The Battle of New Orleans

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.Collins, Ace. Songs Sung Red, White, and Blue: The Stories Behind America's Best-Loved Patriotic Songs, p. 62-64. 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".Collins, Ace. Songs Sung Red, White, and Blue: The Stories Behind America's Best-Loved Patriotic Songs, p. 66-67.

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{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "The Battle of New Orleans"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|title=Battle of New Orleans|artist=Johnny Horton|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=1959|certyear=1966|access-date=December 5, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}

Johnny Horton's 1959 version is the best-known recording of the song, which omits the mild expletives and many of the historical references of the original.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. This version includes a spoken introduction, in which Donegan explains that the British were on the losing side.
• Pete Seeger and Frank Hamilton recorded the song for their 1959 album Nonesuch and Other Folk Tunes.
• The Royal Guardsmen covered the song 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 The 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 America: A 200-Year Salute in Story and Song.
• The Germany-based Les Humphries Singers' 1972 hit, "Mexico", used the melody and parts of the lyrics, violating copyright by crediting the song to the British-born bandleader Les Humphries. In 1982 the Les Humphries Singers re-released a remixed version "Mexico" with different lyrics, which charted in the Netherlands. Another new release in 2006 contained the original lyrics again.
• Leon Russell's cover of the song is on his 1973 album Hank Wilson's Back Vol. I.
• Nitty Gritty Dirt Band had a minor Hot 100 hit with their version in 1974.
• Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen played a cover version of the song at their performance in New York City on September 14, 1976.{{cite web|url=http://concerts.wolfgangsvault.com/dt/commander-cody-concert/20052586-8995.html |title=Concert Vault - Live Concert Recordings Streamed Online |website=Concerts.wolfgangsvault.com |access-date=2016-08-29}}
• Dolly Parton performed the song on her 1976/1977 variety show, Dolly.{{YouTube|uQM6c6N-Hiw}}
• 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, Kingfish in Concert, released in 1996.
• Icelandic singer Erling Ágústsson recorded a cover titled Við gefumst aldrei upp ("We Never Give Up").
• Les Claypool released a version on his 2014 Duo de Twang debut album Four Foot Shack with Bryan Kehoe.
• Deep Purple included a version of the song on their 2021 covers album Turning to Crime.

{{Infobox song

| name = The Battle of Kookamonga

| cover =

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Homer and Jethro

| album = Homer and Jethro at the Country Club

| B-side = Waterloo

| released = 1959

| format =

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Country, Parody

| length = 2:38

| label = RCA Victor

| writer = Jimmy Driftwood, J. J. Reynolds

| producer =

| prev_title =

| prev_year =

| next_title =

| next_year =

}}

Country music parodists Homer and Jethro 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.

• "The Battle Of Queenston Heights" by Mike Darow and the Chums, 1959.{{cite web|url=http://chumtribute.com/59-07-27-chart.jpg| title=CHUM Hit Parade - July 27, 1959}} (Battle of Queenston Heights)
• "The Battle of the Waikato" by Howard Morrison Quartet, 1960.
• "Deer Hunter's Lament" by Stew Clayton, 1973.{{cite web|url=http://www.mocm.ca/Music/Title.aspx?TitleId=271438 |title=Clayton, Stew - My Canadian Home |website=Mocm.ca |access-date=2016-08-29}}
• The Mexican group El Tren recorded a parody titled "La Batalla del Cinco de Mayo", 1980, telling the events of Cinco de Mayo.
• One verse of "The Battle of All Saints Road" by Big Audio Dynamite, 1988 (another verse parodies "Duelling Banjos").
• "The White House Burned" recounts the War of 1812 by Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie, 1991.
• "Ballad of Hank Williams" by Hank Williams Jr., 1981
• "The New Battle of New Orleans," recounting Hurricane Katrina, by Ray Stevens, 2005.
• "The Ballad of Fetteh Shmeel" by Country Yossi and the Shteeble-Hoppers, reworks the tune with a Jewish message, on the 2005 LP Break Out.
• "The Falklands War Song" is a version recounting the Falklands War from the British perspective.

• American fiddle

{{Reflist}}

• Collins, Ace. Songs Sung, Red, White, and Blue: The Stories Behind America's Best-Loved Patriotic Songs. HarperResource, 2003. {{ISBN|0060513047}}

• [http://www.tsimon.com/battle.htm Tom Simon's Battle of New Orleans page]
• [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jan08.html Library of Congress page], includes a recording of "The Eighth of January"

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{{Grammy Award for Song of the Year 1960s}}

{{Billboard Year-End number one singles 1946–1959}}

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Category:1959 singles

Category:Johnny Horton songs

Category:Vaughn Monroe songs

Category:American patriotic songs

Category:Bill Haley songs

Category:Songs written by Jimmy Driftwood

Category:Nitty Gritty Dirt Band songs

Category:Number-one singles in Australia

Category:Number-one singles in Canada

Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles

Category:Billboard Hot Country Songs number-one singles of the year

Category:Cashbox number-one singles

Category:Grammy Award for Song of the Year

Category:Songs about the military

Category:Songs based on American history

Category:Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients

Category:Songs about New Orleans

Category:Columbia Records singles

Category:RCA Victor singles

Category:1959 songs

Category:Song recordings produced by Don Law

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