Law[https://books.google.com/books?id=kR8EAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22sink+the+bismarck%22+%22johnny+horton%22+%22don+law%22&pg=PA29 Billboard Magazine, July 11, 1960]
| prev_title = Sal's Got a Sugar Lip
| prev_year = 1959
| next_title = Johnny Freedom
| next_year = 1960
}}
"Sink the Bismark" (later "Sink the Bismarck") is a march song by American country music singer Johnny Horton and songwriter Tillman Franks, based on the pursuit and eventual sinking of the German battleship Bismarck in May 1941, during World War II. Horton released this song through Columbia Records in 1960, when it reached #3 on the charts. As originally released, the record label used the common misspelling "Bismark"; this error was corrected for later releases of the song. It was inspired by the 1960 British war movie Sink the Bismarck! and was, with the producer John Brabourne's approval, commissioned from Johnny Horton by 20th Century Fox who were worried about the subject's relative obscurity in the United States. Inexplicably, the size comparisons of guns and shells are switched. While the song was used in U.S. theater trailers for the film, it was not used in the actual film.
Chart performance
class="wikitable"
! Chart (1960) ! Peak |
U.S. Billboard Hot C&W Sides{{cite book |title= The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |authorlink=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research |page=162}}
| align="center"| 6 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100{{cite book |title= Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012 |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |authorlink=Joel Whitburn |year=2013 |publisher=Record Research |page=394}}
| align="center"| 3 |
Canadian CHUM Chart {{cite web|url=http://chumtribute.com/60-04-11-chart.jpg| title=CHUM Hit Parade - April 11, 1960}}
|align="center"|1 |
Blues Brothers recording
The song was later recorded by The Blues Brothers for a scene in the movie, The Blues Brothers, but was cut out.{{cite web|last=Sudo|first=Chuck|title=Friday Morning Diversion: The Blues Brothers Sing "Sink The Bismarck"|url=http://chicagoist.com/2012/07/06/friday_morning_diversion_the_blues.php|publisher=IndieWire|date=July 6, 2012|access-date=25 November 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160823180049/http://chicagoist.com/2012/07/06/friday_morning_diversion_the_blues.php|archive-date=23 August 2016}}
Cover versions
- In the UK the song was a hit for Don Lang, also in 1960, where it peaked at #43.{{cite web|title=officialcharts.com|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/2679/don-lang/|website=officialcharts.com|accessdate=December 14, 2021}}
- Czech country band Plavci released a version on its 1976 album Country Our Way.{{cite web|title=discogs.com|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/1437320-Plavci-Country-Our-Way|website=discogs.com|accessdate=May 23, 2024}}
See also
- "PT-109" Another song about a World War II ship
- Parody song "We Didn't Sink The Bismarck" by Homer and Jethro
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://genius.com/Johnny-horton-sink-the-bismarck-lyrics Lyrics]
{{Johnny Horton}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Songs about World War II
Category:German battleship Bismarck
Category:Songs based on actual events
Category:Columbia Records singles
Category:Songs written by Tillman Franks
Category:Songs written by Johnny Horton
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