Talk:He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

what do you think?? i heard this song again recently, and was fascinated by its origins. so i decided to make this! a.r.

The link to "Boys Town" should be disambiguated.

Judge Dredd
A link on the Judge Dredd page takes us here, to this entirely unrelated page. Should it be removed? It's located at the beginning of the "Family and Friends" section, in the first paragraph. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.111.167.39 (talk) 06:51, 8 April 2007 (UTC).

NO. The reference is to Judge Dredd, an over the top "dirty harry" type character who is portrayed as cold, heartless, and utterly ruthless in enforcing the law, and is used in a single moment of emotion where Dredd has had to kill his own brother, who had become a criminal. This single reference is a joke by the writers of the comic, but ultimately shows that Dredd is human after all. Granted it's a comic book character, but often fiction tells us more about who we are and who we should strive to be.

If you read or listen to the lyrics, it's a powerful song. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.113.49.126 (talk) 19:15, 5 July 2009 (UTC)

The title makes me think of the scene in the movie Once Upon a Time in the West,where a`man is forced to stand on his brothers shoulders,with a noose around his neck.When bottom brother's legs finally give way top brother hangs. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.206.107.239 (talk) 01:52, 11 December 2010 (UTC)

Paraprosdokian?
How is this a paraprosdokian (as somebody has claimed in the article)? The second part of the sentence doesn't cause you to reinterpret the first part. Sure, the idea is that the brother's weight is insignificant compared to the need to carry him, but that's pretty much still saying the same thing.

Is the paraprosdokian original research that should be removed or just plain fact? Wenttomowameadow (talk) 16:58, 30 April 2011 (UTC)


 * I agree. I'm removing it. I kept reading it over and over trying to figure out how "he ain't heavy" could have a second meaning. It doesn't. Dancindazed (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 02:09, 16 October 2015 (UTC)

BBC Children in Need
In the UK, this song has strong associations with the BBC Children in Need charity appeal. Bluap (talk) 12:23, 21 October 2011 (UTC)

MLK
Somewhat surprised there's no mention on this page of the long association between this song and the assassination of Martin Luther King; the song is frequently used as a tribute to him and, IIRC, it was one of the reasons why the Hollies recorded it. Grutness...wha?  22:43, 16 January 2012 (UTC)

Rambo 3
The Bill Medley cover of the song plays during the end credits of Rambo III. Just in case anybody would like to incorporate this in the article. Zuckerpumpe (talk) 04:48, 3 July 2014 (UTC)

Vietnam
Did this song have anything to do with the war in Vietnam, it sound appropriate. 86.90.39.63 (talk) 10:55, 16 September 2015 (UTC)

Until today I believed what I suppose now, to be an Urban legend that the song was written by a war correspondent that witnessed a disabled boy being carried off a transporter plane by a much smaller boy refugee. Asked if he was too heavy for him, He replied, allowing for translation of phrases and context, He ain't heavy, he's my brother. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.71.254.223 (talk) 13:16, 21 January 2021 (UTC)

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1988 re-release
I seem to recall that this song made the charts in 1988. Could this be more amplified in the article? Vorbee (talk) 20:45, 6 January 2019 (UTC)

Rufus Wainwright version
What about the Rufus Wainwright version from the Zoolander movie soundtrack? Rekkered (talk) 03:51, 15 January 2022 (UTC)
 * If you can find Reliable sources discussing it, then include it. Doctorhawkes (talk) 04:28, 15 January 2022 (UTC)