ON THIS DATE (49 YEARS AGO) August 12, 1965 - Barry McGuire: Eve Of Destruction b/w What Exactlys The Matter With Me (Dunhill 45-D-4009) 45 single is released in the US. Eve of Destruction is a protest song written by P. F. Sloan in 1965. Several artists have recorded it, but the best-known recording was by Barry McGuire. This recording was made between July 12 and July 15, 1965 and released by Dunhill Records. The accompanying musicians were top-tier LA session players: P.F. Sloan on guitar, Hal Blaine (of Phil Spectors Wrecking Crew) on drums, and Larry Knechtel on bass. The vocal track was thrown on as a rough mix and was not intended to be the final version, but a copy of the recording leaked out to a DJ, who began playing it. The song was an instant hit and as a result the more polished vocal track that was at first envisioned was never recorded. McGuire also mentioned that Eve of Destruction was recorded in one take on a Thursday morning (from words scrawled on a crumpled piece of paper), and he got a call from the record company at 7:00 the following Monday morning, telling him to turn on the radio—his song was playing. The song is a grave warning of imminent apocalypse, and considered by some to be the epitome of a protest song. It expressed the frustrations and fears of young people in the age of the Cold War, Vietnam, the nuclear arms race, and the civil rights movement. It also mentions Youre old enough to kill, but not for votin., referencing the movement to lower the voting age to eighteen. The line You dont believe in war, but whats that gun youre totin? is a reference to the draft, through which all American citizens had to serve in the military (exceptions being made for college students and the disabled). Barry McGuire became a born-again Christian, and as a result renounced the song for many years, refusing to perform it. Though he is now known primarily as a singer of contemporary Christian songs, McGuire has resumed singing Eve of Destruction in recent years, often updating the lyrics to refer to such events as the Columbine High School massacre. Barry McGuire
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 19:20:01 +0000
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