Australian singles charts:
Eve of Destruction entered the Australian singles chart* on 28 Aug 1965 and peaked at #2. The song was #40 on the Top 100 of 1965.
Songwriter:
PF Sloan
Producers:
Lou Adler, PF Sloan, Steve Barri
Record label of Australian release:
RCA
*Kent Music Report / Australian Chart Book. See About.
Songfacts:
A protest song about political issues of the ’60s, many US radio stations refused to play Eve Of Destruction because of its anti-government lyrics. There was an upside to this controversy, however, as it piqued interest in the song, sending it to #1 in the US.
The song takes on racism, hypocrisy, and injustice at a volatile time in American history. The assassination of US President John F Kennedy in 1963 was a big influence on the lyric.
Eve Of Destruction was written by 19-year-old PF Sloan, who was a staff songwriter at McGuire’s label and went on to form The Grass Roots.
The song was originally recorded by The Turtles, who released it on their first album earlier in 1965. The Turtles did not release it as a single, and McGuire’s version became the hit.
Read more: www.songfacts.com/facts/barry-mcguire/eve-of-destruction
Lyrics:
The Eastern world, it is explodin′
Violence flarin’, bullets loadin′
You’re old enough to kill but not for votin’
You don′t believe in war, but what′s that gun you’re totin′?
And even the Jordan river has bodies floatin’
Click for full lyrics
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