Buffalo springfield for what it’s worth

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Buffalo springfield for what it’s worth lyrics

“For What It’s Worth”

By Buffalo Springfield (written by Stephen Stills)

There’s something happening here
What it is ain’t exactly clear
There’s a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware

I think it’s time we stop, children, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down

There’s battle lines being drawn
Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind

It’s time we stop, hey, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down

What a field-day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly say, “Hooray for our side”

It’s time we stop, hey, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you’re always afraid
You step out of line, the man come and take you away

We better stop, hey, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down
Stop, hey, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down
Stop, now, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down
Stop, children, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down

Buffalo Springfield For What It’s Worth: A Chronicle of Discontent and an Immortal Legacy

The Genesis of an Anthem

Among the songs that define the collective imagination of the 1960s, “For What It’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield holds a preeminent position. With its haunting guitar riff and enigmatic lyrics, it became the universal soundtrack of protest, inextricably linked to images of the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement. However, this association, while powerful, obscures the song’s more local and specific origin. The story of “For What It’s Worth” is intimately tied to that of its band, Buffalo Springfield, a meteor of pure talent that blazed across the American rock sky for just two years, from 1966 to 1968.[1] This paper proposes to analyze the song and the band as a microcosm of the creative, social, and political tensions of their era. We will first examine the socio-cultural context of Los Angeles in 1966, then the formation and internal dynamics of the group, before proceeding to a detailed analysis of the song itself. Finally, we will study its reception, its legacy, and the remarkable posterity of its members, which demonstrates that Buffalo Springfield’s influence far exceeded its brief existence.[2]

1. The Context – Los Angeles, 1966: A Creative and Social Crucible

1.1 The Ferment of the Counter-Culture
The mid-1960s in the United States was a period of profound upheaval. Society was traversed by conflicting currents: post-war economic prosperity, but also a youth increasingly critical of materialism and the establishment. Major social movements were gaining momentum, notably the struggle for African American civil rights and a growing opposition to military escalation in Vietnam. A “counter-culture” emerged, advocating alternative values, sexual liberation, and a deep-seated distrust of authority.

1.2 The Laurel Canyon Folk-Rock Scene
Los Angeles, and particularly the Laurel Canyon neighborhood and the Sunset Strip, became the epicenter of this cultural and musical revolution.[3] A new music scene, folk-rock, was born there, merging the protest tradition of folk with the electric energy of rock and roll popularized by the “British Invasion.” Bands like The Byrds and The Mamas & the Papas created a sound that would define a generation. It was in this fertile ground that Buffalo Springfield would form, quickly becoming the house band at the legendary Whisky a Go Go club.[1][4]

1.3 The Spark: The Sunset Strip Curfew Riots
In late 1966, tensions escalated on the Sunset Strip. Local businesses and residents, annoyed by the influx of young people and traffic congestion, successfully lobbied officials to enforce a strict 10 p.m. curfew for those under 18.[3][5][6] These measures were perceived by the youth as an infringement upon their civil rights.[7] On November 12, 1966, flyers were distributed inviting people to a demonstration against the looming closure of a popular all-ages club, Pandora’s Box.[5][8] The situation escalated when police responded with force to the gathering of approximately 1,000 young demonstrators, which included celebrities like Jack Nicholson and Peter Fonda.[3][5][8] These clashes, known as the “Sunset Strip curfew riots,” though minor compared to other unrest of the era, became symbolic of the growing generation gap and served as the direct catalyst for the writing of “For What It’s Worth.”[5][6]

2. Buffalo Springfield – Genesis of a Supergroup-in-Waiting

2.1 A Legendary Encounter
The formation of Buffalo Springfield in 1966 is the stuff of rock and roll mythology.[2][9] It resulted from a chance encounter in Los Angeles between Americans Stephen Stills and Richie Furay, and two Canadian musicians, Neil Young and Bruce Palmer.[4] Legend holds that Stills and Furay, stuck in traffic on Sunset Boulevard, spotted a hearse with Ontario license plates driven by Young, whom Stills had previously met on the folk circuit. The group was completed by Canadian drummer Dewey Martin.[10] Their name was famously taken from a Buffalo-Springfield steamroller parked on a nearby street.[9][11]

2.2 The Members: A Complex and Volatile Alchemy
The band was a constellation of rare talent, with three primary singer-songwriters:

Stephen Stills: A virtuosic guitarist and the group’s main driving force and songwriter.[12]
Neil Young: A guitarist with a unique style and a prolific songwriter whose dark, introspective universe provided a perfect counterpoint to Stills. The creative rivalry between the two would be both the engine and the poison of the group.[13]
Richie Furay: A singer with a clear voice and a talented composer, he brought a more country-inflected and harmonious touch.[12]
Bruce Palmer (bass) and Dewey Martin (drums) formed a solid and effective rhythm section.[10]

2.3 A Meteoric Rise and Ephemeral Career
Signed to the Atlantic Records subsidiary Atco, Buffalo Springfield achieved rapid success.[1][4] Their self-titled debut album was released in 1966.[10] However, the band was constantly undermined by internal conflicts, drug-related arrests (notably of Bruce Palmer, who was deported to Canada), and the escalating rivalry between Stills and Young.[4][13] Despite a critically acclaimed second album, Buffalo Springfield Again (1967), and a final posthumous album, Last Time Around (1968), the group imploded and officially disbanded in May 1968, after only 25 months of existence.[10][14]

3. Analysis of the Work – “For What It’s Worth”

3.1 The Composition: An Instant Chronicle
The song was written by Stephen Stills in the days following the Sunset Strip riots.[8] By his own account, the writing process was swift, taking about 15 minutes.[15] The title, which does not appear in the lyrics, reportedly came from the modest way Stills presented the song to record executive Ahmet Ertegun: “I have this song here, for what it’s worth, if you want it.”[16] Recorded on December 5, 1966, it was rush-released as a single and quickly became a hit, reaching No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of 1967.[16]

3.2 Textual Analysis: Ambiguity as Universal Strength
The lyrics of “For What It’s Worth” are a model of observational, detached writing, which is their primary strength.[17]

“There’s something happening here / What it is ain’t exactly clear / There’s a man with a gun over there / Telling me I got to beware.” The opening verse immediately establishes a scene of confusion and diffuse threat.[18] The “man with a gun” is the police, but the lack of specificity makes the threat universal.
“There’s battle lines being drawn / Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong / Young people speaking their minds / Getting so much resistance from behind.” This verse describes the polarization of society. The line “Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong” adopts a neutral stance, critiquing the escalation from all sides.[19]
“Paranoia strikes deep / Into your life it will creep / It starts when you’re always afraid / You step out of line, the man come and take you away.” The final verse addresses the climate of fear and repression, a central theme of the counter-culture.[19]

The chorus, “I think it’s time we stop, children, what’s that sound / Everybody look what’s going down,” is not a call to revolutionary action, but an injunction to pause, observe, and become aware. It is this non-doctrinaire nature that allowed the song to be adopted by such diverse causes.

3.3 Musical Analysis: An Atmosphere of Latent Tension
The music is as crucial as the lyrics in creating the song’s mood.

Neil Young’s Guitar: The most recognizable element is the haunting, bell-like guitar harmonic played by Young, a sinister “ping” that punctuates the track and instills immediate tension.[17]
The Rhythm: Dewey Martin’s drumming is restrained, almost martial, and the bassline is minimalist, contributing to a sense of a slow, inexorable march.
The Structure: The song builds in intensity, with the addition of backing vocals and hand claps, underscoring the escalation described in the lyrics.[19] Stills’s voice, both calm and urgent, acts like that of a journalist reporting a scene live.[18]

4. Reception, Legacy, and Posterity

4.1 Commercial Success and Misappropriation of Meaning
The song’s success was immediate, but its meaning was quickly reinterpreted.[16] Although born from local turmoil in Los Angeles, its message of division and protest resonated nationally, and it became one of the most powerful anthems of the anti-Vietnam War movement.[20] This association is so strong that many still believe it was written in reaction to the war.[16] The song is a perfect example of how an artwork can escape its creator to acquire a life of its own in popular culture. Its recurring use in films like Forrest Gump cemented its status as an icon of the 1960s.[14]

4.2 The Dissolution: A Fleeting Meteor
The same creative friction that produced “For What It’s Worth” also led to the band’s rapid demise.[2] Egos, especially those of Stills and Young, legal troubles, and musical disagreements made collaboration impossible.[13] The breakup in 1968 left a sense of immense, unfulfilled potential.

4.3 The Legacy: A Nursery of Talent and Enduring Influence
Buffalo Springfield’s legacy is most significantly measured by the phenomenal success of its former members.[14]

Stephen Stills formed the supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash, later joined by Neil Young to become Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.[9][14]
Richie Furay and later-era member Jim Messina founded Poco, a pioneering country-rock band.[9][14]
Jim Messina would later achieve massive success as one half of the duo Loggins & Messina.[11][14]
Neil Young launched a legendary solo career, becoming one of the most respected and influential figures in rock music.[14][21]

This exceptional posterity solidified Buffalo Springfield’s “supergroup” status and demonstrated the density of talent it contained. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.[10][22]

Conclusion: More Than a Song, a Seismograph of its Time

Buffalo Springfield was a brilliant and ephemeral entity, a comet whose trajectory illuminated the music scene of the late 1960s. “For What It’s Worth” remains their most dazzling testament. Born from a local conflict, the song transcended its origins to become a universal anthem for civic vigilance, a timeless call to observe the world with a critical eye.[6][23] Its success and adoption by various social movements illustrate the power of a poetic and ambiguous message in a polarized context.[17] The story of the band and its iconic song is that of a perfect, fleeting alignment of place (Los Angeles), time (1966), and an extraordinary gathering of talent. By capturing the essence of “something happening here,” Buffalo Springfield created a work whose relevance, “for what it’s worth,” has never faded.

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