For What It's Worth
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- This article is about the 1967 song by Buffalo Springfield. For the 2003 song by the Cardigans, see For What It's Worth (Cardigans).
| "For What It's Worth" | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image:ForWhatItsWorth.jpg | |||||
| Single by Buffalo Springfield from the album Buffalo Springfield | |||||
| B-side | "Do I Have to Come Right Out and Say It?" | ||||
| Released | 1967 | ||||
| Format | 7" single | ||||
| Genre | Folk rock | ||||
| Length | 2:37 | ||||
| Label | Atco | ||||
| Writer | Stephen Stills | ||||
| Buffalo Springfield singles chronology | |||||
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"For What It's Worth" is a song written by Stephen Stills. It was performed by Buffalo Springfield 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 #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 2004, this song was #63 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
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[edit] Song information
While the song has come to symbolize worldwide turbulence and confrontational feelings arising from events during the 1960s (particularly the Vietnam War), Stills reportedly wrote the song in reaction to escalating unrest between law enforcement and young club-goers relating to the closing of Pandora's Box, a club on West Hollywood, California's Sunset Strip. The song's title appears nowhere in its lyrics, and many casual listeners likely know it better by the famous first line of its chorus: "Stop, children, what's that sound? Everybody look what's going down."
In 2006, Stephen Stills was interviewed by Tom Kent on his radio show "Into the '70's" and pointed out that though many people think "For What It's Worth" is about the Kent State Shootings, it was actually recorded before that event.
[edit] Cover versions and musical references
- Stills' current group, Crosby, Stills & Nash (and sometimes Young), often plays the song in concert. Live versions of the song appear on two CSN(Y) albums, Four Way Street (1971) and Allies (1983).
- The Staple Singers' 1967 cover of the song was one of their greatest hits.
- Art also released their version in 1967.
- Cher also covered the song in 1969.
- Led Zeppelin have played "For What It's Worth" during live performances. On the bootleg Live on Blueberry Hill (1970), the band segues into "For What It's Worth" after playing "Good Times, Bad Times". Robert Plant, singer of Led Zeppelin, has later recorded a cover version of "For What It's Worth" (album "Sixty Six to Timbuktu").
- Sergio Mendes and Brazil '66 released a cover on their Stillness album in 1970.
- It was also covered by The Candyskins and is featured in their (1991) album Space I'm In.
- The song was also sampled by the group Oui 3 for their 1993 release For What It's Worth.
- Chumbawamba uses lyrics from "For What It's Worth" in their song "Timebomb" from their album Anarchy (1994).
- Skee-Lo took inspiration from the sentences "Stop, hey, what's that sound? / Everybody look what's going down" for some lyrics of his song "I Wish" (1995). His version was then sampled by Les Rythmes Digitales for the song "[Hey You] What's That Sound?" from the 1999 album Darkdancer.
- The rap group Public Enemy sampled "For What It's Worth" in their 1998 song "He Got Game". That song also featured Stephen Stills performing the bridge.
- Christian artist Tobymac featured a song called "What's Goin' Down" on his 2001 album Momentum that features several of the lyrics from "For What It's Worth."
- The band Rush also performed a cover of the song that was on their 2004 EP Feedback.
- During live performances, Dave Matthews Band frequently segues into "For What It's Worth" after jamming at the end of their song "Jimi Thing". This has been recorded on several live albums, including The Central Park Concert (2003) and The Complete Weekend on the Rocks (2005).
- Another cover of the song can be found on Ozzy Osbourne's 2005 CD Under Cover And Prince Of Darkness Box Set.
- Punk rock band Rise Against covered the song during an AOL Session in 2006.
- 2007 brings a new cover version by Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades on their album Influence.
- Grammy-nominated Louisiana bluesman Tab Benoit performs a cover of the song with the help of backing band Le Roux (band) on his 2007 album "Power of the Ponchartrain".
- Covered by Sir Ivan, the techno artist also made famous by Who Wants to Be a Superhero? (Season 2).
- (həd) p.e. have covered it (under the name "Children") on their 2007 album Insomnia.
- There is a reference to one of the lines in a song "Do You See?" by E.Town Concrete. It says Stop, children, watch that step.
- Lucinda Williams also covered For What It's Worth during her 2007 tour.
- Simple Minds covered it for the B-Side of the single "Cry" in 2002
- Queensrÿche covered it on their 2007 album Take Cover.
- Nathan Morris sampled it on his single Wishes from the soundtrack of the 1996 movie Kazaam.
[edit] In other media
- "For What It's Worth" has been featured in a number of documentaries, television shows and films, including The Wonder Years (1988-1993), Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Where the Day Takes You (1992), Forrest Gump (1994), Three Kings (1999), Breaking the Spell (1999), The '60s (1999), The West Wing episode "Isaac and Ishmael" (2001), Invisible Children (2003), Walk on Water (2004), Jarhead (2005), Breakfast on Pluto (2005), and Lord of War (2005). It is also parodied in the 2006 film Ice Age: The Meltdown by its protagonist "Sid" with slightly altered lyrics.
- The song was also used in an advertising campaign for Paul Keating during the 1990s.
- On an episode of the Muppet Show (1976-1981), woodland Muppets performed the song, but the lyrics were changed into an anti-hunting song, with the setting in a forest. The musical interlude was filled with wild hunters shooting their guns at non-hunting targets and all the animals hiding.
- For the movie Walk on Water the song was remixed by the artists Sérgio Mendes and Shantel. Both the original version and the remix can be heard in the movie.
- In the movie Lord of War, the song is played during the opening credits as the camera follows a bullet on its journey from the factory to a civil war and eventually into a child soldier's head.
- The song often features on British M.P. George Galloway's late night talk show (The Mother Of All Talk Shows) on talkSPORT (Radio Station In The U.K.)
- It was also featured in 2005 [The Illuminati] documentary. The song appears during the Bohemian Grove/JFK sequence. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2277769151134440252&q=the+illuminati+2005&total=128&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0
[edit] External links
Buffalo Springfield | |
|---|---|
| Richie Furay · Dewey Martin · Jim Messina · Stephen Stills · Neil Young · Bruce Palmer | |
| Studio albums | Buffalo Springfield · Buffalo Springfield Again · Last Time Around |
| Compilations and box sets | Retrospective: The Best of Buffalo Springfield · Buffalo Springfield (collection) · Buffalo Springfield (box set) |
| Songs | "For What It's Worth" · "Mr. Soul" · "Broken Arrow" |
| Related Articles | The Au Go Go Singers · The Mynah Birds · Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young · The Stills-Young Band · Poco · Manassas · Crazy Horse · Loggins and Messina |
