Neil Young's 1970 Masterpiece Is Still Rock's Greatest Protest Song

Not many songs in rock history have captured the urgent feeling of Neil Young's "Ohio." Released in 1970 by David Crosby, Graham Nash, Stephen Stills and Neil Young, it was written in response to one of the most talked about events during the Vietnam War. More than 50 years on, the song remains a standard for protest music, less for detailed political argument than for turning national outrage into four unforgettable minutes.

On May 4, 1970, members of the Ohio National Guard opened fire on unarmed students protesting the Vietnam War at Kent State University, killing four and wounding nine. Images of the shootings spread and deepened divisions over the war. Neil Young wrote the song soon after seeing those photographs in Life magazine, and the result was born of raw emotion that can be heard in every line.

The song opens with "Tin Soldiers and Nixon comin/ We're finally on our own," an unusually direct attack on the sitting president at a time when many artists avoided naming political leaders.

United States, Kent State

neil young, ohio, david crosby, graham nash, stephen stills, kent state, may 4, national guard, vietnam war, protest song