Protest Songs Multiple Choice Quiz | Something in Common

Answer: One Tin Soldier

The song was originally written by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter and recorded by Canadian group Original Caste in 1969 but only reached spot no. 34 on the charts. It was rereleased by Skeeter Davis in 1972, a recording which ironically fared better on the Canadian charts.

A version of the song, entitled "One Tin Soldier: The Legend of Billy Jack", was recorded by the band Coven for the movie "Billy Jack". This version reached No. 26 on Billboard's Hot 100.

Answer: Give Peace a Chance

John Lennon and his then new bride, Yoko Ono, offered up their opinion of war from a hotel bed in Montreal, where they were staging a bed-in. The actual recording of the song was attended by many other celebrities and journalists, who joined in on the choruses.

It reached number one the American charts. The song was very popular at anti-war demonstrations and pretty much became an anthem for the youth of the time.

Answer: Ohio

On May 4, 1970, the National Guard opened fire into a crowd of anti-war demonstrators at Kent State University, Ohio. This resulted in the death of four students, Allison Krause, Sandra Scheuer, William Schroder and Jeffrey Miller. Nine other students were wounded. This tragedy was repeatedly echoed in the line from the song "Four dead in Ohio".

The Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young song, "Ohio", penned by Neil Young, tells of that horrific event. The song's blatant condemnation of President Nixon caused it to be banned from many radio stations, but it still managed to reach spot number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Answer: Blowin' in the Wind

Covered by hundreds of different artists, "Blowin' in the Wind" was first performed by Dylan, who wrote the song at a folk festival in 1962. It appeared on Dylan's 1963 album, "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan". A 1963 cover by Peter, Paul and Mary reached number two on the Billboard Pop Charts.

Answer: Alice's Restaurant

Written and performed by Arlo Guthrie, the song was originally title "Alice's Restaurant Massacre", but the recording starts with the line "This song is called 'Alice's Restaurant'...". It tells a very convoluted tale of a young man being arrested for littering and that being seen as a more heinous crime than murder. The above passage comes from his experiences (in song only) at the draft board, where an attempt to be turned down for showing a strong urge to kill actually got him decorated. Now there's an anti-war comment for you!
The song was released in 1967, on an album of the same name, and ran over 18 minutes in length. It inspired a 1969 movie of the same name.

I saw Guthrie perform in the '80s. When someone in the audience called out a request for the song, Guthrie replied "Some songs you just forget, that's why you put them on an album."

Answer: War

"War" was released by Edwin Starr in 1970. It was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong and originally recorded by The Temptations in 1969, for Motown records. Starr's version is grittier and more powerful than the version recorded by The Temptations, and it reached the coveted number one spot on the Billboard Pop Singles chart.

Answer: Last Train to Clarksville

This number one hit for The Monkees was released in 1966, on their self-titled album. It was written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. As protest songs go, this one seems fairly mild, but it does refer to the fear of a young man being shipped off to Vietnam and not knowing if he's "...ever coming home." Being a created group for the television show of the same name, The Monkees were not initially allowed to be very vociferous in their protest of the Vietnamese war.

In later interviews, they said that this song was their way of adding their voices to the anti-war sentiment of the time. Songwriter Hart claimed that he never intended for the song to be a protest song.

Answer: War Is Over

Although the song, released in 1971 in the U.S. and produced by Phil Spector, is indeed a Christmas song, the chorus of, "War is over, if you want it. War is over, now" leaves little doubt that it is also an anti-war song. It wasn't released in the UK until 1972. The song was rereleased after Lennon's death in 1980, reaching number three on the charts at that time.

Answer: For What It's Worth

Written by Stephen Stills, the song was released in 1967 by Buffalo Springfield (Stills was a member of the band). It is more of a general protest song, rather than only a specific anti-war one, dealing with a time when young people no longer blindly followed the advice and direction of the older generation.

The song only made it to number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, but in 2004 "Rolling Stone" magazine proclaimed it to be one of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, coming in at position 63.

Answer: Eve of Destruction

Written by P.F. Sloan, "Eve of Destruction" was recorded and released by Barry McGuire in 1965. Although covered by many artists, McGuire's version is probably the best known. The single reached number one on the Billboard chart. While the song was written partly in protest of the Vietnam War, it was also written in reaction to the Cold War (including the nuclear arms race) and in support of the Civil Rights movement.