# 3 Famous Songs From 1970 That Are Connected to the Vietnam War

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/3-famous-songs-from-1970-that-are-connected-to-the-vietnam-war/
- Published: 2026-11-11T13:30:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-11T14:38:17+00:00
- Original publisher: American Songwriter
- Original article: https://americansongwriter.com/3-famous-songs-from-1970-that-are-connected-to-the-vietnam-war/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- 1970’s songs reflected sharply different responses to the Vietnam War.
- “War” was written about racial conflict, but listeners connected it to Vietnam.
- Neil Young wrote “Ohio” after four students were killed at Kent State.

## Summary

Three popular songs from 1970 became linked to the Vietnam War in different ways, reflecting the era’s divided views and unrest in the United States. Merle Haggard’s “The Fightin’ Side of Me” urged respect for the country, while Edwin Starr’s “War” was widely heard as an anti-war statement despite having been written about racial conflict.

Neil Young wrote “Ohio” after seeing photographs of the killing of four unarmed students at Kent State on 4 May 1970, during an anti-war protest. “The Fightin’ Side of Me” reached No. 1 on Billboard’s country singles chart and also appeared on the Hot 100; Starr’s version of “War” topped the Hot 100 after the Temptations recorded it first, but Motown initially held it back as too controversial.

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