For What It's Worth
Encyclopedia
"For What It's Worth" is a song written by Stephen Stills
. It was performed by Buffalo Springfield
, recorded on December 5, 1966, and released as a single in January 1967; it was later added to the re-release of their first album, Buffalo Springfield
. The single peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100
chart. This song is currently ranked #63 on Rolling Stone
' s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
as well as the eighth best song of 1967
by Acclaimed Music.
The song was inspired by an event at the dawn of the psychedelic era in November 1966, the year during which Buffalo Springfield started playing as the house band at the Whisky a Go Go
on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles Times, annoyed residents and business owners in the district had encouraged the passage of strict (10:00pm) curfew and loitering laws to reduce the traffic congestion resulting from crowds of young club patrons. This was subsequently perceived by young, local rock music fans as an infringement on their civil rights, and on Saturday, November 12, 1966, fliers were distributed along the Strip inviting people to demonstrate later that day. Hours before the protest, near a club at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Crescent Heights named "Pandora’s Box", "One of L.A's rock 'n' roll radio stations made an announcement that there would be a rally at Pandora's Box and cautioned people to tread carefully," wrote Domenic Priore, author of the 2007 book "Riot on Sunset Strip: Rock 'n' Roll's Last Stand in Hollywood". The Times reported that as many as 1,000 youthful demonstrators, including such celebrities as Jack Nicholson
and Peter Fonda
(who was afterward handcuffed by police), erupted in protest against the perceived repressive enforcement of these recently invoked curfew laws.
Though often mistaken for an anti-war song, it was in fact the “Sunset Strip riot
” which inspired then Buffalo Springfield band member Stephen Stills to write “For What It’s Worth", recorded about three weeks after on December 5, 1966.
. While it has come to symbolize worldwide turbulence and confrontational feelings arising from events during the 1960s
(particularly the Vietnam War
), Stills recounts writing the song in reaction to escalating unrest between law enforcement and young club-goers
on the Sunset Strip
in Los Angeles County, California. The song's title appears nowhere in its lyrics; it is more easily remembered by the first line of chorus: "Stop, children, what's that sound?"
Stills said in an interview that the name of the song came about when he presented it to the record company executive Ahmet Ertegun
who signed Buffalo Springfield to the Atlantic Records-owned ATCO label. He said: "I have this song here, for what it's worth, if you want it." Another producer, Charlie Greene, claims that Stills first said the above sentence to him, but credits Ahmet Ertegun with subtitling the single "Stop, Hey What's That Sound" so that the song would be more easily recognized.
In 2006, when interviewed on Tom Kent
's radio show "Into the '70s", Stephen Stills pointed out that many people think "For What It's Worth" is about the Kent State Shootings
(1970), despite predating that event by over three years.
The song was played (without Neil Young
's presence) at Buffalo Springfield's induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In 1969, the song was covered by American singer-actress Cher
on her album 3614 Jackson Highway
.
The track appears as part of the soundtrack for the 2005 film Lord of War
, the 2008 film Tropic Thunder
, and Forrest Gump
as well as numerous others, mostly involving the Vietnam War or war in general.
This song has also been covered by experimental rock
bands The Pop Culture Suicides
and TV Toy and a Psychedelic band by the name of "Art" on their album "Supernatural Fairy Tales"
The song is sampled on the song "He Got Game" by the hip-hop group Public Enemy.
Crystal Bowersox
also does a cover of the song on her 2010 CD Farmer's Daughter.
Rush
performed a cover of the song on their Feedback
album.
Widespread Panic
performed a cover of the song at their 25th Anniversary Party in Athens, Georgia
Stephen Stills
Stephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash . He has performed on a professional level in several other bands as well as maintaining a solo career at the same time...
. It was performed by Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield is a North American folk rock band renown both for its music and as a springboard for the careers of Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and Jim Messina. Among the first wave of North American bands to become popular in the wake of the British invasion, the group combined...
, recorded on December 5, 1966, and released as a single in January 1967; it was later added to the re-release of their first album, Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield (album)
Buffalo Springfield is the self-titled debut album by folk rock band Buffalo Springfield, released in late 1966. It was originally released in both mono and stereo versions as Atco 33-200, but when the single "For What It's Worth" became a hit, the album was re-released as Atco 33-200A and added...
. The single peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart. This song is currently ranked #63 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" was the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone, issue number 963, published December 9, 2004, a year after the magazine published its list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time"....
as well as the eighth best song of 1967
1967 in music
The summer of 1967 is "The Summer of Love" in San Francisco. It also became an important year for psychedelic rock, with releases from The Beatles The summer of 1967 is "The Summer of Love" in San Francisco. It also became an important year for psychedelic rock, with releases from The Beatles The...
by Acclaimed Music.
The song was inspired by an event at the dawn of the psychedelic era in November 1966, the year during which Buffalo Springfield started playing as the house band at the Whisky a Go Go
Whisky a Go Go
The Whisky a Go Go is a nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard, on the Sunset Strip.-History:...
on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles Times, annoyed residents and business owners in the district had encouraged the passage of strict (10:00pm) curfew and loitering laws to reduce the traffic congestion resulting from crowds of young club patrons. This was subsequently perceived by young, local rock music fans as an infringement on their civil rights, and on Saturday, November 12, 1966, fliers were distributed along the Strip inviting people to demonstrate later that day. Hours before the protest, near a club at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Crescent Heights named "Pandora’s Box", "One of L.A's rock 'n' roll radio stations made an announcement that there would be a rally at Pandora's Box and cautioned people to tread carefully," wrote Domenic Priore, author of the 2007 book "Riot on Sunset Strip: Rock 'n' Roll's Last Stand in Hollywood". The Times reported that as many as 1,000 youthful demonstrators, including such celebrities as Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson
John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...
and Peter Fonda
Peter Fonda
Peter Henry Fonda is an American actor. He is the son of Henry Fonda, brother of Jane Fonda, and father of Bridget and Justin Fonda...
(who was afterward handcuffed by police), erupted in protest against the perceived repressive enforcement of these recently invoked curfew laws.
Though often mistaken for an anti-war song, it was in fact the “Sunset Strip riot
Sunset Strip curfew riots
The Sunset Strip curfew riots, also known as the "hippie riots," were a series of clashes that took place between police and young people on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, California, beginning in the mid-1960s and continuing through the early 1970s....
” which inspired then Buffalo Springfield band member Stephen Stills to write “For What It’s Worth", recorded about three weeks after on December 5, 1966.
Song information
The song quickly became a well-known protest songProtest song
A protest song is a song which is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of topical songs . It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre...
. While it has come to symbolize worldwide turbulence and confrontational feelings arising from events during the 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
(particularly the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
), Stills recounts writing the song in reaction to escalating unrest between law enforcement and young club-goers
Sunset Strip curfew riots
The Sunset Strip curfew riots, also known as the "hippie riots," were a series of clashes that took place between police and young people on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, California, beginning in the mid-1960s and continuing through the early 1970s....
on the Sunset Strip
Sunset Strip
The Sunset Strip is the name given to the mile-and-a-half stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with Hollywood at Harper Avenue, to its western border with Beverly Hills at Sierra Drive...
in Los Angeles County, California. The song's title appears nowhere in its lyrics; it is more easily remembered by the first line of chorus: "Stop, children, what's that sound?"
Stills said in an interview that the name of the song came about when he presented it to the record company executive Ahmet Ertegun
Ahmet Ertegun
Ahmet Ertegün was a Turkish American musician and businessman, best known as the founder and president of Atlantic Records. He also wrote classic blues and pop songs and served as Chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and museum...
who signed Buffalo Springfield to the Atlantic Records-owned ATCO label. He said: "I have this song here, for what it's worth, if you want it." Another producer, Charlie Greene, claims that Stills first said the above sentence to him, but credits Ahmet Ertegun with subtitling the single "Stop, Hey What's That Sound" so that the song would be more easily recognized.
In 2006, when interviewed on Tom Kent
Tom Kent
Tom Kent ,is an American radio personality. As the head of the Tom Kent Radio Network, he hosts 105 hours of classic hits programming each week, which, as of February 2, 2009, is distributed through Cumulus Media Networks.-Biography:Prior to becoming syndicated, Kent worked on the air and in...
's radio show "Into the '70s", Stephen Stills pointed out that many people think "For What It's Worth" is about the Kent State Shootings
Kent State shootings
The Kent State shootings—also known as the May 4 massacre or the Kent State massacre—occurred at Kent State University in the city of Kent, Ohio, and involved the shooting of unarmed college students by members of the Ohio National Guard on Monday, May 4, 1970...
(1970), despite predating that event by over three years.
The song was played (without Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
's presence) at Buffalo Springfield's induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In 1969, the song was covered by American singer-actress Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
on her album 3614 Jackson Highway
3614 Jackson Highway
-Credits:Personnel*Cher – lead vocalsProduction*Jerry Wexler – record producer*Tom Dowd – record producer*Arif Mardin – record producer*Stan Vincent – record producer*Greg Poree – arrangement assistance...
.
The track appears as part of the soundtrack for the 2005 film Lord of War
Lord of War
Lord of War is a 2005 French-German-American action drama film written and directed by Andrew Niccol and starring Nicolas Cage. It was released in the United States on September 16, 2005, with the DVD following on January 17, 2006 and the Blu-ray Disc on July 27, 2006.Cage plays an illegal arms...
, the 2008 film Tropic Thunder
Tropic Thunder
Tropic Thunder is a 2008 American action satire comedy film written, produced, and directed by Ben Stiller, and starring Stiller, Robert Downey, Jr., and Jack Black. The main plot revolves around a group of prima donna actors who are making a Vietnam War film...
, and Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump is a 1994 American epic comedy-drama romance film based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright and Gary Sinise...
as well as numerous others, mostly involving the Vietnam War or war in general.
This song has also been covered by experimental rock
Experimental rock
Experimental rock or avant-garde rock is a type of music based on rock which experiments with the basic elements of the genre, or which pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique....
bands The Pop Culture Suicides
The Pop Culture Suicides
The Pop Culture Suicides is an American experimental rock band from Chicago, Illinois featuring guitarist Zim Zum, formerly of the band Marilyn Manson.-Biography:...
and TV Toy and a Psychedelic band by the name of "Art" on their album "Supernatural Fairy Tales"
The song is sampled on the song "He Got Game" by the hip-hop group Public Enemy.
Crystal Bowersox
Crystal Bowersox
Crystal Lynn Bowersox is an American singer-songwriter and actress, who was the runner-up on the ninth season of American Idol...
also does a cover of the song on her 2010 CD Farmer's Daughter.
Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
performed a cover of the song on their Feedback
Feedback (Rush album)
Rhapsody praised the album, calling it one of their favorite cover albums. Allmusic reviewer Thom Jurek called the tracklist "amazing" and said "None of these tunes are done with an ounce of camp...
album.
Widespread Panic
Widespread Panic
Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Todd Nance, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guitarist Jimmy Herring...
performed a cover of the song at their 25th Anniversary Party in Athens, Georgia
Athens, Georgia
Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...