The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Western Music
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Western Song: Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is a song written by the prolific songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. American singer-songwriter and musician Gene Pitney released the song in 1962 and became a Top 10 hit. The song ranked No. 36 on Western Writers of America’s list of the top 100 Western songs of all time, gathered from a survey of its members.

Many people believe that this is the theme song for the 1962 film with the same name. Although based on the film’s plotline, and everyone loved it, the film director, John Ford disliked it and kept it off in the soundtrack. According to Gene Pitney, for some strange reason, the song was never put in the soundtrack, even if it’s written for the film. The recording session of the song was paid for by Paramount as stated by Pitney. In the middle of the song recording session, he learned that the song would not be included in the film when one of the orchestra members told him that the film was released.

Table of Contents

Popular Recordings

Some of the notable versions of the song are recorded by the following artists:

  • Pitney and Jimmie Rogers
  • Jimmie Rogers
  • The Greg Kihn Band
  • James Taylor
  • The Royal Guardsmen
  • Regurgitator

Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Chat Performance

The song has been included in the top hits of the following charts:

  • Billboard Hot 100 chart – spent 13 weeks, peaking at No. 4
  • Canada – CHUM Hit Parade – No. 2
  • New Zealand – Lever Hit Parade – No. 4
  • Australia – No. 1

In Albums

The song has also been released in the tracklist of the following albums:

  • Only Love Can Break a Heart
  • Glass House Rock
  • That’s Why I’m Here
  • Snoopy vs. the Red Baron
  • To Hal and Bacharach

Listen (Gene Pitney Version)

(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance Lyrics

When Liberty Valance rode to town
The women folk would hide, they'd hide
When Liberty Valance walked around
The men would step aside

Because the point of a gun
Was the only law that Liberty understood
When it came to shooting, straight and fast
He was mighty good

From out of the east a stranger came
A law book in his hand, a man
The kind of a man the West would need
To tame a troubled land

'Cause the point of a gun
Was the only law that Liberty understood
When it came to shooting, straight and fast
He was mighty good

Many a man would face his gun and many a man would fall
The man who shot Liberty Valance
He shot Liberty Valance
He was the bravest of them all

The love of a girl can make a man
Stay on when he should go, stay on
Just trying to build a peaceful life
Where love is free to grow

But the point of a gun
Was the only law that Liberty understood
When the final showdown came to pass
A law book was no good

Alone and afraid she prayed that he'd
Return that fateful night, ah, that night
When nothing she said could keep
Her man from going out to fight

From the moment a girl gets to be full grown
The very first thing she learns
When two men go out to face each other
Only one returns

Everyone heard two shots ring out
The shot made Liberty fall
The man who shot Liberty Valance
He shot Liberty Valance
He was the bravest of them all

The man who shot Liberty Valance
He shot Liberty Valance
He was the bravest of them all

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