Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at /Permissions.html. Voices Across Time is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Starr had had a modest hit in 1968 with "25 Miles," but was still mostly unknown before the success of "War." The song resonated with the antiwar sentiments of the Vietnam War-era and reached number one on the charts in the summer of 1970.įor more on Motown, see "I Was Born this Way," "Love Child," "Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology)," and "What's Going On?" in this unit. Edwin Starr (1942–2003), who had served in Vietnam as a military advisor, volunteered to sing it. When fans lobbied for a single release, it was decided that the group's reputation might be marred by what was considered a potentially controversial song. "War" was originally written for the Temptations and included in their album Psychedelic Shack. Whitfield and Strong collaborated on many of the best-known Motown hits, including the Temptations' psychedelic hit, "Ball of Confusion" (1970). sweet vocal group, meaning Edwin Starrs became the definitive version. 1941) is a lyricist who wrote many of the lyrics for the songs sung by the Temptations and other Motown groups. The controversial and bloody Vietnam War spanned two decades, took the lives of. Norman Whitfield (1940–2008) was a songwriter and producer known for having contributed to the development of the Motown sound and the subgenre known as psychedelic soul in the late 1960s.
Many artists stood out and spoke loudly to against unequal treatment and war, Edwin Starr was one of the great singers during that time. In the 1960s, there were many social issues, such as African-American civil rights movement, feminism, and the Vietnam war. Rights have not been secured to reprint the words for this song. Because it means destruction of innocent lives / War means tears in thousands of mothers eyes Lives are wasted in War and mothers lose their sons from War. Edwin Starr was a well-known American singer from the 1960s. Available on Itunes, Spotify, and YouTube.įor more information, visit Edwin Starr's official website. "War" performed by Edwin Starr on Motown Legends: War -Twenty-Five Miles, © 1995. Why do you think he was hesitant?Ĭompare and contrast the message of "War" with the message of "Menominee Veterans Song." What do you think shaped these very different views of the war? Why would this antiwar message have resonated with many African Americans? How was the African American community disproportionately impacted by the Vietnam War?īerry Gordy, the founder of Motown Records, was hesitant to release such an explicitly political song. The intensity and rawness of this recording is squarely in the tradition of soul music, a style seen as predominantly African American. The lyrics do not refer to any war in particular, but what war was being fought in 1970 that most listeners would have automatically understood as the subject of the song? "War" was released on the Temptations' 1970 album Psychedelic Shack and then, more famously, recorded by Edwin Starr later that year. Music by Norman Whitfield, lyrics by Barrett Strong, 1970
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