Universal Soldier (song)

In the six verses of the song, soldiers of different heights, ages, religious and political backgrounds are depicted, fighting in different times, for different countries (starting with Canada, where Buffy Sainte-Marie claimed to come froma lie she protected for decades by threatening legal action against her American family members when they pointed out she was born to their family, not adopted from Canada), and with different motives, all thinking that they are fighting for peace but never realizing that they are part of the problem. The song ends with: (Donovan sang "...from here and there and you and me") Sainte-Marie sold the publishing rights to the song, but later bought them back for $25,000. ==Donovan cover==

By 1965, the song had caught the attention of budding folk singer Donovan, who recorded it using a similar arrangement to Buffy Sainte-Marie's original recording. In Donovan's version, Dachau became Liebau (Lubawka, Poland), a training center for Hitler Youth. Donovan's recording was released on an EP titled The Universal Soldier in the United Kingdom (August 15, 1965). The lack of interest in the EP format within the United States led Hickory Records to release the song as a single in September 1965. Donovan's cover of "Universal Soldier" was backed with another track from the British EP: Bert Jansch's "Do You Hear Me Now?". Donovan's US release of "Universal Soldier" also became a hit, charting higher than his previous single "Colours" and ultimately reaching No. 53 on the Billboard charts and No. 21 in Canada, co-charting with Glen Campbell's version. This success led Hickory Records to include the song on the United States release of Donovan's second album, Fairytale, replacing a cover of Bert Jansch's "Oh Deed I Do". Cash Box described it as "a plaintive, twangy, medium-paced message-song which takes a strong anti-war stand." Sainte-Marie was glad that Donovan's success with this song got more people to hear it. ==Depeche Mode cover==

English electronic music band Depeche Mode recorded a cover version of "Universal Soldier" as part of the War Child charity project Help(2). The album, produced by James Ford, was released on March 6, 2026. ==Other covers==

• Glen Campbell, 1965 (#45 US, #16 AUS, #4 SWE, #21 CAN) • Lobo, 1974, on his album Just a Singer • Boudewijn de Groot, lyrics in Dutch, called "De eeuwige soldaat" ("The Eternal Soldier"), 1965, released as a B-side for Een meisje van 16 ==Response==

In 1965, Jan Berry of Jan and Dean released as a single an answer song presenting the opposite point of view, titled "The Universal Coward", which criticized anti-war protesters. Dean Torrence objected and did not participate. ==See also==