Stephen Stills wrote Buffalo Springfield’s ‘For What It’s Worth’ in about 15 minutes after witnessing police confrontations during Los Angeles’s counterculture unrest in 1966. The song captured the era’s anxiety and became an influential protest anthem, demonstrating how quickly a timely musical response could connect with listeners.

The incident followed the controversial closure of a popular bar near Sunset Boulevard, where around 3,000 young people gathered peacefully before riot police arrived in full protective gear. Released within weeks, the song became Buffalo Springfield’s first US chart success, reaching number seven, and ultimately sold more than one million copies.