War
1970 · Gordy G 7101 · USA
- Artist
- Edwin Starr
- Title
- War
- Release
- War / He Who Picks a Rose
- Year
- 1970
- Label
- Gordy # G 7101
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- USA
- Songwriter
- Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong
- Genre
- Soul, Gospel & Funk · Soul
- Primary theme
- Peace, Protest & Anti-War
Annotation
Edwin Starr, soul & funk artist, born on 21 January 1942 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. He died on 2 April 2003 in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, UK. The song "War",, one of the most well-known anti-war protest tracks, with its famous line "war, what is it good for?", was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong of the The Temptations, which first appeared on their March 1970 album Psychedelic Shack. Starr released the song as a single in June 1970 (Gordy Records # G 7101), a blatant anti-Vietnam war song, although it did not name the conflict directly. It appeared on Starr's 1970 album War & Peace. It hit the Billboard number one spot in August and September 1970, probably the first clearly anti-war song to top the chart. It depicted the anger of the 1960s anti-Vietnam War movement.
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Annotation — Soul, Gospel, & Funk Songs
"War", a familiar protest song, with its famous line "war, what is it good for?", written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong of the The Temptations, first appeared on their March 1970 album Psychedelic Shack. Starr released the song as a single in June 1970 (Gordy Records # G 7101), a blatant anti-Vietnam war song, although it did not name the conflict directly. It appeared on Starr's 1970 album War & Peace. It hit the Billboard number one spot in August and September 1970, probably the first clearly anti-war song to top the chart. It depicted the anger of the 1960s anti-Vietnam War movement:
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English: What is it good for? Absolutely nothing... / War has caused unrest within the younger generation / Induction, then Destruction... / And that's the undertaker / War has shattered many young man's dreams
Notes
Gordy G 7101 (N-K-N-768M04); "War" (N. Whitfield - B. Strong), 3:12, Jobete - BMI, © 1970; produced by Norman Whitfield; a trademark of Motown Record Corp. [From the record sleeve and labels]
About the artist
American soul singer, born 21 January 1942 in Nashville, Tennessee ('War', 1970); died 2 April 2003 in Bramcote, England. [Source: Wikipedia]
Themes
In collections
Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years] · Soul, Gospel, & Funk Songs