Glyn Wilton is our host at Mixed Music Bag;
the theme this month is groups or solo artists
that start with the letter A or B.
Before there was Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, there was Buffalo Springfield, my group of choice for Glynâs MMB challenge.
Buffalo Springfield was formed in 1966 in Los Angeles by Canadians Neil Young, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin and Americans Stephen Stills and Richie Furay. The group released three albums and several singles in the two years they were together. Their music combined elements of folk and country with British Invasion and psychedelic rock influences and was key to the early development of folk rock. The group became widely known for their protest anthem, âFor What Itâs Worthâ.
The Sunset Strip in West Hollywood was a gathering place for hippies and followers of the rock and roll culture. Young people would congregate nightly, disrupting the flow of traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian. Local business owners had enough of it and petitioned town officials to impose a curfew. Well, that notion didnât sit right with many of the young people.
On November 12, 1966, fliers were distributed inviting people to join demonstrations that night to protest the curfews. Several of Los Angeles’ rock radio stations also announced a rally outside Pandoraâs Box on Sunset Boulevard, a club where groups like the Beach Boys and Sonny & Cher had performed over the years. That evening, as many as 1,000 young people, including future celebrities such as Jack Nicholson and Peter Fonda (who was handcuffed by police) gathered to protest. Although the rallies began peacefully, trouble soon followed. The unrest continued the next night, and periodically throughout the rest of November and December, forcing some clubs to shut down. It was against the background of these civil disturbances that Stephen Stills recorded “For What It’s Worth” on December 5, 1966.
Despite having a reputation as being an anti-war song (as it was also written during the Vietnam War) Stephen Stills said that âFor What Itâs Worthâ was mostly in response to the Sunset Strip riots. In an interview for the Los Angeles Times, Stills said âIt was really different things intertwined, including the war and the absurdity of what was happening on The Strip. But I knew I had to get out of there fast before the cops nabbed me. I headed home where I wrote my song in about 15 minutes. For me, there was no riot; it was basically a cop dance âŠ. the term âriotâ is ridiculous. They were demonstrations and the song was written in response to them but it was big, man. It looked like a goddamn revolution.â
The lyrics reveal to the listener Stillsâ perspective of the tumultuous time, referencing people in the street, singing songs while hoisting up protest signs. âFor What Itâs Worthâ is on the groupâs eponymous debut album, âBuffalo Springfieldâ, released in December 1966 on Atco Records and has been covered by a vast number of recording artists over the years. In 1977, Crosby, Stills and Nash – along with Tom Petty – performed the song at Buffalo Springfieldâs induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
After several drug-related arrests and line-up changes, the group disbanded in 1968. Stephen Stills went on to form the supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash (CS&N). Neil Young launched his solo career and in 1969 became a member of CSN&Y. The group briefly reunited for a comeback tour in 2011.
Wars are still raging, people are still protesting and the world keeps on spinning. In some ways, not much has changed.
Here is Buffalo Springfield with their epic tune, âFor What Itâs Worthâ. Listen for the dissonant chords when the words “paranoia strikes deep” are sung; little things like that make a great song even better.
Lyrics
There’s something happening here
But what it is ain’t exactly clear
There’s a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware
I think it’s time we stop
Children, what’s that sound?
Everybody look, what’s going down?
There’s battle lines being drawn
Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind
It’s time we stop
Hey, what’s that sound?
Everybody look, what’s going down?
What a field day for the heat (Ooh ooh ooh)
A thousand people in the street (Ooh ooh ooh)
Singing songs and they carrying signs (Ooh ooh ooh)
Mostly say, “Hooray for our side” (Ooh ooh ooh)
It’s time we stop
Hey, what’s that sound?
Everybody look, what’s going down?
Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you’re always afraid
Step out of line, the men come and take you away
We better stop
Hey, what’s that sound?
Everybody look, what’s going down?
You better stop
Hey, what’s that sound?
Everybody look, what’s going down?
You better stop
Now, what’s that sound?
Everybody look, what’s going down?
You better stop
Children, what’s that sound?
Everybody look, what’s going down?
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Stephen Stills
For What It’s Worth lyrics © Cotillion Music Inc., Springalo Toones, Ten East Music, Richie Furay Music
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