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The 1970 song Neil Young called CSNY at their best: “Greatest”
The article identifies ‘Ohio’ as the 1970 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song Neil Young regarded as the group at its best. Written in response to the Kent State shootings, the track mattered because it turned a recent political tragedy into an urgent protest song and became one of CSNY’s defining recordings.
Young wrote ‘Ohio’ after seeing photographs of the National Guard’s killing of four students during an anti-war protest at Kent State University on 4 May 1970. CSNY recorded and released it rapidly as a non-album single, with Young’s forceful guitar and vocals alongside the group’s harmonies reflecting anger and grief; its direct reference to President Richard Nixon also made it unusually confrontational for a mainstream release.
In short
- ‘Ohio’ was Neil Young’s defining CSNY song.
- It responded directly to the Kent State shootings.
- The 1970 single combined protest with urgency.
Explained simply
"Ohio" is a 1970 song by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young written by Neil Young in response to the Kent State shootings. On 4 May 1970, four students were killed by the National Guard during an anti-war protest at Kent State University in Ohio.
The song was recorded and released as a single within days of the tragedy, turning a recent event into an urgent protest statement. Its direct references to President Richard Nixon and Young's forceful guitar and vocals, combined with the group's harmonies, made it unusually confrontational for a mainstream rock release and established it as one of CSNY's defining recordings.