Reader’s Choice/Tom’s Top Tunes…Song #58/250: Ohio by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (+) Hind’s Hall by Macklemore

When I was growing up I always had access to information. I was raised in a home in which we sat as a family and watched the CBC National newscast each day. We had the local daily newspaper delivered and always read the previous day’s news all over again, the only difference being the local slant to those national and international stories that our newspaper delivered. I have always been a consumer of information. As for my personal reading, it was mostly done through non-fiction books and through magazines. When I was a teenager, I was given a subscription to a series of books by the Time-Life organization about the history of WWII. Once a month or so a new hardcover encyclopedia-style book would show up in our mailbox. I would devour those books. It was one of the things that helped me to develop a love of history, as well as the stories behind the people who helped make those memorable times what they became. The other way that I got into reading and history was through the magazines that my family subscribed to. We were always receiving those Publisher’s Clearing House prize packets in the mail. I think that my mother must have believed that in order to enter for a chance to win a big cash prize, she needed to take out a magazine subscription from among the variety of magazine stamps that came in the packet. Thus, we had many magazines in our home such as National Geographic, Chatelaine, Good Housekeeping, the National Enquirer (!?) and others. But the one magazine that helped change my life and cemented my love of history and my belief in good journalism was Life Magazine. Life Magazine was an American publication that was most known for its photojournalism. Many of the most iconic news-related photographs of the past seventy-five years in American history came from the lens of cameras belonging to Life Magazine photographers. Photographers such as Albert Eisenstaedt, Robert Capa and Margaret Bourke-White among others, were names as familiar in my home as those of Walter Cronkite in the US or Lloyd Roberston here in Canada. Many of the photographs that graced the cover of Life Magazine came to define the eras in which they were taken and even helped shape government policy by influencing public opinion. I was only six years old in 1970 when the brave editors at Life Magazine opted to publish a  photo of three students kneeling over the prone body of a man on the ground. The man on the ground was named John Cleary. Mr. Cleary was a student at Kent State University who had been protesting against U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War and how it was spreading, with approval, into neighbouring Cambodia. Miller had been shot by U.S. National Guardsmen who had been called in by the authorities to quell the protests. In all, four people died that day at Kent State University in Ohio. The photo of the concerned student faces over top of Miller’s lifeless body made for quite a shocking image. While I was too young to pay much attention to that magazine photo when it came to our home, I am sure that my parents read the articles that were written about it and discussed it thoroughly over tea. I am also reasonably sure that they would have disposed of the magazine or hidden it away so that their innocent little boy didn’t stumble upon the image by accident and start asking uncomfortable questions. One person who did stumble upon that magazine cover and decided to start an uncomfortable national conversation about it was Neil Young. 

By the time that the Kent State shootings took place, Neil Young was in his mid-twenties and had already begun to make a name for himself in the burgeoning world of Folk-Rock. Young had moved from his Canadian homeland and was living in California at the time. He swam in the same social waters as fellow ex-pat Joni Mitchell, along with the men with whom he would go on to form Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (or CSNY as they came to be called). Neil Young was always someone who had an opinion about the state of things but, up until 1970, his music didn’t openly reflect that. He was a folk/rock singer at a time when that genre was coming into its own and that was how he was viewed. However, as was once famously stated, the times were a-changing in the U.S.  WWII was a massively impactful event for many countries, America included. In the decades that followed the end of that war, the country experienced a longing for peace and good government. The economy was robust. In many households, there was a car in every driveway and a style of family life that saw the father leave each day for work while the mother stayed at home and looked after the house and the children. The TV shows of the time like Father Knows Best and Leave It To Beaver reflected those values. It is not inaccurate to state that small-”c” conservatism was the predominant culture of the land in the 1950s and the beginning of the 1960s. Then came rock n’ roll. It is a bit of an oversimplification  to say that people like Elvis changed the world but the sudden appearance of a handsome white boy shaking his pelvis on national television was shocking for its time. Many Americans, with their buttondown values of conservatism, frowned upon what the “young kids” were suddenly into. The rebellious nature of young people in that day was seen as unseemly by those in positions of authority. For many young people, they were ready to throw off the shackles of conformity and were ready to embrace change. Thus a movement of counter-culture rebellion took root all across America and the world. The young people of the 1960s pushed back against the values held by their parents. Providing the soundtrack to this cultural uprising were musicians such as Bob Dylan, among many others such as Graham Nash, Stephen Stills, David Crosby and Neil Young.

By the time Neil Young first saw that Life Magazine photo of an event that came to be called The Kent State Massacre, the Vietnam War had been going on for several years. That war, begun under the banner of stopping the spread of communism, was increasingly viewed as an unjust war by students at universities all across America and the world. Student activists began organizing protests against the war effort and, by doing so, against the very well-entrenched government of U.S. president Richard Nixon. Obviously, some of the student protesters were marching and chanting against the violent, destructive, odious nature of war as a general concept. This was especially so because, at least on paper, it was the epitome of a David-versus-Goliath battle between the mighty U.S. and tiny Vietnam and now, Cambodia, too. But another factor that percolated away in this cauldron of unrest was that the U.S. government had instituted a formal draft in which all healthy young men in the country were forced into joining the armed forces and were being sent off to war. The thing about the draft was that it was rigged. Those with powerful connections and/or the financial wherewithal could purchase deferments which meant that the sons of the wealthy didn’t always have to report for duty. Thus, the bulk of those young men who were forcibly drafted into the armed forces were from the ranks of the lower socio-economic and demographic groups. In the eyes of the young, the system as a whole seemed to be working against them. Thus, while the student-led protests that erupted across America were ostensibly against the Vietnam War, there was also an undercurrent of anger against the way society worked in general. The demand for change was interwoven within the chants for an end to war. It was in this atmosphere that Neil Young found himself when he saw that Life Magazine photo of the Kent State shootings in 1970. As Stephen Stills tells it, Young saw the magazine cover and the photos within and became very quiet and withdrawn. Stills says that eventually Young grabbed his acoustic guitar and walked into the woods that surrounded their Laurel Canyon house. According to legend, one hour later Neil Young returned to the house with the completed lyrics for a song that he called “Ohio”. That song was to become one of the defining protest songs of that moment in history. As soon as Young played it for the others, they all knew that it was an extremely important political statement that needed to be made. Thus, even though the band had a song called “Teach Your Children Well” on the charts, they all unanimously decided to immediately record “Ohio” and release it right away. If it affected sales of “Teach Your Children Well” then, so be it! One of the things about “Ohio” that helped to make it such a potent song was the fact that in the opening lines, Neil Young directly names President Nixon as being responsible for those deaths at Kent State University. It was the very first time that any artist or band had taken the step of actually naming Nixon in public and holding him accountable for the actions being carried out in his name in Vietnam and across America at university campuses by National Guardsmen. The release of “Ohio” was a galvanizing moment for the protest movement and played a part in helping shift public opinion away from the war effort in Vietnam and against the Nixon-led Republican government. The cracks in Nixon’s foundation of power that “Ohio” helped to make have led many people to speculate that not only did the song have a role in helping to end the Vietnam War but that it also set the stage for creating a political environment that allowed for the very public impeachment of Nixon for his involvement in the Watergate scandal a mere two years later. Whatever the case, “Ohio” changed Neil Young’s career from that point onward. Emboldened by his success as a singer of unpopular truths, Young has made a career out of singing about issues that make those sitting in the big chairs uncomfortable. This can be seen all the way to a year or so ago when he had a very public dispute with the Spotify streaming service through which many of us listen to our music these days. Without going into the nitty-gritty details of that dispute, it is suffice to say that Neil Young has always believed it important to speak out against those people or institutions that he feels are abusing our trust as citizens of the society in which we live and the planet to which we are beholden. 

This brings us to “Hind’s Hall”.  Over half a century later, you would think that the world would have evolved enough to not be repeating its most egregious historical cycles but, alas, it appears that we are no further ahead in 2024 than we were when “Ohio” was first released in 1970. As I type this post, our world is bearing witness, once again, to David-versus-Goliath struggles on the world stage. To the east, we have the mighty Soviet Union bringing war to the homes of people living in the Ukraine. Soviet leader Vladimir Putin has justified his country’s invasion of its neighbour on the grounds of “de-Nazifying” the country so as to protect Russian interests. That war remains on-going. Ukraine has had a good accounting of itself with the help of many western nations who have sent weapons and ammunition to help the Ukrainian armed forces to be able to keep fighting against superior-sized forces from Russia. These countries have also helped by imposing economic penalties against Russia that have included canceling trade agreements, seizing the bank accounts of Russian citizens and corporations who are operating in western countries, as well as imposing penalties on western corporations that continue to do business inside of Russia’s borders. One of the reasons for this punitive economic approach is that war may be a destructive and deadly endeavour but it is one that makes certain people quite wealthy. The war machine generates huge profits in times of war. So, by targeting those who make profit from war, the hope is that there will be less enthusiasm for such conflicts and that the desire for a peaceful resolution will come sooner than later. So far that has not been the case in the Russia/Ukraine conflict but time will serve as the ultimate judge of the success of this strategy.

This brings us to the other conflict of note in the world. For much of the past year, the country of Israel has been systematically razing the Palestinian region known as Gaza to the ground. This conflict is steeped in the murkiness of history that involves everything from the Holocaust of WWII, to the creation of the State of Israel a few years later on territory that has been disputed ever since, to a series of wars that seem unending, involving numerous countries that make up the Middle East region of the world and finally, to a seemingly unprovoked attack against Israeli citizens at a concert by the Palestinian group known as HAMAS. Through the years of conflict on all sides of the violence, ordinary civilians have been made to suffer. At present, the conflict seems terribly one-sided to the point of being cruel and grossly inhumane. As noted, the constant back-and-forth of conflicts in the region seems to make it plausible for one side or the other to validate their claims and justify their actions in killing children and humanitarian relief workers and refugees fleeing the war zones for safe havens elsewhere. The brutality of the Gaza/Israeli conflict seems to have struck a chord with young people across the world who have grown frustrated with older men waging war under the banners they wave against others who live under different banners of their own. In the 1960s, students stood up in opposition to a war in a political movement that was held as a backdrop to attempting to affect change in a society with overly conservative values. The students who find themselves protesting in 2024 do so in a society that has seen a rising presence of authoritarianism and white nationalism. Not unlike the atmosphere that met those counterculture protesters of the 1960s, today’s youth find themselves, once again, being blamed as the troublemakers. At the root of their protests is their demand to their university boards of governors that they divest the school’s financial interests in Israel until the conflict has come to a mutually-agreed upon end. The people in charge of the universities where sit-ins and occupations have been held have responded by calling in the police and the national guardsmen….again! To this date, no students have been killed but thousands have been arrested and threatened with expulsion for their actions in speaking out on behalf of civilians caught up in an endless cycle of war. However, unlike the 1960s, the state of journalism in North America is not what it used to be. There is no Life Magazine in existence anymore. Those magazines that still exist are mere shells of themselves, as more people turn to the online world to get their information.  It is into this environment that a singer/rapper named Macklemore has stepped up. 

Much as was the case with Neil Young a half century ago, Macklemore has watched the events unfolding in Gaza with an increasing sense of helplessness and outrage. However, Macklemore has one thing going for him that can be helpful in a situation such as this, he has a public platform. And he decided to use it. A week or so ago, Macklemore released a new song called “Hind’s Hall”. Much like Neil Young’s “Ohio”, “Hind’s Hall” is a scathing indictment of the complicity government leaders, media organizations and those who remain silent when violence is allowed to occur unabated by the strong against the weak. The title for this song comes from the name of the student hall at Columbia University that was occupied by protesters there. Those Columbia University students named their hall  as “Hind’s Hall” in memory of a little girl and her family who were all killed by Israeli forces as they sought safe haven at a refugee camp.  Police were eventually called in to clear out the student protesters at Columbia U., along with those protesting at other university campuses across America. In order to show solidarity with the youth of today, Macklemore pulled a Neil Young and wrote his own song about the situation in America and Gaza, calling that song “Hind’s Hall”, too. This song is an incendiary track that pulls no punches in terms of assigning responsibility for those who view money and politics as holding more value than the lives of innocent children and their families. Even as police have moved in and have attempted to dismantle the encampments erected by student protesters, there is still a sense that these protests are not over and, in fact, intervention by the authorities may be actually acting as an accelerant which is serving to galvanize the spirit of the protesters all over the world. As was the case with the Russia/Ukraine conflict, it remains to be seen how these conflicts will play out and what the repercussions will be on society in western countries. 

At present, these protests are said to be about two specific armed conflicts that are ongoing in our world. But, in the bigger picture, these protests are also about having a voice in an increasingly polarized and dictatorial world. Back in the 1960s, Neil Young’s resolute action in combination with his ability as a wordsmith meant that his song “Ohio” made an impact on the society that he wished to see changed. However, it is important to note that at the time, public opinion was divided in America and many did not support the student protesters. That change in public opinion happened over time. In retrospect, history has been kind to Neil Young. He is respected for having had the courage to take a principled stand at a time when a movement was in search of an anthem. Will the same be said for Macklemore all these years later? Will it take the hindsight of reflection to enable us to properly evaluate the impact of the sudden appearance of a song called “Hind’s Hall”?  All that I know is that “Hind’s Hall” is not a song that I have heard played on corporate radio. But online, the song has been viewed over one million times in one week. Those aren’t Swiftian numbers but they are still impressive. As a new generation of student activists search for a symbolic identity in their thirst to affect change, have they found an anthem in “Hind’s Hall” similar to what those in the 1960s and 70s found in “Ohio”? Again, time will tell. The only thing that I can say for sure about Macklemore and his song is that, at least, he stood up and used his voice for those who are presently voiceless in Gaza. I have no side that I am favouring in the Gaza/Israel conflict. War is not a team sport to be cheered on by fans of one side or the other. For what it is worth, I believe in peace and in peaceful coexistence. Sowing the seeds of hatred and division serves no positive purpose. I thank Macklemore and Neil Young for speaking up on behalf of real people who were in need of a champion. It worked in 1970. I hope it works again in 2024. Let there be peace on earth. 

The link to the official website for Neil Young can be found here.

The link to the official website for Macklemore can be found here.

The link to the video for the song “Ohio” by Neil Young can be found here. ***The lyrics version is here.

The link to the song “Hind’s Hall” by Macklemore can be found here. ***The lyrics version is here. ***As well, please note that all revenue generated from this song is being donated directly to the UNRWA for humanitarian relief. The website to donate is here.

***As always, all original content contained within this post remains the sole property of the author. No portion of this post shall be reblogged, copied or shared in any manner without the express written consent of the author. ©2024  http://www.tommacinneswriter.com