Album: War & Peace
Year: 1970
Little-known fact: the original title of Edwin Starr’s “War” is that — like the album it came from — its first title was “War & Peace.”
OK, not really, I was inverting a Seinfeld joke, but probably the album title was what gave Larry David (I’m assuming) the idea for the joke. And weirdly enough, for such a serious son, “War” was probably been the inspiration for tons and tons of jokes over the past 45 years, probably because it comes on so strong it almost veers into self-parody.
That it doesn’t goes to the absolute control that Edwin Starr shows during every inch of the song. Right from the beginning, as he and his background singers shout one of the most famous lyrics in musical history.
WAR!
(HUUUH)
YEAH!
(WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR?)
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
Nevertheless, I still think he was missing out on an opportunity to have a second verse that went:
PEACE!
(MAN!)
YEAH!
(WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR?)
ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING!
But maybe that’s just me.
ANYways, with the horns and the drums syncopating like a firing squad, “War” starts like a battlefield aflame, and only gets more powerful from there, as the verses are so funky they practically dance off of the vinyl while Starr reminds us of the simple truth:
War, it ain’t nothin’ but a heartbreaker
War, friend only to the undertaker
The simple truisms and crazy powerful music of “War” propelled it to a well-deserved #1 in 1970, and it’s been controversial ever since. For example, in 2001, Clear Channel — brooking no dissent!! — put it on its “no play” list, because American’s who were for war couldn’t even bear to hear anything but support.
“War”