Ohio - Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young | College Students' FIRST TIME REACTION!

[@andyandalex]

Was finally time to come back around to this group, you all said we had to check out this powerful song and it was just that. We loved it, thanks for recommending it, what’s next?! 🙌🏻🔥

[@reliablebow]

Don’t forget to check out Southern Man on CSNY’s Live 4 Way Street album....

[@peck404]

You should see the footage of the Ohio shootings..they sing of-- it's so sad... This was really a time period of turmoil 🥺csny was fantastic 🎼🎹🎹✔️✔️

[@peck404]

Wooden Ships--🎸 Teach your children well 🎸 Woodstock🎸 ** NEXT the remake of Joni Mitchell's Woodstock is phenomenal

[@leslierosenstrauch5182]

Our House

[@kjmorley]

leslie rosenstrauch about Graham Nash and Joni Mitchell’s place.

[@Gromit801]

54 years ago. It still fills me with anger and rage.

[@anna9072]

There’s a version of this that illustrates it with actual photos of the incident. It really brings it home.

[@greggw.brevoort]

May 4, 1970. It was a harrowing time and event. Even the Beach Boys did a Kent State protest song ("Student Demonstration Time" on the Surf's Up lp).

[@bertrandcoquio3108]

Check out: "Carry on", "Almost cut my hair" or "Helpless" from "Déjà Vu".

[@Chess8548]

The line “what if you knew her and found her dead on the ground” always gives me chills. RIP

[@donkunes8630]

The video version of this song brings flashbacks of the turmoil then . If you couldnt afford a deferment & in any kind of decent shape you were drafted . The loss of 3 great leaders, struggles , protests and the music was for many a refuge

[@vinylsolution2522]

It's a scream of outrage, simple, raw, utterly perfect. Yes, Chilling.

[@pea422000]

it should be noted that joni mitchell did the album cover.

[@jeanharris2408]

One young man was killed just walking to his car after a class. There is an iconic photo of a young woman, kneeling over a dead body. She's looking directly at the camera, screaming and crying. Absolutely terrified.

[@loosilu]

That young girl was actually only 14. SHe wasn't a student, just happened to be there. THere have been follow up stories on her - apparently that incident (and the photo) profounded traumatized her.

[@lindab1945]

It was an iconic Life Magazine cover that inspired Young. And the song, with that image, moved the war protest mainstream. I was 8th grade or so, and angry my 9 years older sister wasn’t raging in the streets. But she was a home economics major... 🤪

[@centuryrox]

That was Mary Ann Vecchio, and that photo won a Pulitzer prize. Imagine the trauma of being only 14 (in a MUCH less desensitized America than today) and seeing up close a young person being shot through the mouth. I don't know how I'd ever handle that.

[@tommybruner01]

All four who were killed had nothing to do with the protest. The guard fired over the heads of the people actually protesting but they were too stupid to realize they were firing up a hill. There was a parking lot at the top of the hill where students were walking. That's where the deaths and injuries occurred. A complete act of utter negligence.

[@oboogie2]

@@tommybruner01 and nobody was ever convicted of anything except the protestors.

[@celticbastardson2599]

I see those four, young kids' black & white photos in my head and that chilling image of the girl on the magazine, crouched down over Jeffrey Miller's corpse, with that look of horror, confusion, and despair (I wanna go back in time and give her a hug).

[@donnabruton7947]

Vietnam era. So much great music from the late 60’s and early 70’s.

[@sylvialee1079]

How can you run when you know? This song still brings tears with the memories it presents.....

[@doughaviland1729]

On that day in May, 1970, I was days away from graduation from college. Standing on the porch h of our Fraternity House just enjoying a cloudless blue sky when my roommate from last year came screeching up in his Mustang. He was doing Masters work at Kent State and shouted "they're shooting students at Kent!" We all thought he was putting us on until we turned on the TV. The world turned on that day. 51 years ago and it's STILL fresh in my mind....😔

[@raymondmccollum2382]

Crazy fun fact. Mark Mothersbaugh of the band Devo was attending Kent State University at the time of the events they’re singing about. And one of his band mates had a friend that was one of the 4 that was shot and died from his wounds

[@yazmon4515]

I'm 67 now but still every time, no matter where I am, this song brings tears to my eyes.

[@latherslick]

I'm 67. And it does to me also.

[@lisasmithline1386]

I'm "only" 52, but I have the same reaction.

[@fritty9927]

69 here. I understand. Imagine a high school grad listening to the radio that summer to see what your draft number was. We couldn’t all afford college. They send boys because men know better.

[@betha5893]

72 here, I still remember that day, and the song moves my heart to tears every time.

[@joanlajara3939]

You guys gotta listen to Almost Cut My Hair with David Crosby on lead and Young on guitar! Also Stephen Dtills on guitar also!! Great stuff, different CSN&Y

[@larksigsby3697]

For those of us who were in college at the time, ‘68-‘72, this was a huge anthem. It was a chilling time and all these years later it evokes great passion.

[@donlawson3330]

I suggest “Wooden Ships”

[@Shadowrider1872]

GOOOOOOOOOD MORNING A&A FAMILY!!!! ☮️♥️♾️

[@daphnehooper26]

Morning John

[@Shadowrider1872]

@@daphnehooper26 morning Daphne 🥰

[@juliemanarin4127]

Great band...perfect harmony...they have many great songs!

[@surfpsych]

RIP Allison Beth Krause, Jeffrey Glenn Miller, Sandra Lee Scheuer, William Knox Schroeder. Not one over 20 years old. 💔

[@patriciaobrien6600]

Thank you. Rarely do I see their names in print. Real people with real lives. 🙏

[@tracysnow349]

Amen and thank you for that.

[@minty_Joe]

May 4, 1970.

[@winterlongone]

RIP Allison. My babysitter. This song has special significance for me.

[@mumbles215]

Her spirit lives in you. Beautiful

[@terryfaulconbridge2654]

I find it interesting how you say it sounds like a "News Caption" versus it was a "Headline" which it was at the time. Wow, how the generations have (changed). Interesting to hear and see your take on history.

[@normanleroy1874]

David Crosby's anguished cry of "how many more" is one of the most genuine things you will ever hear in a pop song.

[@RoarSharkRochester]

+1,000,000 ("how many more" is one of the most genuine things you will ever hear in a pop song.)

[@michlkwitz]

Followed by his anguished cries of "Why? Why?"

[@gbsailing9436]

another one is Bob Dylan's: "Hurricane"...literally, the whole song !

[@toddstevens13]

@@gbsailing9436 A must do, a Racist City, and its Police Force takes the soon to be Champion of the World Boxer down by faking witness's and threats etc. And then years later 3 Canadian University students take their lives in their hands go to Patterson etc and continually fight for his release for years, finally getting the help they need to free him.

[@deborahphillips500]

They also call out the names of those who died.

[@jamescox4231]

Two things- Mark Mothersbaugh was at Kent State at the time and this event was one of the main inspirations for him to form DEVO. He saw that society was devolving and becoming absurd. Second- George Carlin had a DJ character that introduced “the new single by Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young (the band), Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Finner, Smith (an investment firm), Sacco and Vanzetti (2 Italian anarchists in the 2920s).”

[@bopep1368]

Chrissie Hynde, Pretenders, was also a student at the time

[@troidva]

I was a little kid when this song first came on the car radio just a few weeks or months after the Kent State massacre, and I remember my dad (who was no fan of rock n' roll) pulled over to the side of the road, told us kids to be quiet, and listened intently. I think a lot of people who knew the story behind the song had a similar first reaction.

[@emilyflotilla931]

My entire family cried when we heard this...

[@davidcooklock129]

That is a great story.

[@allenlunde7908]

I believe they recorded and released the song in a week.

[@cobrakaiX]

Man your story gave me some chills and made me tear up a little.

[@mariaportengen2959]

Deja vu. A great Crosby, Stills and Nash album. 🎸🎸👍

[@maryward7072]

A natural path to Buffalo Springfield. "For What It's Worth". Great band including Young and Stills before CSNY.

[@AirJimInCT]

Add to that Bluebird, Mr, Soul and Broken Arrow.

[@johnnymartin49]

An absolute great suggestion!! 😎

[@myratatano5187]

Yes, For What it's Worth was the protest Anthem for 1967, written by Stephen Stills and iconic guitar by Neil Young!

[@Russ-gy7tx]

“For What it’s Worth” was written about the 1967 Sunset Strip Curfew protest and riots in Los Angeles. Stephan Stills who wrote the song, lived up in Laurel Canyon and was caught in the middle of the protest.

[@vivianphillips8519]

I've been waiting for months for them to do Buffalo Springfield's For what it's Worth. It totally represents those times

[@gustavopanesso7297]

WOW! . I REMEMBER THIS SONG SO WELL! POWERFUL, RELEVANT EVEN NOW. 🌻👍👍❤❤

[@letno3662]

Love that you covered this song. CSN were known for their harmonies. Crosby came from the Byrds, Stills from Buffalo Springfield, Nash from the Hollies. They got together and it was magic.

[@parissimons6385]

And Neil Young, who occasionally joined CSN, had also been part of Buffalo Springfield.

[@HamiltonRb]

@@parissimons6385 Buffalo Springfield was a regular band at the Whisky a go go back in the day, and played often with the Doors, who were the house band at the time

[@matthewdrake4385]

Have A&A covered For What Its Worth? That's kind of similar in vein to Ohio.

[@letno3662]

@@matthewdrake4385 I thought t he same thing. I don't know if they have or not

[@nancybrownlee6518]

@@HamiltonRb Yes! Was living in LA the year that Buffalo Springfield was the house band at the Whiskey.

[@sonomabob]

All these songs are far better than i remember. Wow! Thanks.

[@Shadowrider1872]

Happy HUMP DAY y'all!

[@normanleroy1874]

Good morning, John!

[@Shadowrider1872]

@@normanleroy1874 morning brother!

[@justinburke4464]

David Crosby singing the "how many more!" part at the end

[@annapavlakis7626]

I've heard this song so, so many times, and I get chills every single time.

[@LoriCurl]

One of my FAVORITE songs from these guys!!

[@segan63]

This track was recorded 17 days after the Kent State shootings and released a couple of weeks later

[@jaycorby]

Shane Egan Thank you for the data. I recall the time vividly...like it was yesterday! I was 25 when the Kent State massacre occurred...I'll turn 76 this coming September. Enjoy and cherish every single day of your life...it passes in the blink of an eye.

[@bigmac9940]

I bought the 45 the day it came out. Still have it.

[@EdwardGregoryNYC]

We visited the site on our Ohio vacation last hear. Although the May 4 1970 museum was not open to the general public due to COVID, the site itself and the memorial are moving - especially on an appropriately rainy dark morning. The locations where the students died in the parking lot are set off by stanchions. The large metal sculpture overlooking the site still bears the bullet holes.

[@Cheryworld]

at the time. 4 dead in Ohio......50,000 American men your age dead in Vietnam

[@vegangoddess8501]

And now, Nam vets are dying from Agent Orange

[@sherri3575]

Vegan Goddess - yes indeed. A good friend who was exposed has just been diagnosed with two different kinds of cancer.

[@vegangoddess8501]

@@sherri3575 so sorry…my former love as well, I just found out 😥 he was 19 when they shipped him over there to do their dirty work. I’m sure he had PTSD but who knew of that in the 70s?

[@softride12]

About a month after Kent State CSNY came to Portland, OR.for a concert which I attended (I was 19!). Before they started their encore Nash said that the song they were going to play was a new song that Neil just wrote and that they had not yet played in concert. They then launched into "Ohio"!

[@bfan64]

This song still brings tears to my eyes after 51 years. I was 19 at the time and it was absolutely shocking. Thanks for the cover.

[@justinreiter]

Love your subscribers insight. Nothing to add but thanks fellas. Cheers!

[@penguin1924]

I was in high school 40 miles from Kent when this shooting happened. One of my teachers said, "Those students had no business being there."

[@laurelinlorefield318]

Sad. Sorry you had such an ignorant, foolish teacher.

[@JohnRJune]

My mother said the same thing.....she changed her tune about the war, though.

[@scottmorschhauser4421]

Two of the students who were right there in the crossfire who survived... Mark Mothersbaugh who went on to form DEVO and Chrissie Hynde who went on to form The Pretenders.

[@mudbug73us]

Thanks for reacting to this. This song will always bring tears to my eyes. May 4, 1970 at Kent State was the result of a DEEPLY polarized nation, divided by the war in Vietnam. I was an 18 year old draft eligible student at the time. Student protests had been widespread across the nation for several years, most college campuses had seen violent protests, with tons of tear gas and police, and National Guard troops using batons and bayonets to "control" the crowds. This protest was a response to yet another expansion of that disastrous war. The students had burned down the ROTC building on campus a couple nights before, the Ohio Governor promised to do whatever it took to stop it. Shooting 13 students, killing four of them, paralyzing one for life didnt stop the protests. It was a very dark day in US history.

[@FanOblues51]

Tears to my eyes and goose bumps -- every time I hear this song. Cops were cracking heads of protesters in Madison WI, 15 miles from my home when the Ohio murders happened. Gaaah!

[@ktcarl]

The REAL unfortunate thing was that two of the dead weren't even a part of the protest. They were trying to get to the building their class was in.

[@edwardtmarsh884]

***This dirge got a lot of airplay because so many disc jockeys were "Liberals" & mainly against the hideous, useless war. play the SONG!!! The morning it was released, it was an instant hit. Remember, not only was there the Kent State massacre, but also many campus demonstrations, sit-in's, BOMBINGS, disruptions of everyone's domestic USA life!!!! It was horrendous. Many people never recovered from the shell-shocked depression, especially Vietnam vets who were ostracized when they came home, kike they had nade the politocal decisions not the "suits" in D.C. At MY college, UMaine, even the ptofessors were risking their tenure by protesting in the streets! This song was a musical culmination of ALL that division, hatred, frustration, and sadness that marked the end of the '60s & well into the mid-'70s. Great fodder for inspiration & rejuvenation. ROCK ON in 2023!!!

[@43cjd]

And yet we now let mobs of people run amok stealing and looting and terrorizing innocent stores, shop owners, and civilians. And when I say mobs you know what I am saying. hoards of black people thinking they are entitled to do whatever they want. 5-4-70 is nothing like what we are seeing today. Believe me, I was there on 5-4-70.

[@sirsimonthesentry4787]

True Story - I was 6 when this happened & I asked my dad (Naval officer) what was happening… he ended up writing me a letter explaining it and he won a writing award from the Freedom Foundation- years later, I was a Sr in high school and dad took off because embassy in Iran had been taken & they were holding US citizens hostages. The San Diego Veteran’s association in conjunction with Freedom Foundation held a speech contest. I responded to dad’s letter and recorded it (I took like 20 takes because I kept crying..) I won. I had to read it to a huge group of veterans. I had practiced it so I could get thru it though I was still emotional. I looked up when done and seeing all the vets in tears destroyed me and I broke down. The initial letter and my response are framed next to each other now. Dad passed and didn’t get to hear it til he came back. But it is one of my most precious memories. I can’t hear this song without thinking about how that massacre kicked off an intense discussion that took place over the years… 🥺

[@drmorqWarrenProject]

Its difficult to explain what it was like back then... and why such songs hit so hard. I was 13... I remember like it was yesterday... I was living in Wichita Kansas... and had become politically aware with a serious jolt on June 5, 1968... A few months earlier in April of 68 I knew something was really wrong in this country... and this action by the Ohio national guard happened on May 4, 1970... It was at Kent State... These historical things, instances... times are what make the music so universal.. You listening to these songs now... without the context and without them being in order of when they came out..it gives you a different look at this history... real history... that so many of us lived... Its not so much history for us as it is our lives...

[@slowfinger2]

Do their song "Marakesh Express.

[@canadianstudmuffin]

Thumbs up for a reaction to Neil Young's "Like A Hurricane"!

[@gr8fulded]

Larry Graves! Wassup, man?

[@carolrose8793]

Two "S tier" songs (IMHO) you should do - For What It's Worth by Buffalo Springfield and What's Going On by Marvin Gaye.

[@zebjohnson5118]

" Almost cut my Hair" jam crazy 👍✌️♥️

[@LarchmontLady]

Thank you for changing your minds on the harmonies 👍🏼

[@richmuckey6827]

“The harmonies are a little much” said no one ever for CSN&Y

[@terryanngallagher3605]

Yeah, no shit!

[@clemdane]

Yeah that was pretty funny

[@scottingram7634]

Without the harmonies, there is no CSN&Y.

[@MrDeadstu]

They were talking about CSN, no Young yet.

[@queenanne94101]

Love the haircut! Thanks for doing this moving, intense, fantastic song. Love it!

[@peterstilla8733]

This was THE counterculture anthem of it's time, and it's hard to describe just how chilling the actual event was when it happened.

[@nancybrownlee6518]

It was terrifying, even if you were a thousand miles from Ohio... the right to peaceful protest, blown away...

[@eddiewillers1442]

@@nancybrownlee6518 Don't go overboard. It was NOT a peaceful protest. Still no excuse....but.

[@bobbabai]

I'm 63. I don't think of it as counterculture. I think of it as human empathy and justified outrage.

[@peterstilla8733]

@@bobbabai I'm 62 and I agree with you.

[@jimd7260]

@@eddiewillers1442 It was up until the Guard showed up!

[@BrianBarringer-n2i]

We were asking the same questions & having same feelings.

[@burmajones803]

For protest songs, Marvin Gaye's classic What's Goin' On will be coming up, but for a real gut punch you gotta hear Billie Holiday's Strange Fruit. It will bring you to tears within 60 seconds. Maybe not for the channel, but you should listen to it. One of the gutsiest acts of revolution in this country's history.

[@nancybrownlee6518]

Teddy Swims does a killer cover...

[@marieparsons9908]

I absolutely agree. So much a part of our history. I won't listen to Billie Holliday's song again. I get deeply depressed just hearing the title. 😢

[@patcoats]

inner city blues is another amazing marvin gaye song. i think they should do the entire 'what's goin' on ' album.

[@burmajones803]

@@marieparsons9908 seriously, it makes me tear up when I hear it. To think what our Black brothers and sisters have had to endure...

[@bjs301]

Strange Fruit has to be the heaviest song I ever heard. It's incredible she had the guts to publish it in the 1950's.

[@tubularap]

Band with 6 member-names: Dave, Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich and their 60's hit "Zabadak" - Worth a listen. [edited for typo in one name]

[@shackinup]

I scrolled all the way down to see if someone mentioned them. You beat me to it 😄

[@macelven]

Dave Dee is one person, so they're a 5 person band not 6.

[@tubularap]

@@macelven - I didn't check it, just used my memory. But now you mention it; Dave Dee was one person. Anyways, still a "5 name" band :-)

[@JimReuterskiold]

The cover was painted by an obscure artist named Joni Mitchell.

[@timothybryant665]

I’m impressed guys, despite your age you really got it.

[@barryshapiro3349]

Eagles Joe Walsh and Pretenders Chrissie Hynde were Kent State students at the rally that day.

[@BeatLA24]

So was Jerry Casale of Devo.

[@barryshapiro3349]

@@BeatLA24 Did not know that.

[@carolcyr8553]

@@BeatLA24 Yes, Devo based part of their philosophy of de-evolution on that day. The idea that mankind is going backwards. Hence their name Devo.

[@43cjd]

It is so amazing to me that you talk about this song and having never heard it. What surprises me most is that you did not know the background behind the lyrics. So many things that I know and have lived through I try to pass onto my sons. I think that is so important. It gives them a picture of what my life was like as well as the rest of my generation lived through. And they love hearing the stories I tell them. Just as much as I loved hearing the stories that my parents told to me. I cherish hearing those stories and now do the same with my granddaughter. If we don't tell them they will never know.

[@kjmorley]

The KZbin video, incorporating photographs from the day, is very powerful.

[@normanleroy1874]

It really hits hard and this is one of the best protest songs ever written.

[@kmorri9]

Showed that vid to my seniors when I taught history. The class was post WW2 to present with a focus on historical events represented through pop culture. So much fun to teach!

[@jaycorby]

@@kmorri9 Sounds fantastic, Kimberly! I taught history for 30 years to high schoolers, and was a young man in my twenties during the Viet Nam era. Living it then, and remembering it as history now broadens one's mind in ways hard to describe. As Viet Nam dragged on for 9 years, and the body count grew daily, there was a sense of angst and anger that seemed to follow us around like a shadow. The music of that time was so damned good, and I believe now it served as a kind of balm for the grieving hearts so affected by the sight of flag draped military caskets arriving home. We forgot too soon the 'kids' who went to southeast Asia and shed their blood.

[@andymullarx6365]

The interesting thing about that band is that all their members left successful bands. Steven Stills and Neil Young were from Buffalo Springfield , Graham Nash from the Hollies and David Crosby from the Byrds.

[@teamviagraham]

Is the crazy thing about this song, Neil walked down Into the Woods came back a 1/2 hour later with this song. He played it for Graham Nash, Nash calls Crosby and Stills and says we gotta get to the studio right away. They had a number one hit can't remember the song . When you have a number one hit you wanted it to stay there Ist for a while. They brought out Ohio and stepped on their own number one song. that's how important this song was to them.

[@chrisdelisle3954]

That song would have been "Teach Your Children." The juxtaposition of those two songs, eh?!

[@teamviagraham]

It's been 30+ years since I heard the story.

[@rustytime]

@@teamviagraham Just watching David Crosby telling the story on his " TV "special". He might have embellished...👍

[@bernardsalvatore1929]

Awesome comment my friend I was hoping that someone would tell the story of this song!!

[@hilarytoffler5636]

Having lived through that era. Being an active protester we were devistated by what happened. Ohio quickly became our Anthem. We knew that at anytime we could be killed but the issue was more important to us. Viet Nam should never have happened. I lost allot of friends over there and so many of the ones that came back were not supported by anyone. Many took their own lives! Short story... I had a friend Jimmy who came back totally depressed and twisted. We always said "Dude, you can't kill yourself, your mom would be broken by that.". The night after his mom's funeral he went to her grave and ate his gun!!!!

[@anonamoose5673]

Thanks for playing this. When the masscer occurred I was in high school and we were in the middle of deciding which collages to apply to. We were shocked and didn't know what to think

[@detritus8095]

The cover art of So Far (a greatest hits comp) was painted by Joni Mitchell.

[@thorsluter7835]

Joni is FAR too talented for one human being...

[@Lafiel17]

She and Graham Nash were a couple at the time.

[@blanewilliams5960]

"Mr. Soul" - Buffalo Springfield featuring Neil Young

[@captainphasma207]

If your looking for mind blowing harmonies, try Carry On by this band. It will take your breath away.

[@AdamMcGahan]

"Carry On" is flipping amazing. I think that they may have done it. Let me see if I can find it...

[@AdamMcGahan]

A&A did "Carry On". It was blocked on KZbin but is still posted on Patreon, Nov 16, 2020.

[@stevemd6488]

My fav CSNY song

[@zmanjace1364]

7 bridges road is always my go to for harmonies.

[@leonardoglesby1730]

@@zmanjace1364 Agreed! The Ian Matthews version of Seven Bridges Road.

[@MiBones]

To give this another perspective, the National Guard was called in after there were riots on campus. Some of the student body even went so far as to torch the ROTC building and refused to allow authorities to extinguish it. Three thousand protesters, to 1000 National Guard. Not every student was putting flowers into gun barrels.

[@salhaney]

This song was written, recorded, and released within days of the shooting. It still gives me chills 50 years on. This is S-teir for me, one of my favorite songs of all time.

[@markboatwright-frost6194]

For What its Worth

[@Meeker128-Amy]

Southern Cross! Please! My only more favorite than Ohio.

[@scottboswell6406]

Yes! I know that the Southern Cross does NOT refer to Confederate flag, like I used to think! It's a natural phenomena like the Aurora Borealis.

[@loosilu]

Seconded!

[@Meeker128-Amy]

@@scottboswell6406 It's a constalation that can only be seen in the southern hemisphere.

[@scottboswell6406]

@@Meeker128-Amy See, I still didn't know, lol! Thanks!

[@leetroy3129]

My absolute favorite CS&N song!

[@alleneh]

This was played constantly on every college campus in the country... like an anthem.

[@mattshaw6180]

Guys, the optimism and hippie dreams of the 60s died in pools of blood on May 4 1970 at Kent State. This song was an ice bath then, and it is now to us that remember. The guitar and vocals rip right out where our youth had been. It got TONS of airplay, and rightfully so.

[@victoriagrove5344]

One of my favorite bands. Incredible attention to perfection

[@jimmyfortrue3741]

Joe Walsh was also at that University at the time.... His song "Turn to Stone" was partly inspired by the incident.

[@duncansolloway2497]

CHRISSIE HYNDE from PRETENDERS as well

[@JimGeigerMusic]

So was Devo The concept of devo-lution was heavily influenced by this catastrophy.

[@patticrichton1135]

@jimmy fortrue, so was I, I Joe lived in the building across from mine off campus. We went over there sometimes and he was first playing in a band at Kent called The Measles, we used to go down to the bars in downtown Kent on weekend nights to see when Joe was in the James Gang. Jimmy Fox who was their drummer sometimes walked to class with me part way, are classes were in different buildings.

[@KBOB-b0b]

That album cover was painted by Joni Mitchell.

[@sherribrock2726]

When I was a teen, we would say Crosby, Stills, Nash and sometimes Young!

[@steveschellenberg7485]

Crosby said Neil's nickname was "Sometimes"

[@michiganjfrog366]

😜

[@brushstroke3733]

That's how you write a huge hit with one verse and one chorus!

[@randybaker6042]

When I was in 5th grade, I was in a different country in a class with American high school students. There is no way I can describe what the high school girls in that class were like. How petrified they were that their friends and boyfriends were approaching graduation and being drafted to go fight in the jungle on the other side of the world. Seeing a girl like them lying dead on the ground at Kent State just destroys me. I get tears every time this song starts. Those feelings are coming from Janis, Hendrix, The Doors....it permeates the music at the time.

[@johnyelenosky4242]

This song was on the radio a lot growing up in the 70's and 80's. It was a one of there big hits.

[@mikephalen3162]

It is impossible to overstate the division in the country at that time. A national poll conducted shortly after Kent State showed that most Americans supported the National Guard. I later served in the Army as a volunteer when Vietnam was almost over. This country has not fought a war of necessity since WWII. America dishonors both its troops and its veterans when it continues to send us where we don't need to be.

[@michaelgreenberg106]

My Dad WWII guy-that was where belonged. RIP 55K and survivors.

[@bobbabai]

They could have used us in Rwanda, but I honestly don't know how much we would have helped. The fact is we just sat back and watched. BUT, I agree with your basic argument that we haven't fought a war of necessity since World War II.

[@thecynic9232]

Deplorable behaviour by the National Guard. Right-wing fascism hasn’t changed much. This could have been written during Trump’s “presidency”.

[@thecynic9232]

@@bobbabai It was beyond criminal that the U.S. kept troops out of Rwanda. After they got their asses kicked in Somalia they were afraid to go back into Africa. 😢😢

[@DerekBly57]

@@thecynic9232 Absolutely! He wanted troops to go in and shoot racial-justice protesters. Thankfully, people with more brains and rationality prevailed over Trump or it could have been one of the more horrific moments in U.S. history.

[@allenlunde7908]

This song was written, recorded, and released in a week. They wanted it out while the anger was fresh in people’s minds.

[@dancouver23]

It's interesting how I can love a song while it simultaneously enrages me. Goosebumps every time.

[@FanOblues51]

Every time. Tear up, too.

[@ddraiss]

If you visit the campus there's a memorial set up where the exact event happened. It's one thing to see pictures of it, but a completely different experience to stand and look up at the buildings from where it happened.

[@jeannemiller1461]

My friend called me hysterical that day. She said "They're killing us! The National Guard is killing kids at Kent State." I was a teenager then and I'll never forget her voice and the sorrow and fear in it. :(

[@5burowz]

The National Guard was ready to kill more Americans on Jan. 6th at the Capitol. And now you have to ask yourself why they still have a fortress around D.C.

[@TheDeadlyDan]

@@5burowz Those were seditionists attacking the Capitol, and the National Guard wasn't allowed to respond. I do remember Kent State and the Jan 6th insurrection has absolutely nothing in common. You can't have our protest in the 60's vindicate your tratorous behavior.

[@mindriot75]

@@TheDeadlyDan LOL please! it was a giant photo op. "attacking" with what?

[@deborahphillips500]

@@5burowz I am one of those who had to deal with the Kent State massacre. You obviously have no understanding of its significance. At the time the shots were fired, some students at Kent State were peacefully protesting our involvement in another country’s civil war while others were simply trying to get to their next class or off campus. They were not invading a government building. They were not trying to obstruct government. They were not trying to overturn an election. They were not attacking the guardsmen or police with clubs, flagpoles, bear spray or anything else. They were not carrying guns and they were not threatening to hang the Vice President of the United States. Because of the massacre at Kent State, tactics for dealing with protesters - peaceful or not - changed. Once unbiased analysis and investigation of the incident revealed that the attack on the students was unprovoked - i.e., the shooting was not in response to an attack on the guardsmen - crowd control and protest response changed to emphasize peaceful, nonviolent action. Because of this, the only deaths on Jan. 6, 2021, were caused by the insurrectionists - not by the authorities.

[@krisdoggett483]

@@deborahphillips500 what happened at Kent State was horrific and should never occurred. The riot on Jan 6 was also a terrible event. The deaths that occurred that day though were not caused by the rioters . One female rioter was shot & killed by authorities while the other deaths were heart attacks and a stroke in the case of Officer Sicknic. The media doesn't report these things accurately. Not one single rioter has been charged w/murder, only trespassing, breaking & entering. Not defending anyone in that situation but facts are important. Americans are being held in solitary confinement with no murder charges, c'mon ppl.

[@chellj8175]

Great song!! CSN&Y!! Great band !! You are right it is a powerful song!!

[@IZZY_EDIBLE]

David Crosby recounted the genesis of this song. He was hanging at Neil Young's ranch and they watched the live news coverage about the Kent State massacre in disbelief. He said he watched Neil write OHIO right then and there. CSNY recorded and released the single within weeks, with the B-side being Steven Stills' FIND THE COST OF FREEDOM. You should hit that one next.

[@williamosborne6866]

Must be done in conjunction with "Daylight Again" leading in - kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zp_PiaCPi6qSjpo

[@sourisvoleur4854]

Yes and they quickly assembled a "greatest hits" album so they could get it out quickly.

[@Scaramousche1955]

@@sourisvoleur4854 It was released immediately, but as a single...so they could get it out quickly. Ohio was released in 1970, the Greatest Hits album was released in 1974.

[@sourisvoleur4854]

@@Scaramousche1955 - I was the victim of misinformation. Thank you for setting me straight.

[@DavidWagle]

I grew up in Stow, Ohio, just next door to Kent. I was born in 1967. I remember the vehicles rolling by to enter the city.

[@kathytaylo4354]

I remember the day this song came on the radio. It was ground breaking and gave my generation an anthem for that summer of total unrest and sadness that such a tragedy could happen to innocent students on an university campus. It got tons of airplay!

[@lvrplfc4l]

The song was recorded and released a month after the shooting as a single, the B side is Steven Stills's ode to the war's dead Find The Cost of Freedom which was recorded in the same session as Ohio.

[@rustytime]

At the time, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young had so much tension between them that they were on the verge of breaking up. During breakfast on May 19, Young saw Filo’s photos on Life Magazine - an issue dated May 15 with the cover line “Tragedy at Kent”. After that, he grabbed his guitar and started writing the song. In only fifteen minutes, he came up with what he called “Ohio”. Crosby began working on the harmony part as Young wrote the lyrics. Before they were supposed to fly back in Los Angeles, Crosby called up Graham Nash and told him, “You won’t believe this fucking song Neil’s written.” He then asked Nash to book a studio ASAP. CSNY went into the Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles, rehearsed the song and completed it in only five takes with no overdubs. Crosby ended up crying after recording. Crosby wrote, “I was so moved by it that I completely lost it at the end of the song, in the recording studio, screaming, ‘Four… Why? How many more?’ For me, ‘Ohio’ was a high point of the band, a major point of validity. There we were, reacting to reality, dealing with it on the highest level we could - relevant, immediate. It named names and pointed the finger.” “Ohio” resonated with listeners and has become one of CSNY’s most enduring songs. And it became a turning point for Neil Young as a songwriter as this was his first protest song. Throughout his career, he would pen a plethora of tracks reflecting his political stance and activism.

[@lewwilkinson1550]

As a freshman in H.S. when Kent State happened I remember it like yesterday. I realize I'm still mad about it. I visited Kent State about 5 years ago. There are 4 parking spots permanently blocked off as a shrine where the students fell from the National Guard bullets. A steel sculpture with a clean through bullet hole. The Vietnam War protest reached a fevered pitch that year.

[@karenscigliano9787]

I will see this place someday...

[@megwilcox9774]

I always wished there was another verse, but it still gives me chills after all these years.

[@Keith-tc2ye]

I kinda like that it really has only one verse. I get the feeling it was written and just decided it was to important and just had to record it and get it on the airwaves. It’s such a strong statement and needed nothing else. I was a junior in high schools when this came out.

[@vickicanada709]

I believe they wrote the song right after it happened and got it recorded and aired within days

[@Sotto_]

This song is chilling, but not near as chilling as the events of that day. Read up on it, and I'm sure you'll get lots of comments from those who remember how the event unfolded. It was a reaction to anti-Vietnam War protests that were taking place on Kent State campus. The National Guard was brought in to quell the protests, but it all turned tragic when shots were fired, resulting in four deaths (and many more injuries). It was a horrific event, and Neil Young penned this song within minutes of hearing the news on the radio. It subsequently got tons of airplay.

[@parissimons6385]

And Chrissie Hynde, of The Pretenders, was attending Kent State as a student when the shooting happened. Her friend's boyfriend was one of those killed.

[@mattshaw6180]

The book "67 Shots" by journalist Howard Means is a great look at the wholebuild-up and clusterf*ck.

[@CycolacFan]

Even the Beach Boys made a protest song about it ‘Student Demonstration Time’ an oddly heavy rock one.

[@thegeezertour116]

And just 11 days later Mississippi National Guard soldiers opened fire on students at Jackson State in Jackson, Ms. killing 2 and wounding 12 other unarmed students..

[@mattshaw6180]

@@thegeezertour116 Indeed; Jackson State shouldn't be forgotten.

[@paulkingartwerks7981]

Oh man finally! Bless you boys! Written by Neil Young. One of the top ten Neil Young favorites!!! "Powerfinger" is a must next! Stephen Stills was the lead guitar player on "Ohio". Young termed the Kent State incident as 'probably the biggest lesson ever learned at an American place of learning' and reported that "David Crosby cried when we finished this take." In the fade, Crosby's voice -with a tone evocative of keening-can be heard with the words "Four!", "Why?" and "How many more?".

[@leesmith9299]

Buffalo Springfield (including stills and young) - For What It's Worth

[@TheReelgrrl]

Rush did a cover of that.

[@charlesstuart8009]

I was on vacation in Myrtle Beach in 1970 the first time I heard this song. Just got out of high school..

[@ashliestevenson6823]

"We're finally on our own". My generation felt that deep in our bones, as our elders sent our young men to kill and die and then killed our friends for trying to stop it. Those students were unarmed and shot down like dogs. We here in Australia went through it too