Snoopy vs. the Red Baron (song)

"Snoopy vs. the Red Baron"
side-A label
One of side-A labels of the US single
Single by The Royal Guardsmen
from the album Snoopy and His Friends
B-side"I Needed You" (non-LP track)
ReleasedNovember 1966
RecordedCharles Fuller Productions studio, Tampa, Florida
GenreRock, novelty
Length2:40
LabelLaurie
Songwriter(s)Phil Gernhard and Dick Holler
Producer(s)Phil Gernhard and John Brumage
The Royal Guardsmen singles chronology
"Baby Let's Wait"
(1966)
"Snoopy vs. the Red Baron"
(1966)
"The Return of the Red Baron"
(1967)

"Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" is a novelty song written by Phil Gernhard and Dick Holler and recorded in 1966 by the Florida-based pop group The Royal Guardsmen. The song was recorded at the Charles Fuller Productions studio in Tampa, Florida, and was released as a single on Laurie Records. Debuting at #122 on the Bubbling Under the Hot 100 on December 10, 1966, the single skyrocketed to #30 on December 17, 1966,[1] shot up again to #7 on December 24, 1966[2] and peaked at #2 on the Hot 100 during the week of December 31, 1966 (behind the Monkees' "I'm a Believer"); made #6 on the Record Retailer (UK) chart in February 1967;[3] was #1 in Australia for 5 weeks from February 1967; and #1 for 3 weeks in Canada.[4] On the Hot 100, "Believer" at #1 kept "Snoopy" at #2 from reaching the Hot 100 summit from December 31, 1966, through January 21, 1967, after which "Snoopy" fell off while "Believer" stayed at the top for another 3 weeks; however the song spent one week at the top of the Record World charts.[5] The song sold close to three million copies.[6]

The Royal Guardsmen went on to record several other Snoopy-themed songs, including two follow-ups to "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" – "The Return of the Red Baron" and "Snoopy's Christmas" – together with other tunes such as "Snoopy for President".[7] In 2006, they released "Snoopy vs Osama".[8]

  1. ^ "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.
  2. ^ "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.
  3. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 473. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  4. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - January 14, 1967" (PDF).
  5. ^ "Top Pops". Record World. 21 (1023): 15. 14 January 1967.
  6. ^ Mendelson, Lee; Schulz, Charles M. (1970). Charlie Brown & Charlie Schulz: In Celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Peanuts. New York: World Publishing. p. 106. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  7. ^ Pore-Lee-Dunn Productions. "Royal Guardsmen". Classicbands.com. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  8. ^ "'Snoopy vs. Osama' by Ocala's The Royal Guardsmen". Tampa Bay Times. May 2, 2011. Archived from the original on March 13, 2014.

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