Mason Blake
What's that sound, everybody look are lyrics from the song For What It's Worth, written by Stephen Stills and first recorded by Buffalo Springfield on December 5, 1966. The song was inspired by the Sunset Strip curfew riots in Los Angeles in November 1966, where young demonstrators protested against the enforcement of a curfew. Despite its association with the Vietnam War, the song is actually about young people clashing with police during the counterculture era. For What It's Worth has become one of the most well-known protest songs of the 1960s and has been covered and sampled by various artists over the years.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Song Title | "For What It's Worth" |
| Alternate Title | "Stop, Hey What's That Sound" |
| Writer | Stephen Stills |
| First Recorded By | Buffalo Springfield |
| Recording Date | December 5, 1966 |
| Release Date | December 1966 |
| Peak Billboard Chart Position | No. 7 on the Hot 100 |
| Year of Peak Chart Position | 1967 |
| Misconception | Inspired by the Vietnam War |
| Actual Inspiration | Sunset Strip Curfew Riots, Los Angeles |
| Notable Covers/Remixes | Haley Reinhart, Stevie Nicks, Meat Loaf ft. Stephen Stills |
| Samples | Public Enemy's "He Got Game" |
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What You'll Learn
'For What It's Worth' by Buffalo Springfield
"For What It's Worth (Stop, Hey What's That Sound)", often referred to as simply "For What It's Worth", is a song written by Stephen Stills and first recorded by Buffalo Springfield on December 5, 1966. It was released as a single on Atco Records in December 1966 and peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the spring of 1967. The song was added to the March 1967 second pressing of their first album, Buffalo Springfield.
Contrary to popular belief, the song was not motivated by the Vietnam War. In an interview in 2006, Stills pointed out that many people think the song is about the Kent State shootings of 1970, even though its release predates that event by over three years. Instead, the song was inspired by a confrontation Stills had in Los Angeles' Sunset Strip neighbourhood. Stills grew up in a military family and spent his childhood and adolescence moving from post to post, including stints in Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Panama. In his mid-teens, he visited Nicaragua with his father and got caught up in a battle between the Guardia Civil and anti-Somoza revolutionaries. This first-hand experience of revolution later influenced his songwriting.
In November 1966, young people clashed with police during the Sunset Strip curfew riots in Los Angeles, a series of early counterculture-era clashes. Stills recalled that about three busloads of Los Angeles police showed up, resembling stormtroopers, and he feared that "America is in great danger of turning politically to the fascist right". The song "For What It's Worth" was recorded on December 5, 1966, during a period of unrest in Los Angeles, and it became a well-known protest song.
"For What It's Worth" has been included in numerous soundtracks and resurfaced as an anthem during American protests in 2020. It has been covered, sampled, and referenced in many musical performances and has become one of Buffalo Springfield's best-known songs. In 2000, the 1966 recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
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The song's association with the Vietnam War
"For What It's Worth (Stop, Hey What's That Sound)", often referred to as "For What It's Worth", is a song written by Stephen Stills and recorded by Buffalo Springfield on December 5, 1966. It is considered one of the most well-known protest songs of the 1960s. Despite its association with the Vietnam War, the song's lyrics were inspired by a confrontation that Stills witnessed in Los Angeles' Sunset Strip neighbourhood.
The song was written in response to the Sunset Strip curfew riots in November 1966, where young demonstrators, including future celebrities such as Jack Nicholson and Peter Fonda, protested against the enforcement of a curfew. The rallies began peacefully but eventually turned violent, with periodic unrest continuing throughout the rest of November and December. Stills' lyrics capture the confusion and anger of the protesters: "There's something happening here/ But what it is ain't exactly clear/ There's a man with a gun over there/ A-telling me I got to beware/ I think it's time we stop/ Children, what's that sound? Everybody look what's going down".
Although not directly about the Vietnam War, the song's themes of confusion, resistance, and young people speaking their minds against authority resonated with the sentiments of the time. The song's eerie backdrop and lyrics lent themselves to representing the chaos of the 1960s and the violence experienced by civilians during the guerrilla warfare between the Vietcong and US soldiers. As such, it has often been considered an anti-war song and included in lists of songs that defined the Vietnam War era.
The song was rush-released as a single in December 1966, with most authors not specifying an exact date beyond that month. It peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the spring of 1967. It has been covered and sampled by various artists over the years, including Public Enemy, Haley Reinhart, Stevie Nicks, and Lone Bellow.
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The Sunset Strip curfew riots
On November 12, 1966, approximately 1,000 young music fans, including celebrities like Jack Nicholson and Peter Fonda, gathered at Pandora's Box to protest the curfew. The protest turned violent when a scuffle broke out after a minor road accident, leading to the police using teargas and batons on the crowd. The crowd responded by hurling rocks and bottles, smashing windows, and overturning vehicles.
The unrest continued the next night and off and on throughout November and December, with the local administration rescinding the "youth permits" of twelve of the Strip's clubs, making them off-limits to anyone under 21. The riots inspired multiple songs, including "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield, "Riot on Sunset Strip" by the Standells, and "Daily Nightly" by the Monkees. They also inspired a 1967 low-budget film called "Riot on Sunset Strip".
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The song's sampling by Public Enemy
The hip-hop group Public Enemy sampled "For What It's Worth" in their 1998 song "He Got Game", which featured Stephen Stills reprising his vocal performance from the original song. The original song, "For What It's Worth (Stop, Hey What's That Sound)", was written by Stephen Stills and recorded by Buffalo Springfield in 1966.
Public Enemy is known for their sampling, cutting, remixing, and rapping over instrumentals. They have sampled songs from various genres, including rap, funk, soul, and disco. Some notable songs sampled by Public Enemy include:
- "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic" by Isaac Hayes
- "Living For The City" by Stevie Wonder
- "Little Green Apples" by The Escorts
- "Get Off Your Ass and Jam" by Funkadelic
- "Assembly Line" by The Commodores
- "Funky Drummer" by James Brown
- "Fame" by David Bowie
- "Christmas Rappin" by Kurtis Blow
- "Rock Steady" by Aretha Franklin
- "UFO" by ESG
- "I Can't Get Next To You" by The Temptations
Public Enemy has also sampled their own songs, such as \"Bring the Noise" and "Rebel Without a Pause", which were released as singles before their album "Nation" came out. Their song "Cold Lampin' With Flavor" features over ten samples, including Edwin Starr's grunt from "War" and a 'Yeah' from Run DMC and Beastie Boys.
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Covers of the song
"For What It's Worth", originally recorded by Buffalo Springfield, has been covered by numerous artists since its release in 1967. The song, written by Stephen Stills, is one of the most widely known protest songs of the 1960s. Here is a list of some of the notable covers of the song:
The Staple Singers
The Staple Singers' version of the song was released in 1967 and charted at #66 in the US and #46 in Canada.
Cher
Cher's cover of "For What It's Worth" was released in 1969 and did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, but it did reach #88 in Canada. AllMusic described her rendition as "mature [and] forceful".
Sérgio Mendes and Brasil '66
This version of the song was also released in 1969 and was included on their self-titled album.
King Curtis
King Curtis covered "For What It's Worth" on his 1967 album "King Sized Soul".
Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne's cover of the song also gained popularity, though the release date is unclear.
Other notable artists who have covered "For What It's Worth" include Art, Ken Lyon & Tombstone, Rush, The Candyskins, Oui 3, Queensrÿche, Miriam Makeba, (həd) p.e., Crystal Bowersox, Girl in a Coma, OneRepublic, Rise Against, Tab Benoit, Keb' Mo', Link 80, Crosby, Stills & Nash, The Muppets, Lou Rawls, Jason Manns, Hugh Cornwell, Anti-Flag, Letitia VanSant, Bahari, MonaLisa Twins, Haley Reinhart, and Ru.
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Frequently asked questions
The song is about young people clashing with police during the counterculture era. It was inspired by the Sunset Strip curfew riots in Los Angeles in November 1966.
The song was written by Stephen Stills and first recorded by Buffalo Springfield on December 5, 1966. It was released as a single on Atco Records in December 1966 and peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the spring of 1967.
Yes, the song has been covered by several artists, including Oui 3, Haley Reinhart, The Lone Bellow, and Stevie Nicks. It has also been sampled by the hip-hop group Public Enemy in their 1998 song "He Got Game."
