“War” (Edwin Starr)

This week we’re featuring socially conscious songs from the turbulent late ’60s/early ’70s from Motown and other R&B artists. We start with one of the most memorable protest songs of that or any era, “War” by Motown artist Edwin Starr.

“War,” an obvious anti-Vietnam War protest song (“War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothin’!”) was written by legendary Motown writer/producers Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong. Here’s what Strong said inspired the song:

“With ‘War,’ I had a cousin who was a paratrooper that got hurt pretty bad in Vietnam. I also knew a guy who used to sing with Lamont Dozier that got hit by shrapnel and was crippled for life. You talk about these things with your families when you’re sitting at home, and it inspires you to say something about it.”

Strong and Whitfield wrote “War” for the Temptations, who recorded it for their 1970 album, Psychedelic Soul. The Temp’s version was slightly less intense than the version you probably know, with Paul Williams and Dennis Edwards sharing lead vocal duties over bass Melvin Franklin’s “hup two three four” chant.

The Temptations’ recording got a lot of attention but Motown was nervous about releasing it as a single; they thought the song’s provocative message would turn off conservative fans and hurt the group’s career. Instead, Whitfield and Strong gave the song to and re-recorded it with lesser-known Motown artist Edwin Starr. This version was recorded in May of 1970 and released as a single the following month. It was a massive hit, rising to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (for three weeks) and the Canada Top Singles charts; it also hit #3 on Billboard’s Best Selling Soul Singles chart. The track was nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B Male Vocal (losing to B.B. King and “The Thrill is Gone”) and was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Edwin Starr remembers this about what became his signature song:

“I said, ‘I can do this but I have to sing the vocals my way.’ I have to do what I feel. So…‘Good God y’all’ and all those ‘Absolutely nothings’ are my ad-libs… I got a little heat for it. While the song was number one, I never did any work at all. I mean, there was very few places where you could go and sing, ‘War – what is it good for’ in the political atmosphere of the United States.”

“War,” due to its powerful lyrics and Starr’s similarly powerful vocals, made a lasting impact on an entire generation. You had to be around back then to know how charged the atmosphere was and how incredibly unpopular the Vietnam War was. At times it felt like the world was coming apart at the seams; songs like “War” helped solidify opposition to the war and documented the schisms present in society at the time. After all, what is war really good for? Whitfield and Strong had it right: absolutely nothing.