The Real-Life Event That Inspired Neil Young To Write “Ohio”

In 1970, a deadly shooting at Kent State University inspired Neil Young to write one of his greatest protest anthems. The event marked a turning point for President Richard Nixon’s administration, and the song “Ohio”, first recorded by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, shows how transformative rock music can be in influencing culture and, occasionally, American history.

Anti-War Protests

Student protests helped animate a growing opposition to the Vietnam War. When demonstrators gathered on the campus of Kent State University, the Ohio National Guard was called in, though their arrival ignited chaos.

Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,
We’re finally on our own.
This summer, I hear the drumming,
Four dead in Ohio.

On May 4, the National Guard fired into a crowd of protesters, killing four and wounding nine students. The event led to nationwide student strikes and further protests that forced the closure of hundreds of schools.

Initially, the Kent State tragedy and the growing backlash against the war didn’t seem to affect President Nixon. He was reelected in a landslide victory in 1972. However, the Watergate scandal would soon consume the nation and ultimately destroy Nixon’s presidency.

Gotta get down to it,
Soldiers are cutting us down.
Should have been done long ago.
What if you knew her and
Found her dead on the ground?
How can you run when you know?

Rockin’ in the Free World

Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young recorded “Ohio” on May 21, captured live at The Record Plant in Los Angeles. Writing in the liner notes of Decade, Young said the incident was “probably the biggest lesson ever learned at an American place of learning.”

“Ohio” documents a dark chapter in American history. But it remains a touchstone of folk rock, dissent, and how protest music can be an important soundtrack as events unfold in real time. Though it happened early in his career, it wouldn’t be Young’s last protest anthem.

Also, the tragedy impacted rock history in another way. Chrissie Hynde was an art student at Kent State and knew one of the victims. She didn’t finish college and instead moved to London three years later, where she formed The Pretenders.

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