"The Ballad of Paladin" is a song written by Johnny Western, Richard Boone, and Sam Rolfe and performed by Duane Eddy. The song reached #10 on the UK Singles Chart and #33 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. Eddy's flip side was the theme to The Wild Westerners. The song was produced by Lee Hazlewood and arranged by Bob Thompson. Drummer Earl Palmer played on the session. It was used heavily in the film Stand by Me.