Eve of Destruction (song)

"Eve of Destruction" is a protest song written by P. F. Sloan in mid-1964. Several artists have recorded it, but the best-known recording was by Barry McGuire.
The song references social issues of its period, including the Vietnam War, the draft, the threat of nuclear war, the Civil Rights Movement, turmoil in the Middle East, and the American space program.
The American media helped popularize the song by using it as an example of everything that was wrong with the youth of that time. Due to its controversial lyrics, some American radio stations, "claiming it was an aid to the enemy in Vietnam", banned the song. The song was also criticized by conservatives. It was also banned by some British radio stations.
Background.
The song was offered to The Byrds as a Dylanesque potential single, but they rejected it. The Turtles, another L.A. group which often recorded The Byrds' discarded or rejected material, recorded a version instead. Their version was issued as a track on their 1965 debut album "It Ain't Me Babe", shortly before McGuire's version was cut; it was eventually released as a single and hit #100 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 in 1970.
Barry McGuire version.
McGuire's recording was made between July 12 and July 15, 1965, and released by Dunhill Records. The accompanying musicians were top-tier Los Angeles session players: P. F. Sloan on guitar, Hal Blaine (of Phil Spector's Wrecking Crew) on drums, and Larry Knechtel on bass guitar. 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 disc jockey, 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 recalled in later years that "Eve of Destruction" had been recorded in one take on a Thursday morning, reading lyrics scrawled on a crumpled piece of paper. The following Monday morning he got a phone call from the record company at 7:00 am, telling him to turn on the radio — his song was playing. McGuire's single hit #1 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 and #3 on the UK Singles Chart in September 1965.
After becoming a born-again Christian, McGuire re-recorded "Eve of Destruction" as the lead track on his second contemporary Christian release: "Lighten Up". He updated the lyrics when he performed at a reunion of folksingers, with the line about the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches replaced by the words "Columbine, Colorado", referring to the student massacre of 1999.
Reception.
In the first week of its release, the single was at No. 103 on the "Billboard" charts. By August 12 Dunhill released the LP, "Eve of Destruction". It reached its peak of #37 on the "Billboard" album chart during the week ending September 25. That same day the single went to #1 on the chart, and repeated the feat on the "Cashbox" chart, where it had debuted at No. 30. McGuire would never again break into the top 40 of the "Billboard" Hot 100. It went to #1 in Norway for two weeks.
Controversy, parodies, and response songs.
In addition to its being banned in some parts of the U.S., it was also banned by Radio Scotland. It was placed on a "restricted list" by the BBC, and could not be played on "general entertainment programmes".
A group called The Spokesmen released a partial parody and answer record entitled "The Dawn of Correction". A few months later, Green Beret medic SSgt. Barry Sadler released the patriotic "Ballad of the Green Berets". Johnny Sea's spoken word recording, "Day For Decision", was also a response to the song. In addition the British musician Alan Klein wrote and performed a parody and attack on folk-singers such as Donovan and Bob Dylan entitled "Age of Corruption" on his album "Well at Least It's British".
In popular culture.
The Temptations' song "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)" mentions the song title.
The song is played during the fourth-season finale of "The A-Team", "The Sound of Thunder," when the team returns to Vietnam and flashbacks recall their tours of duty.
The song, like many other popular songs of the day, gave its name to a gun truck used by United States Army Transportation Corps forces during the Vietnam War. The truck is on display at the U.S. Army Transportation Museum and is believed to be the only surviving example of a Vietnam era gun truck.
The song is featured in the soundtrack of Mafia III.