Young people today tend to 'blame the boomers' for everything. As a teenager, young adult I marched in the Peace Rallies, marched for Civil Rights and marched for Voting rights. I was beaten with police batons, fists, blasted by fire hoses, gassed, and kicked. All in a vain attempt it would seem for FREEDOM. I was a young, white girl from a small town in Kentucky who could not see the injustice and stay quiet as I was bidden and told. Now I am an old, white woman that the younger generations blame for the mess of Trump and white supremacists. Well, all i can say to the younger generations is We Tried - now it is up to you.
We who lived through this at your age, and the rest of the war protests, rallies, war dead, and songs, appreciate you bringing it to your generation to hear and see. They need to know. Thanks!
I just read this transcript of an interview that really puts the official narrative in doubt. www.globalresearch.ca/new-leaked-documents-related-kent-state-may-4th-shootings-raise-serious-questions/5744525
@@Manageode Thank you, we all should be holding these LOWLIFES in charge responsible for they are not above us or the law, but they are scum for ordering the equillay scumbags-guardsmen to shoot, goes to show you, gov are all sickoooo's
I'm just a wee lad of 66 years. An old hippie freak, really. This song dredges up old memories and it never fails to get my blood boiling,. After years of investigation and equivocation about the circumstances of that day at Kent State, nobody was ultimately held responsible for the killings. Justice was not done.
I'm a 70 yr old ex-Air Force AeroMed (I tended the injured while they were being transported on the aircraft). Of course nothing was going to happen to them because the National Guard consisted of the son's of Politicians, Rich, and Famous. Being in the National Guard was their private "Stay Out of Vietnam Free" card. I was surprised that they didn't didn't pick 1 lowly guy as a scapegoat and crucify him just to appease the masses.
@David Harris My brother I'm just a " lad of 67 years" and like you I lived through this. I have a couple of things to add here, the first is, some birthday present this was for me. I turned 16 on that terrible day and was forever changed. I saw this on TV and was dumbfounded. My folks and teachers told me that the military would never turn it's weapons on civilians and kill them. The evidence contradicts that doesn't it? I had a talk with folks and my Mom said "baby child, I was the youngest and when thing got real heavy that is what she called me, I can't explain it to you because I don't understand either. The second point here is these people were exercising their First Amendment right "the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances". The thing, that to this day enrages me is no one was ever held to account for these murders, and never will. Thanks for reading my ramblings. Be well and safe, peace to you and yours.
I was a high school senior. That was the day I understood that the government would kill us - any citizen - for exercising our right to free speech. It was the day i became a liberal. Converts are always the most devout...my conversion was swift and deep and lasting.
I was 10 going on 11 when this happened. Graduated HS in 1977, this band was my boyfriends favorite band! Saw them a couple times in concert! Love them like crazy
This was my generation. We did a lot and a lot was done to us. I hope, wish, and pray there are many more in your generation like you with empathy, understanding, willing to dig and confront history, brave enough to stay strong and wide awake to our country being stolen from its rightful owners, all of us, by the uber rich and powerful. We desperately need the younger generations to step up. Thank you for doing this song and telling the story behind it, Daniel.
By the time I was twelve, in my lifetime JFK was assassinated, Bobby Kennedy was assassinated, Martin Luther King was assassinated, and the National Guard had opened fire on unarmed students at Kent State, killing four. It was a very confusing time as a child.
I know what you mean. I was 12 in 68 and remember thinking that the world just had to explode. I led a pretty sheltered life, but could not process all that I saw and heard
I was 11 watching T.V. with my mom and saw Bobby speaking and then leaving the room to go to the kitchen with one of the workers when he was shot , first time I ever saw or heard my mom cry out OMG No !!! and start crying like that. I'm 61 and I remember that day like it was yesterday .
My own belief is that the Military Industrial Complex (we were warned about this by Eisenhower) wanted to commit us to [endless] war in Southeast Asia. The CIA wanted the lucrative heroin trade which the French had been harvesting there in the Golden Triangle. Kennedy (John Fitzgerald) resisted and ultimately attempted to draw down the number of advisors (CIA) and contractors, personnel already there. They murdered him for this. The next day Johnson reversed Kennedy's reduction directives and the fun began. That was 11/22/1963. I was 13. By the time of the Kent State shootings (1970) the draft was sucking up every young man who could walk. A year later the 26th ammendment would lower the voting age from 21 to 18. But in 1970 you could go to Viet Nam to kill small Asian people or be killed, yet you could not choose your representatives, here. 58,000 young Americans were killed in Vietnam. Many more came home maimed or shattered. And not to disparage the brave service they gave themselves to, for my money, they were sacrificed for nothing. This is why there were protests at Kent And other campuses across the land. I was 19 when this song was released. I remember it clearly.
I was 8 years old. Adding-in the routine of going out in the school hallway and ducking down to practice awaiting what we already knew was to be the unsurvivable nuclear bomb. And, no one having to tell me that the angry guy who ran the local George Wallace headquarters out of a gas station office next to my dad's furniture refinishing shop was perhaps the first truly evil entity I'd met on the planet, up until that particular election year of '68.
It was inspiring to watch you learn as you saw the photos and heard the song. 50 years later that generation can still sing it word for word. But it is still happening and that is wrong. Some of these kids were only a year or so older than you are now. I saw that hit home as you watched. The power of music.
. . . And this is the sort of thing that woke me up, politically. And now, the children of the 60’s are stuck like flies in amber in 2020. We saw you tear up, just now. You gave us hope with every precious tear. As long as people remember and know the truth about the Kent State Massacre, there will always be hope.
I've watched various reactors and yours was the most informed IMO. Because you did a little research ahead of the reaction, I think the images in that video drove home the message. I applaud your doing song facts about the circumstances leading up to and following the massacre. Good analysis and good reaction.
Thank you for taking the time to show respect by reading the names of the dead. It is easy to look at it as a single event rather than four individual tragedies.
@@DerekDominoes I don't know about that. Who are the true peacekeepers and the true warmakers? I doubt most of the rich kid protestors (then and now) are that aware of anything outside their tiny life.
@@randyguess3124 rich kid protesters, lol The rich kids usually aren't doing the protesting - they know that the military-industrial complex is making their families literal tons of money and they want that shit to continue forever.
@@randyguess3124 if they weren’t aware of anything outside their tiny worlds why would they protest anything? Poor kids fight rich men’s wars and it is our duty as citizens regardless of rich or poor to speak up about the validity or lack of those wars. My upper-middle-class father enlisted in WWII and protested the Vietnam War. My mom’s family was poor and her genius, smart-ass 18 yr old brother was drafted, and sent to Vietnam, he came back a different man. I was raised to believe that protest is a form of patriotism. I believe the obligation to both support and to question are what makes our democracy so extraordinary.
Having lived through that period myself, it is very difficult to explain the cultural tensions of the time to someone younger. I applaud you for doing the research on this epic song, along with the best video to accompany it. Personally, I think we are actually going through something like that currently, with the political division, racism, troubled economy & a world-wide pandemic creating a tension filled climate that in hindsight 20-30 years from now will be difficult to explain to the NEXT generation.
It was a weird time to be a kid. JFK died just before I was born. Bobby Kennedy died as I was entering kindergarten. The entire world was split over the war. I was standing in line for the bus in second grade, and one little girl jumped on another one screaming, "Nixon is a pig!"
Saw an interview with Graham Nash where he said Neil Young had an idea for a song in his head walked out in the woods and came back an hour later with Ohio.
This was a couple days after Kent State. Young and Nash were outside of SF. When Young came back with the song, Nash called the other guys in LA and said, "Find a studio." They had this record out just a couple weeks after Kent State.
Important facts about this song: there were a lot of protest songs out there but this was the first time someone called out Nixon by name. Deja Vu was climbing the charts and Graham Nash's 'Teach Your Children' was still on the way up - Ohio knocked it off the top 20 costing Nash a lot of royalty money. And he was 100% in favor of releasing the song as fast as possible. Nash and Young were foreign nationals (from Great Britain and Canada, respectively) and they were putting bullseyes on their backs calling out the president like that - risking deportation. But they were determined to deliver this message no matter what. The sheer anger and emotion in the voices, especially Young's and Crosby's can give you goosebumps.
Thanks for sharing those facts and history. I’m from that era and am familiar with them, but it is so important to keep those stories and memories alive and the history straight. Thank you. So glad younger folks are checking out the great music of out past.
Daniel, you got this spot on. Brought tears to my eyes. When I played this song on the radio, many times I’d cry. My brother was in that war. Hippies have had it right all along- peace and love.
I've decided Stills is my favorite. Although I love the velvet of the young David Crosby's voice. (I reserve the right to switch to someone else as my favorite!)
The research parts you do are as good as your reaction. I learn something every time and any day you can learn is a good day We Are Legion 👍✌️🧡 can't wait till you do "southern Man" it's EPIC Neil at his finest think there's a long version
My next door neighbor, about ten years older than me, was drafted, sent to VietNam, and was the first one killed from our town in the war. Many more of my older friends were drafted and sent to VietNam. All of them came back with what is now called PTSD. It changed the lives of fun loving kids into a living hell for the rest of their lives. It didn't help when the My Lai massacre happened where American troops attacked an innocent village and killed everyone in it including a lot of babies. After that, troops coming back home were jeered and called "baby killers." My uncle served in two tours in Nam: early in the war and late in the war. I had a map of North and South VietNam on the wall of my bedroom and charted where he was stationed. A few weeks after he returned from his second tour the Viet Cong Tet Offensive overrun where he had been deployed killing massive numbers of troops and civilians. At the beginning of the war, I remember telling a friend that I hoped that it would be still going when I was of age to join the fight. I had dreamed of going to West Point and becoming an officer and would write my Congressman every year beginning in fourth grade. He, in turn, would send me a West Point catalog along with a letter saying that I was too young to apply and to wait until my Junior year of HIgh School to let him know if I would still be interested. Funny thing happened to me during my freshman and sophomore years. A family friend set up an interview with a retired Green Beret who had just returned from Nam. I knew him and he knew me. He looked me in the eye and told me that I would be trained to kill people and that he knew that wasn't who I was. Many things happened during that time that changed my mind on the war. One of those were the Kent State killings and then hearing "Ohio" on the radio shortly after that. By my junior year, I was anti-war and the whole trajectory of my life changed after that. I didn't apply to West Point. I went to college where I earned my B.A. in anthropology then went on to graduate to be award a Masters degree in anthropology with a specialization in archaeology. I went on to have a long successful career as a professional archaeologist, retiring about ten years ago. Many of my friends identify me as a huge Neil Young fan. My views on life seem to mirror his viewpoints on many issues over the 50 years that I've followed him. In essence, they are peace, love and be kind to Mother Earth. As someone famous once wrote, sorry for the length of this message, but I didn't have the time to make it short. Peace, love and Neil Young!
Bigfoot, yours very closely reflects my own trajectory in to adulthood during those years...although I was planning three years in the Navy, then a career in the State Department, following a degree in Political Science. I actually completed most of my ocs training to be commissioned an officer. But by the spring of 1970 my political views were changing. Ironically, (providentially?) I was found to have a hearing loss, discharged from the Naval Reserve and given a draft exemption. Kent State happened two weeks before I graduated from college. And that was it for me, my life changed course. I worked in social services, returned to get my Masters in Counseling Psychology, and eventually spent most of my professional career working in a hospice. I never protested against the individual soldiers who were sent there, two of whom were friends, but against the policy of the government... One way or another, that war became a crucible for a generation....
Bigfoot. So well said. Thank you for that. You have changed the planet in positive ways. My very first concert was Neil Young. I have seen all four so many times over the years. Neil Young has affected my beliefs in his songs.
@@larrycrawley-woods4515 Same here. When I got back, I did a BA, BS, MPA, and PhD (Clinical Psychology). The me who enlisted in the USAF in 1969, left forlorn, broken, and disabled in 1975.
I think this is how over-support for the military started with Christians. You would think they would be against the war, but the abuse suffered by vets became a kind of crusade for many.
I was a teen in Cape Town, South Africa when this went down. We had that iconic photo in our school less than 12 hours after it happened - and there was no internet those days. And we were deeply shocked as students because we were starting to voice opposition against the apartheid government here. The MSM sat on the story for several days before publishing it here. MANY kids grew up very quickly that day - their innocence and blind trust gone. Respect to the fallen...
I was 15 when this went down; a sophomore in High School. In my short life, I'd experienced the assassinations of JFK, RFK, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. At that point in my life I realized that now they were coming for kids like me and I was instantly radicalized. On May 15th this incident was repeated at Jackson State in Mississippi where 2 students were murdered and 12 injured. This song is one of the many that galvanized us into the protesting machine that we became, ultimately ending the war. Thanks, Daniel.
We gotta keep playing this song. We should not forget the slaughter of innocents. Thanks Daniel. Yes. It is supposed to be a repesentative democracy. So much of the time the people are not represented. I think CSNYs 'Chicago' is also an important one. (I do love Little Tin Soldier by the Small Faces too.) I remember seeing this on the B&W tv news. Sometimes I regret not marching. I was a kid. And I was afraid of my father's opinion should I be seen.
They talk of moments that define an era - this one had a profound effect on the American psyche, like Kennedys assassination, or Dr. Martin Luther Kings. I was a teenager living in England and this shocking news was met with such anger, sadness, dismay and grief that it flipped a switch in the collective consciousness of our country. But the memory fades with each passing generation until young people like you, Daniel, bring it back out into the light of day, late 2020.
And right there you have it: The Culture War that has continued until today. That comment by the returning soldier is profound: Three of them saying “good riddance to those damn hippies, let them go to Canada” vrs realizing that the right to decent is a bedrock of our Democracy. And thus the culture gulf began and continues to divide us: “Law and Order” being code for beating up peaceful protesters. I was in some of those protests....never got hurt...all peaceful. I was lucky I guess. GOD, we hated Nixon so much! And other “patriotic” Americans saw us as traitors. We’re still in the same place because we’ve never really dealt with this great divide. And so it repeats itself. So many of my friends of my age (73) are so despondent over the fact that, although progress has definitely been made, this same internal “war” continues. As Biden has said, this is a struggle for the soul of our country. Who are we? Music was a HUGE part of the counter-culture...beginning with Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, and into the seventies with so many different artists writing amazing songs for racial justice and agains the Vietnam War. We were a huge block of “baby-boomers” of the same age and beliefs, and our music inspired us and helped to energize us. We all knew these songs....they were anthems. Music no longer has that hold on youth culture today I don’t think, because it has fractured into so many different genres and people pick their playlists and stay in their “bubbles” with their friends and “tribes”. At least, that’s how it seems to me two generations removed. The Youth of today could use an anthem like this one that could serve to unite them to a good cause...like climate change. Obviously I’ve shown my political views here and no doubt will meet with some nasty responses. I don’t care. I was a young adult in those times, and it’s important to remember what happened at Kent State...and keep it in mind when you watch what happens to protestors in Portland and other cities. It’s the same shit.
Thank you for your compassion and research on this very tragic event, resulting in this very historic song. I subscribed immediately. Signed, a hippie from the 70's.
Glad you did a reaction to this, Daniel. I've seen CSN live many times, CSNY, Stephen Stills, and David Crosby several times. The last time I saw David Crosby in 2018 he and his band played Ohio as the encore, and the entire crowd audience was standing up singing along as loud as they could. Thank you again for reacting to this.
I subscribed because although I love music reactions, it's Very hard to find reactions that are real and heartfelt..I think you are one of those few. Thank you.
So excited had to leave message before listen.. Biggest political hit ever! Bravo! They were preeminent social justice band ever. Neil Young read story in paper, walked outside to be alone, came back soon after with this song. It was recorded and released within 1 week! Another classic written by Stephen before CSNY " with Neil is huge hit (anti war) "For What its Worth. Chicago Ray
That comment made me cry . I mean hippies are beautiful people. Kids need not die . RIP .❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ I know loss . My boyfriend died in my arms ,then I watched my brother die 2 weeks later and the 4 friends coming up from the city to console me ,we’re all killed by a drunk driver. Loss is extremely painful and so important to remember these lost souls. May their families and friends find peace. May everyone stay safe during this Covid mess . ❤️❤️❤️ If someone makes you really angry , show them nothing but love and kindness. However you must stand up for your rights . This breaks my heart.
In the words of one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, Benjamin Franklin, "It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority." From the perspective of this 64-year old, 10-year veteran of the US Navy, those protesting students were absolutely being patriotic, and those killed and wounded are heroic to me. It is not just the right of citizens to voice opposition to our Government, it is their duty as a citizen to do so. I swore an oath, back in 1975, to "....support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic..." Although I've now been a civilian for *much* longer than I was in the Navy, I've not been freed from that oath. I was 13 when the murders took place at Kent State, and the events shocked me to my very core...this was only 2 years since that awful, awful year of 1968. My Father, a life-long Democrat, worked at one of the San Francisco newspapers, and asked some of the reporters he knew if they'd heard any rumors regarding the shootings, and came back home to tell us what he'd heard...the truth, as it turns out. Five years later, when I was about to enlist in the Navy, I thought back to that day in 1970, as well as things that had happened since then, and I did have to think long and hard about joining. In the end, my desire to serve my country outweighed my misgivings, and I believe I made the correct choice. "Ohio" is one of the very best Vietnam-era protest songs, and, Daniel, that's a rabbit-hole you might wish to explore...I think you'll find many of us happy to go along.
Thank you for doing this song. I was a senior at the nearby college Ohio Wesleyan at the time of the massacre. I remember the next day sitting in shock in my poly sci class while the teacher had students voice their thoughts. I couldn't understand how one ROTC student defended the National Guard. I can remember to this day what the classroom looked like and exactly what I was feeling -- numbness. This song has resonated with me from the first time I heard it.
And here we are in 2020, on the very verge of history repeating. Thank you Daniel for reminding people of the pain and trauma caused when a society eats itself. We can see how this song moved you which makes you a great representative of the future.
... Students in Ohio two hundred yards away Shot down by a nameless fire one early day in May Some people cried out angry "You should have shot more of them down!" But you can’t bury youth my friend... youth grows the whole world round It could have been me, but instead it was you So I’ll keep doing the work you were doing as if I were two I’ll be a student of life, a singer of songs A farmer of food and a righter of wrong It could have been me, but instead it was you And it may be me, dear sisters and brothers, before we are through But if you can die for freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom If you can die for freedom I can too... Holly Near, It Could Have Been Me
I have lived in Ohio all my life. I was not quite college-age when the Kent State shootings happened, but remember them clearly. Tragic doesn't begin to describe it. That's probably the reason people my age have mixed feelings about a governor calling up the National Guard for peacekeeping tasks. The "what could possibly go wrong with this scenario" question always surfaces.
I am subscribed to several reaction channels. I have been watching yours for a few months, and really enjoy it. I like the way you research the meanings behind the songs. I have never commented on one of your videos. I just had to let you know that in my opinion you are wise far beyond your years, and I really appreciate the caring you show in your videos, and the interest you have for the history of our country. Keep up the good work!
I like how you are trying to educate yourself. You have a good attitude about all this. And, the best selection of music of any music listening channel I am aware of. Keep up the good work! This was a great video.
This is a great song which remembers a terrible day. If I may suggest another, “Black Day in July” by Gordon Lightfoot. In July 1967, a unfortunate incident in Detroit escalated to several days of rioting that were the basis for the song. The Michigan National Guard was called in, there were tanks in the streets, 43 dead, over 1,000 injured, 7,000 arrested, and more than 2,000 buildings destroyed by fire. It was the worst riot since the 1863 New York City draft riots. And triggered disturbances in other cities, including New York City; Rochester, NY; Toledo, OH; Englewood, NJ; Houston, TX; Tucson, AZ. People despair about how bad this year was. These, and other songs, are reminders the US has been through worse.
Great song - and an important message. Thanks for honoring those killed and injured 50 years ago. On a lighter note, I would love to see you react to two versions of the song Mr. Soul. The original was from Stills' and Young's former band, Buffalo Springfield. The cover version (which I love) was done around 2003 by Rush for their EP called Feedback, where they paid tribute to the bands they loved when they were first starting out. Alex Lifeson does a remarkable job emulating Neil Young's playing style and even throws in a dash of Roger McGuinn of The Byrds (Crosby's former bandmate) during the solo.
This song was written by Neil Young when the protest was on the four students who were protesting against Vietnam War protest were shot by National Guard who are refereed as Nixon's Tin-men, thanks.
Appreciate you doing this one and sharing the comments on the video. I too first became aware of the event through that photo being on the front page of our local newspaper. I was walking to jr. high school and saw it taped to the window of one of the housing developments apartments. We called them ‘the projects back then. It was shocking, but by then, I had seen the assassinations of JFK, MLK and RFK which may explain why so many students were protesting in the first place. Youthful innocence had long since been shattered along with the notion that the government had your back.
I was in my late teens, living in Ohio, and looking at the draft when this occurred. It was awful that 4 middle-class white kids had to die in the midwest for middle America to wake up to something terribly wrong with what was going on in 'Nam. Protests on the Coasts and kids coming home in body bags hadn't moved the needle, but this did.
Sure brings back memories every time I hear this song. As a senior in high school, I was soon to be on my way to Miami of Ohio, just a 4 hour drive from Kent State. That horrific day galvanized so many of us in our fight to end the war. One of the greatest protest songs of all time!
Thanks for doing the 'deep' research on this event. Most re-actors stay on the top of their search page. They know that the protestors were unarmed but not that the ones killed weren't even at the protest. The MSM coverage at the time would have made FOX NEWS proud.
Daniel, you did a very good job on the delivery of everything that this very controversial song is really about!!!! There are many people who did not know how deep this song goes!! Hell, I learned a few things myself!!! Horrific event at our own governments hands!!! I remember it well, will never forget it!!!!! But great delivery on the deep info Daniel!!!! That was just a nice job!!!!!✌️
When music mattered. Songwriters of the 60's & 70's were an important voice to the many tragedies that unfolded in that time. Musical poets. Corporate takeover of radio and the record industry silenced them. Now it's all about fame & fortune.
On the musical side, the riff and lead guitar is all Neil Young. Shows his genius in being able to make music that’s relatable to society’s ills. He’s still writing socially conscience music. 🎵🎸
Appreciate your comments and civility dignity and respect. It's hard to not cry when I hear this song. It's stunning how after 53 yrs this event is still shocking and chilling. Many blessings ya'll. Human rights matter.
All it takes is the opening notes of the guitar and I’m right back there, again. I still cry over this event, and the fact that things have only become worse over the last five decades. Keep the music alive Daniel.
4 Way Street was a live album that included "Ohio," but the studio version you listened to was on a standalone single. The B-side was also albumless, a similarly relevant song called "Find the Cost of Freedom."
Daniel thank you, thank you for reacting to this song the way you did. I was 15 at the time. I will never forget. It has affected my life and my political beliefs. Democracy is so delicate. It is not a spectators sport. Protesting is one of the few ways we can engage.
I am of this generation. Thank you so much for reacting to this. Young people need to know the history of this time. Don't ever think this can't happen again. I hope you have inspired people to educate themselves about this history.
David Crosby was in the Byrds. He had nothing to do with For What It's Worth. Steven Stills wrote that song about the Sunset Strip riots of 1966. It was never a Vietnam protest song.
Another song by a Canadian regarding American civil unrest and subsequent armed response is Black Day In July, by Gordon Lightfoot. It was banned in 1968 by radio stations in 30 U.S. states.
I was a high school student in Ohio at the time, but I didn't get to hear the song for a couple years because the radio station mentioned was the only one in the State that played it when it came out.
You’re so empathic very human of you. Especially when this happened 50 years ago. I don’t listen to much new music as it doesn’t appeal to me but I wonder if any of today’s contemporary artists feel as much about protests mass shootings war as the youth did all those years ago
Great song choice.... Important history behind this song. Another fact not so well known is Joe Walsh ( from the Eagles) was on campus when this happened. He did a song titled "Turn to Stone" as a kind of short political comment of the times. Great song with a sweet guitar solo in it that I highly recommend for your 'someday' list Edit: BTW I recommend the version from the Joe Walsh "So What" album.
I so respect that you read about the history of the tunes you critique. I remember the day this happened. I was a teen raised in Ohio during the Vietnam war. We marched and marched against the lies our government was feeding us , drafting 18 yr old KIDS to go fight a war we had no business in. Sadly, 58 thousand kids never came home and so many that did were shell shocked along with being addicted to drugs. Horrible time I will NEVER forget.
I am 71 and an old rock/blues singer. I was an SSgt in the USAF when Kent State happened. The fact that the American military, albeit National Guard troops, fired on its own citizens changed me forever. In an ironic twist, one of the students killed that day was enrolled in ROTC.
Amazingly, I was in the military, soon to be in SE Asia, yet I was considered too young to drink or vote. 7 members of my high school graduating class (1967) died in the Vietnam War.
Daniel, not much that I can add to your reaction to this song except that Neil Young is one of the greatest songwriters of our time. He has so many great songs about historical events and persons(like Pocahontas, Cortez the Killer, Captain Kennedy and Powderfinger) to songs about a subject like drug abuse(Needle and the Damage Done, Tonight's The Night and Tired Eyes) and anything else you can think about. Besides political issues, he writes social commentary about discrimination(Southern Man and Alabama) to stuff like After the Gold Rush, Sugar Mountain, I Am A Child, Helpless or A Man Needs a Maid. Throw in Love Is A Rose, Comes A Time, Heart of Gold and Old Man and you have a glimpse of where his lyrics can take you. Then musically add guitar driven classics like Down By The River, Cowgirl In The Sand and Like A Hurricane and you can begin to see his place in the history of Rock music. Then there's songs that get you to think(Star Of Bethlehem) and songs to get you to reminisce(Long May You Run).
Young people today tend to 'blame the boomers' for everything. As a teenager, young adult I marched in the Peace Rallies, marched for Civil Rights and marched for Voting rights. I was beaten with police batons, fists, blasted by fire hoses, gassed, and kicked. All in a vain attempt it would seem for FREEDOM. I was a young, white girl from a small town in Kentucky who could not see the injustice and stay quiet as I was bidden and told. Now I am an old, white woman that the younger generations blame for the mess of Trump and white supremacists. Well, all i can say to the younger generations is We Tried - now it is up to you.
We who lived through this at your age, and the rest of the war protests, rallies, war dead, and songs, appreciate you bringing it to your generation to hear and see. They need to know. Thanks!
I just read this transcript of an interview that really puts the official narrative in doubt.
www.globalresearch.ca/new-leaked-documents-related-kent-state-may-4th-shootings-raise-serious-questions/5744525
@@Manageode Did anyone EVER believe the official line of dookie? I didn't when I was 13, and I don't now.
@@Manageode Thank you, we all should be holding these LOWLIFES in charge responsible for they are not above us or the law, but they are scum for ordering the equillay scumbags-guardsmen to shoot, goes to show you, gov are all sickoooo's
I always end up with soggy eyes, when I hear this song. I can still hear the bullhorn announcements on campus
I'm just a wee lad of 66 years. An old hippie freak, really. This song dredges up old memories and it never fails to get my blood boiling,. After years of investigation and equivocation about the circumstances of that day at Kent State, nobody was ultimately held responsible for the killings. Justice was not done.
I'm a 70 yr old ex-Air Force AeroMed (I tended the injured while they were being transported on the aircraft). Of course nothing was going to happen to them because the National Guard consisted of the son's of Politicians, Rich, and Famous. Being in the National Guard was their private "Stay Out of Vietnam Free" card. I was surprised that they didn't didn't pick 1 lowly guy as a scapegoat and crucify him just to appease the masses.
@David Harris My brother I'm just a " lad of 67 years" and like you I lived through this. I have a couple of things to add here, the first is, some birthday present this was for me. I turned 16 on that terrible day and was forever changed. I saw this on TV and was dumbfounded. My folks and teachers told me that the military would never turn it's weapons on civilians and kill them. The evidence contradicts that doesn't it? I had a talk with folks and my Mom said "baby child, I was the youngest and when thing got real heavy that is what she called me, I can't explain it to you because I don't understand either. The second point here is these people were exercising their First Amendment right "the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances". The thing, that to this day enrages me is no one was ever held to account for these murders, and never will. Thanks for reading my ramblings. Be well and safe, peace to you and yours.
I was a high school senior. That was the day I understood that the government would kill us - any citizen - for exercising our right to free speech. It was the day i became a liberal. Converts are always the most devout...my conversion was swift and deep and lasting.
You are a good human Daniel.
✌❤🌻😷🎶
I was 10 going on 11 when this happened. Graduated HS in 1977, this band was my boyfriends favorite band! Saw them a couple times in concert! Love them like crazy
This was my generation. We did a lot and a lot was done to us. I hope, wish, and pray there are many more in your generation like you with empathy, understanding, willing to dig and confront history, brave enough to stay strong and wide awake to our country being stolen from its rightful owners, all of us, by the uber rich and powerful. We desperately need the younger generations to step up. Thank you for doing this song and telling the story behind it, Daniel.
By the time I was twelve, in my lifetime JFK was assassinated, Bobby Kennedy was assassinated, Martin Luther King was assassinated, and the National Guard had opened fire on unarmed students at Kent State, killing four. It was a very confusing time as a child.
I know what you mean. I was 12 in 68 and remember thinking that the world just had to explode. I led a pretty sheltered life, but could not process all that I saw and heard
@@Peter-oh3hc I was 17 and learned to never trust the government. Our own government using weapons of war on unarmed students.
I was 11 watching T.V. with my mom and saw Bobby speaking and then leaving the room to go to the kitchen with one of the workers when he was shot , first time I ever saw or heard my mom cry out OMG No !!! and start crying like that. I'm 61 and I remember that day like it was yesterday .
My own belief is that the Military Industrial Complex (we were warned about this by Eisenhower) wanted to commit us to [endless] war in Southeast Asia. The CIA wanted the lucrative heroin trade which the French had been harvesting there in the Golden Triangle. Kennedy (John Fitzgerald) resisted and ultimately attempted to draw down the number of advisors (CIA) and contractors, personnel already there.
They murdered him for this. The next day Johnson reversed Kennedy's reduction directives and the fun began.
That was 11/22/1963. I was 13.
By the time of the Kent State shootings (1970) the draft was sucking up every young man who could walk. A year later the 26th ammendment would lower the voting age from 21 to 18. But in 1970 you could go to Viet Nam to kill small Asian people or be killed, yet you could not choose your representatives, here.
58,000 young Americans were killed in Vietnam. Many more came home maimed or shattered.
And not to disparage the brave service they gave themselves to,
for my money, they were sacrificed for nothing. This is why there were protests at Kent And other campuses across the land.
I was 19 when this song was released. I remember it clearly.
I was 8 years old. Adding-in the routine of going out in the school hallway and ducking down to practice awaiting what we already knew was to be the unsurvivable nuclear bomb. And, no one having to tell me that the angry guy who ran the local George Wallace headquarters out of a gas station office next to my dad's furniture refinishing shop was perhaps the first truly evil entity I'd met on the planet, up until that particular election year of '68.
It was inspiring to watch you learn as you saw the photos and heard the song. 50 years later that generation can still sing it word for word. But it is still happening and that is wrong. Some of these kids were only a year or so older than you are now. I saw that hit home as you watched. The power of music.
. . . And this is the sort of thing that woke me up, politically. And now, the children of the 60’s are stuck like flies in amber in 2020. We saw you tear up, just now. You gave us hope with every precious tear. As long as people remember and know the truth about the Kent State Massacre, there will always be hope.
This is probably one the most deep songs that you will ever do. Truly Classic !
Agreed. This one and Born in the USA by Springsteen
And War Pigs by Black Sabbath. Gets to the heart of war.
I'm nominating yo to be an honorary hippie Daniel- you'd have fit right in.
I've watched various reactors and yours was the most informed IMO. Because you did a little research ahead of the reaction, I think the images in that video drove home the message. I applaud your doing song facts about the circumstances leading up to and following the massacre. Good analysis and good reaction.
Thank you for taking the time to show respect by reading the names of the dead. It is easy to look at it as a single event rather than four individual tragedies.
I love David Crosby yelling "Why" and "How many more" at the end.
And now, the U.S. engages in endless warfare with the anti-war movement on life support. smh
@@DerekDominoes I don't know about that. Who are the true peacekeepers and the true warmakers? I doubt most of the rich kid protestors (then and now) are that aware of anything outside their tiny life.
@@randyguess3124 rich kid protesters, lol The rich kids usually aren't doing the protesting - they know that the military-industrial complex is making their families literal tons of money and they want that shit to continue forever.
David was actually crying while shouting those words out.
@@randyguess3124 if they weren’t aware of anything outside their tiny worlds why would they protest anything? Poor kids fight rich men’s wars and it is our duty as citizens regardless of rich or poor to speak up about the validity or lack of those wars. My upper-middle-class father enlisted in WWII and protested the Vietnam War. My mom’s family was poor and her genius, smart-ass 18 yr old brother was drafted, and sent to Vietnam, he came back a different man. I was raised to believe that protest is a form of patriotism. I believe the obligation to both support and to question are what makes our democracy so extraordinary.
So cool to see a young person such as yourself appreciate music and its historical significance.
Having lived through that period myself, it is very difficult to explain the cultural tensions of the time to someone younger. I applaud you for doing the research on this epic song, along with the best video to accompany it. Personally, I think we are actually going through something like that currently, with the political division, racism, troubled economy & a world-wide pandemic creating a tension filled climate that in hindsight 20-30 years from now will be difficult to explain to the NEXT generation.
One big difference was people being drafted into the military then.
@@deed5811 exactly. There wkas such a l difference between the students who avoided the draft by being in college and those that had no choice.
It was a weird time to be a kid. JFK died just before I was born. Bobby Kennedy died as I was entering kindergarten. The entire world was split over the war. I was standing in line for the bus in second grade, and one little girl jumped on another one screaming, "Nixon is a pig!"
Saw an interview with Graham Nash where he said Neil Young had an idea for a song in his head walked out in the woods and came back an hour later with Ohio.
This was a couple days after Kent State. Young and Nash were outside of SF. When Young came back with the song, Nash called the other guys in LA and said, "Find a studio." They had this record out just a couple weeks after Kent State.
Important facts about this song: there were a lot of protest songs out there but this was the first time someone called out Nixon by name. Deja Vu was climbing the charts and Graham Nash's 'Teach Your Children' was still on the way up - Ohio knocked it off the top 20 costing Nash a lot of royalty money. And he was 100% in favor of releasing the song as fast as possible. Nash and Young were foreign nationals (from Great Britain and Canada, respectively) and they were putting bullseyes on their backs calling out the president like that - risking deportation. But they were determined to deliver this message no matter what. The sheer anger and emotion in the voices, especially Young's and Crosby's can give you goosebumps.
Bullseye on your back indeed.
Beautifully written, Randy Gibson
Thanks for sharing those facts and history. I’m from that era and am familiar with them, but it is so important to keep those stories and memories alive and the history straight. Thank you. So glad younger folks are checking out the great music of out past.
Daniel, you got this spot on. Brought tears to my eyes. When I played this song on the radio, many times I’d cry. My brother was in that war. Hippies have had it right all along- peace and love.
You are wise beyond your years.
This song still stirs up a lot of emotion in me because everything just seemed so surreal. Steven's voice when he is wailing still tears through me.
I've decided Stills is my favorite. Although I love the velvet of the young David Crosby's voice. (I reserve the right to switch to someone else as my favorite!)
The first thing this song still does is close my throat. The second is moisture around the eyes. The third is tears roll down.
The research parts you do are as good as your reaction. I learn something every time and any day you can learn is a good day We Are Legion 👍✌️🧡 can't wait till you do "southern Man" it's EPIC Neil at his finest think there's a long version
We will never forget that horrendous day the National Guard shot those kids dead. This was at the height of Vietnam war protests.
I wasn't at all radical, but after this I was changed forever (for the better).
My next door neighbor, about ten years older than me, was drafted, sent to VietNam, and was the first one killed from our town in the war. Many more of my older friends were drafted and sent to VietNam. All of them came back with what is now called PTSD. It changed the lives of fun loving kids into a living hell for the rest of their lives. It didn't help when the My Lai massacre happened where American troops attacked an innocent village and killed everyone in it including a lot of babies. After that, troops coming back home were jeered and called "baby killers." My uncle served in two tours in Nam: early in the war and late in the war. I had a map of North and South VietNam on the wall of my bedroom and charted where he was stationed. A few weeks after he returned from his second tour the Viet Cong Tet Offensive overrun where he had been deployed killing massive numbers of troops and civilians.
At the beginning of the war, I remember telling a friend that I hoped that it would be still going when I was of age to join the fight. I had dreamed of going to West Point and becoming an officer and would write my Congressman every year beginning in fourth grade. He, in turn, would send me a West Point catalog along with a letter saying that I was too young to apply and to wait until my Junior year of HIgh School to let him know if I would still be interested. Funny thing happened to me during my freshman and sophomore years. A family friend set up an interview with a retired Green Beret who had just returned from Nam. I knew him and he knew me. He looked me in the eye and told me that I would be trained to kill people and that he knew that wasn't who I was. Many things happened during that time that changed my mind on the war. One of those were the Kent State killings and then hearing "Ohio" on the radio shortly after that. By my junior year, I was anti-war and the whole trajectory of my life changed after that. I didn't apply to West Point. I went to college where I earned my B.A. in anthropology then went on to graduate to be award a Masters degree in anthropology with a specialization in archaeology. I went on to have a long successful career as a professional archaeologist, retiring about ten years ago.
Many of my friends identify me as a huge Neil Young fan. My views on life seem to mirror his viewpoints on many issues over the 50 years that I've followed him. In essence, they are peace, love and be kind to Mother Earth. As someone famous once wrote, sorry for the length of this message, but I didn't have the time to make it short. Peace, love and Neil Young!
Bigfoot, yours very closely reflects my own trajectory in to adulthood during those years...although I was planning three years in the Navy, then a career in the State Department, following a degree in Political Science. I actually completed most of my ocs training to be commissioned an officer. But by the spring of 1970 my political views were changing. Ironically, (providentially?) I was found to have a hearing loss, discharged from the Naval Reserve and given a draft exemption. Kent State happened two weeks before I graduated from college. And that was it for me, my life changed course. I worked in social services, returned to get my Masters in Counseling Psychology, and eventually spent most of my professional career working in a hospice. I never protested against the individual soldiers who were sent there, two of whom were friends, but against the policy of the government... One way or another, that war became a crucible for a generation....
Bigfoot. So well said. Thank you for that. You have changed the planet in positive ways. My very first concert was Neil Young. I have seen all four so many times over the years. Neil Young has affected my beliefs in his songs.
@Bigfoot , what you wrote gave me goose bumps. Thank you for sharing your story.
@@larrycrawley-woods4515 Same here. When I got back, I did a BA, BS, MPA, and PhD (Clinical Psychology). The me who enlisted in the USAF in 1969, left forlorn, broken, and disabled in 1975.
I think this is how over-support for the military started with Christians. You would think they would be against the war, but the abuse suffered by vets became a kind of crusade for many.
"We're finally on our own"
With the absolute chaos that has been 2020, not knowing what the future will bring, this line really hits hard.
I was a teen in Cape Town, South Africa when this went down.
We had that iconic photo in our school less than 12 hours after it happened - and there was no internet those days.
And we were deeply shocked as students because we were starting to voice opposition against the apartheid government here.
The MSM sat on the story for several days before publishing it here.
MANY kids grew up very quickly that day - their innocence and blind trust gone.
Respect to the fallen...
I was 15 when this went down; a sophomore in High School. In my short life, I'd experienced the assassinations of JFK, RFK, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. At that point in my life I realized that now they were coming for kids like me and I was instantly radicalized. On May 15th this incident was repeated at Jackson State in Mississippi where 2 students were murdered and 12 injured.
This song is one of the many that galvanized us into the protesting machine that we became, ultimately ending the war.
Thanks, Daniel.
We came close to this recently in Washington DC, only week ago.
In Washington they were throwing frozen water bottles and chunks of concrete at the guard and cops. Could have turned bad.
Say her name: Ashli Babbitt
@@k012957 That dumbass does not deserve to be in the same conversation as Jeffrey Miller, Allison Krause, William Schroeder, and Sandra Scheuer.
We gotta keep playing this song. We should not forget the slaughter of innocents. Thanks Daniel. Yes. It is supposed to be a repesentative democracy. So much of the time the people are not represented. I think CSNYs 'Chicago' is also an important one. (I do love Little Tin Soldier by the Small Faces too.) I remember seeing this on the B&W tv news. Sometimes I regret not marching. I was a kid. And I was afraid of my father's opinion should I be seen.
Tin Soldier is a great Small Faces song and Todd Rundgren recorded a great cover of it on his album 'The Ever-Popular Tortured Artist Effect.'
It's a shame that this song remains so relevant year after year. Got to be one of the most haunting opening guitar riffs.
They talk of moments that define an era - this one had a profound effect on the American psyche, like Kennedys assassination, or Dr. Martin Luther Kings. I was a teenager living in England and this shocking news was met with such anger, sadness, dismay and grief that it flipped a switch in the collective consciousness of our country. But the memory fades with each passing generation until young people like you, Daniel, bring it back out into the light of day, late 2020.
And right there you have it: The Culture War that has continued until today. That comment by the returning soldier is profound: Three of them saying “good riddance to those damn hippies, let them go to Canada” vrs realizing that the right to decent is a bedrock of our Democracy. And thus the culture gulf began and continues to divide us: “Law and Order” being code for beating up peaceful protesters. I was in some of those protests....never got hurt...all peaceful. I was lucky I guess. GOD, we hated Nixon so much! And other “patriotic” Americans saw us as traitors. We’re still in the same place because we’ve never really dealt with this great divide. And so it repeats itself. So many of my friends of my age (73) are so despondent over the fact that, although progress has definitely been made, this same internal “war” continues. As Biden has said, this is a struggle for the soul of our country. Who are we?
Music was a HUGE part of the counter-culture...beginning with Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, and into the seventies with so many different artists writing amazing songs for racial justice and agains the Vietnam War. We were a huge block of “baby-boomers” of the same age and beliefs, and our music inspired us and helped to energize us. We all knew these songs....they were anthems. Music no longer has that hold on youth culture today I don’t think, because it has fractured into so many different genres and people pick their playlists and stay in their “bubbles” with their friends and “tribes”. At least, that’s how it seems to me two generations removed. The Youth of today could use an anthem like this one that could serve to unite them to a good cause...like climate change. Obviously I’ve shown my political views here and no doubt will meet with some nasty responses. I don’t care. I was a young adult in those times, and it’s important to remember what happened at Kent State...and keep it in mind when you watch what happens to protestors in Portland and other cities. It’s the same shit.
This was not a happy reaction, but it was such a very very important one.
Thank you DS9!
Thank you for your compassion and research on this very tragic event, resulting in this very historic song. I subscribed immediately. Signed, a hippie from the 70's.
There were also students killed at Jackson State but often a forgotten footnote.
"How can you run when you know?" Damn, Neil's guitar still rips like a bleeding wound. It's so painful to see these scars all ripped open again.
You're right that the guitar rips like a bleeding wound. but that's Stephen on lead guitar here.
Glad you did a reaction to this, Daniel. I've seen CSN live many times, CSNY, Stephen Stills, and David Crosby several times. The last time I saw David Crosby in 2018 he and his band played Ohio as the encore, and the entire crowd audience was standing up singing along as loud as they could. Thank you again for reacting to this.
how cool
I subscribed because although I love music reactions, it's Very hard to find reactions that are real and heartfelt..I think you are one of those few. Thank you.
Welcome aboard, I'm glad you like my videos. Take care:)
So excited had to leave message before listen.. Biggest political hit ever! Bravo! They were preeminent social justice band ever. Neil Young read story in paper, walked outside to be alone, came back soon after with this song. It was recorded and released within 1 week! Another classic written by Stephen before CSNY " with Neil is huge hit (anti war) "For What its Worth. Chicago Ray
That comment made me cry . I mean hippies are beautiful people. Kids need not die . RIP .❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I know loss . My boyfriend died in my arms ,then I watched my brother die 2 weeks later and the 4 friends coming up from the city to console me ,we’re all killed by a drunk driver.
Loss is extremely painful and so important to remember these lost souls. May their families and friends find peace.
May everyone stay safe during this Covid mess . ❤️❤️❤️
If someone makes you really angry , show them nothing but love and kindness. However you must stand up for your rights . This breaks my heart.
In the words of one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, Benjamin Franklin, "It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority." From the perspective of this 64-year old, 10-year veteran of the US Navy, those protesting students were absolutely being patriotic, and those killed and wounded are heroic to me. It is not just the right of citizens to voice opposition to our Government, it is their duty as a citizen to do so. I swore an oath, back in 1975, to "....support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic..." Although I've now been a civilian for *much* longer than I was in the Navy, I've not been freed from that oath. I was 13 when the murders took place at Kent State, and the events shocked me to my very core...this was only 2 years since that awful, awful year of 1968. My Father, a life-long Democrat, worked at one of the San Francisco newspapers, and asked some of the reporters he knew if they'd heard any rumors regarding the shootings, and came back home to tell us what he'd heard...the truth, as it turns out. Five years later, when I was about to enlist in the Navy, I thought back to that day in 1970, as well as things that had happened since then, and I did have to think long and hard about joining. In the end, my desire to serve my country outweighed my misgivings, and I believe I made the correct choice. "Ohio" is one of the very best Vietnam-era protest songs, and, Daniel, that's a rabbit-hole you might wish to explore...I think you'll find many of us happy to go along.
Thank you for doing this song. I was a senior at the nearby college Ohio Wesleyan at the time of the massacre. I remember the next day sitting in shock in my poly sci class while the teacher had students voice their thoughts. I couldn't understand how one ROTC student defended the National Guard. I can remember to this day what the classroom looked like and exactly what I was feeling -- numbness. This song has resonated with me from the first time I heard it.
I'm of that generation. The phrase "We are finally on our own" is exactly how we felt.
And here we are in 2020, on the very verge of history repeating.
Thank you Daniel for reminding people of the pain and trauma caused when a society eats itself.
We can see how this song moved you which makes you a great representative of the future.
... Students in Ohio two hundred yards away
Shot down by a nameless fire one early day in May
Some people cried out angry "You should have shot more of them down!"
But you can’t bury youth my friend... youth grows the whole world round
It could have been me, but instead it was you
So I’ll keep doing the work you were doing as if I were two
I’ll be a student of life, a singer of songs
A farmer of food and a righter of wrong
It could have been me, but instead it was you
And it may be me, dear sisters and brothers, before we are through
But if you can die for freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom
If you can die for freedom I can too...
Holly Near, It Could Have Been Me
I have lived in Ohio all my life. I was not quite college-age when the Kent State shootings happened, but remember them clearly. Tragic doesn't begin to describe it. That's probably the reason people my age have mixed feelings about a governor calling up the National Guard for peacekeeping tasks. The "what could possibly go wrong with this scenario" question always surfaces.
I am subscribed to several reaction channels. I have been watching yours for a few months, and really enjoy it. I like the way you research the meanings behind the songs. I have never commented on one of your videos. I just had to let you know that in my opinion you are wise far beyond your years, and I really appreciate the caring you show in your videos, and the interest you have for the history of our country. Keep up the good work!
Thank you for the encouragement, I'm glad you enjoy the videos:)
“Signs, signs, everywhere are signs.”
Five Man Electrical Band. Good song.
I like how you are trying to educate yourself. You have a good attitude about all this. And, the best selection of music of any music listening channel I am aware of. Keep up the good work! This was a great video.
This is a great song which remembers a terrible day.
If I may suggest another, “Black Day in July” by Gordon Lightfoot.
In July 1967, a unfortunate incident in Detroit escalated to several days of rioting that were the basis for the song. The Michigan National Guard was called in, there were tanks in the streets, 43 dead, over 1,000 injured, 7,000 arrested, and more than 2,000 buildings destroyed by fire.
It was the worst riot since the 1863 New York City draft riots. And triggered disturbances in other cities, including New York City; Rochester, NY; Toledo, OH; Englewood, NJ; Houston, TX; Tucson, AZ.
People despair about how bad this year was. These, and other songs, are reminders the US has been through worse.
This song still brings me to tears all these years later..... the emotional connection seems 😢 like just yesterday.
Great song - and an important message. Thanks for honoring those killed and injured 50 years ago. On a lighter note, I would love to see you react to two versions of the song Mr. Soul. The original was from Stills' and Young's former band, Buffalo Springfield. The cover version (which I love) was done around 2003 by Rush for their EP called Feedback, where they paid tribute to the bands they loved when they were first starting out. Alex Lifeson does a remarkable job emulating Neil Young's playing style and even throws in a dash of Roger McGuinn of The Byrds (Crosby's former bandmate) during the solo.
This song was written by Neil Young when the protest was on the four students who were protesting against Vietnam War protest were shot by National Guard who are refereed as Nixon's Tin-men, thanks.
Ol' Shakey is a force of nature, and so his guitar tone....!!!!
Remember this very well. It was absolutely horrifying and no one thought it could happen in this country. Anything can happen in this country.
Appreciate you doing this one and sharing the comments on the video. I too first became aware of the event through that photo being on the front page of our local newspaper. I was walking to jr. high school and saw it taped to the window of one of the housing developments apartments. We called them ‘the projects back then. It was shocking, but by then, I had seen the assassinations of JFK, MLK and RFK which may explain why so many students were protesting in the first place. Youthful innocence had long since been shattered along with the notion that the government had your back.
I was in my late teens, living in Ohio, and looking at the draft when this occurred. It was awful that 4 middle-class white kids had to die in the midwest for middle America to wake up to something terribly wrong with what was going on in 'Nam. Protests on the Coasts and kids coming home in body bags hadn't moved the needle, but this did.
Sure brings back memories every time I hear this song. As a senior in high school, I was soon to be on my way to Miami of Ohio, just a 4 hour drive from Kent State. That horrific day galvanized so many of us in our fight to end the war. One of the greatest protest songs of all time!
I will never forget that fateful day. Still unbelievable to this day. Nixon should have been impeached over this before
Watergate.
Thanks for doing the 'deep' research on this event.
Most re-actors stay on the top of their search page. They know that the protestors were unarmed but not that the ones killed weren't even at the protest.
The MSM coverage at the time would have made FOX NEWS proud.
Daniel, you did a very good job on the delivery of everything that this very controversial song is really about!!!! There are many people who did not know how deep this song goes!! Hell, I learned a few things myself!!! Horrific event at our own governments hands!!! I remember it well, will never forget it!!!!! But great delivery on the deep info Daniel!!!! That was just a nice job!!!!!✌️
When music mattered. Songwriters of the 60's & 70's were an important voice to the many tragedies that unfolded in that time. Musical poets. Corporate takeover of radio and the record industry silenced them. Now it's all about fame & fortune.
Thank you, Daniel. I was 2 months shy of 17 when this event happened.
Jim Morrison said it best when he said ''Whoever controls the media controls the mind''
Last 4 years we know who controls the media.
On the musical side, the riff and lead guitar is all Neil Young. Shows his
genius in being able to make music that’s relatable to society’s ills. He’s
still writing socially conscience music. 🎵🎸
Time for Country Joe and the Fish. Their song "I Feel Like I'm Fixin to Die Rag" is a classic. Too bad the radio stations won't play it.
Yes!!!
Appreciate your comments and civility dignity and respect. It's hard to not cry when I hear this song. It's stunning how after 53 yrs this event is still shocking and chilling. Many blessings ya'll. Human rights matter.
All it takes is the opening notes of the guitar and I’m right back there, again. I still cry over this event, and the fact that things have only become worse over the last five decades.
Keep the music alive Daniel.
This is an excellent song written by Neil Young. 🎼🎶🇨🇦
4 Way Street was a live album that included "Ohio," but the studio version you listened to was on a standalone single. The B-side was also albumless, a similarly relevant song called "Find the Cost of Freedom."
I can’t believe how much I’m learning from your channel.
The four students killed were not involved in the protest demonstration. They were bystanders, collateral damage, just passing through campus.
Makes me cry every time I hear it.
Daniel for future president !!!!!
Daniel thank you, thank you for reacting to this song the way you did. I was 15 at the time. I will never forget. It has affected my life and my political beliefs. Democracy is so delicate. It is not a spectators sport. Protesting is one of the few ways we can engage.
I am of this generation. Thank you so much for reacting to this. Young people need to know the history of this time. Don't ever think this can't happen again. I hope you have inspired people to educate themselves about this history.
Another protest song that David Crosby was involved in was, “ For What it’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield check it out.
David Crosby wasn’t in Buffalo Springfield.. You’re thinking of Stephen Stills and Neil Young
Stephen Stills wrote "For What It's Worth."
David Crosby was in the Byrds. He had nothing to do with For What It's Worth. Steven Stills wrote that song about the Sunset Strip riots of 1966. It was never a Vietnam protest song.
Listening on the anniversary of the tragic day... 05.04. in 2021. Always brings me to tears. Every single version. Every performance.
I remember seeing this on the news when I was 9. This song about brings me to tears every time I hear it. Great, great song!
It is young people like you who will change the world. It makes me happy that there are still socially minded, aware young people out there.
Another song by a Canadian regarding American civil unrest and subsequent armed response is Black Day In July, by Gordon Lightfoot. It was banned in 1968 by radio stations in 30 U.S. states.
Keep in mind they were not even old enough to vote☮️😳
"You're old enough to kill, but not for votin'." - Barry McGuire
I was a high school student in Ohio at the time, but I didn't get to hear the song for a couple years because the radio station mentioned was the only one in the State that played it when it came out.
Thanks for doing this one. I have suggested this tune to many reactors & so far you are the only one who has reacted to it.
Your videos are thought-provoking and deep. I love watching your explanations and providing background to each video. Thanks !
You’re so empathic very human of you. Especially when this happened 50 years ago. I don’t listen to much new music as it doesn’t appeal to me but I wonder if any of today’s contemporary artists feel as much about protests mass shootings war as the youth did all those years ago
Thank-you for heartfelt comments.
I am 60 years old and crying, hearing this song after so many years.
Great song choice.... Important history behind this song.
Another fact not so well known is
Joe Walsh ( from the Eagles) was on campus when this happened.
He did a song titled "Turn to Stone" as a kind of short political comment of the times. Great song with a sweet guitar solo in it that I highly recommend for your 'someday' list
Edit: BTW I recommend the version from the Joe Walsh "So What" album.
Turn to Stone one of my favs
I so respect that you read about the history of the tunes you critique. I remember the day this happened. I was a teen raised in Ohio during the Vietnam war. We marched and marched against the lies our government was feeding us , drafting 18 yr old KIDS to go fight a war we had no business in. Sadly, 58 thousand kids never came home and so many that did were shell shocked along with being addicted to drugs. Horrible time I will NEVER forget.
❤️❤️❤️!🔥 ❤️❤️❤️🇨🇦. Violence is hurting us all . If only we could all have John Lennon’s attitude. Thank you Neil for being a guiding light .
LOVE the deep dives you do on this and other songs. It's interesting, informative, and important. Thanks!
You are such a cool moral and deep kid.
I’m glad I found your reaction to this video-It’s admirable that you took the time to educate yourself and those watching on what this was all about.
I am 71 and an old rock/blues singer. I was an SSgt in the USAF when Kent State happened. The fact that the American military, albeit National Guard troops, fired on its own citizens changed me forever. In an ironic twist, one of the students killed that day was enrolled in ROTC.
Amazingly, I was in the military, soon to be in SE Asia, yet I was considered too young to drink or vote. 7 members of my high school graduating class (1967) died in the Vietnam War.
Daniel, not much that I can add to your reaction to this song except that Neil Young is one of the greatest songwriters of our time. He has so many great songs about historical events and persons(like Pocahontas, Cortez the Killer, Captain Kennedy and Powderfinger) to songs about a subject like drug abuse(Needle and the Damage Done, Tonight's The Night and Tired Eyes) and anything else you can think about. Besides political issues, he writes social commentary about discrimination(Southern Man and Alabama) to stuff like After the Gold Rush, Sugar Mountain, I Am A Child, Helpless or A Man Needs a Maid. Throw in Love Is A Rose, Comes A Time, Heart of Gold and Old Man and you have a glimpse of where his lyrics can take you. Then musically add guitar driven classics like Down By The River, Cowgirl In The Sand and Like A Hurricane and you can begin to see his place in the history of Rock music. Then there's songs that get you to think(Star Of Bethlehem) and songs to get you to reminisce(Long May You Run).
Crash Vegas did a great cover of "Pocahontas".
it's not easy, but it happened, and we should learn from history, but almost never do (and human memory is so short)
Thank you for playin it.❤👍🌻
Touching, eary, relevant song. I remember it well. 👍🌻😥❤