{"id":3039,"date":"2026-06-22T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/?p=3039"},"modified":"2026-06-22T14:41:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T18:41:54","slug":"the-real-life-event-that-inspired-neil-young-to-write-ohio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/the-real-life-event-that-inspired-neil-young-to-write-ohio\/","title":{"rendered":"The Real-Life Event That Inspired Neil Young To Write \u201cOhio\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>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\u2019s administration, and the song \u201cOhio\u201d, first recorded by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, shows how transformative rock music can be in influencing culture and, occasionally, American history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ohio\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/l1PrUU2S_iw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Anti-War Protests<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,<br>We\u2019re finally on our own.<br>This summer, I hear the drumming,<br>Four dead in Ohio<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Initially, the Kent State tragedy and the growing backlash against the war didn\u2019t 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\u2019s presidency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Gotta get down to it,<br>Soldiers are cutting us down.<br>Should have been done long ago.<br>What if you knew her and<br>Found her dead on the ground?<br>How can you run when you know?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><strong>Rockin\u2019 in the Free World<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young recorded \u201cOhio\u201d on May 21, captured live at The Record Plant in Los Angeles. Writing in the liner notes of <em>Decade<\/em>, Young said the incident was \u201cprobably the biggest lesson ever learned at an American place of learning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOhio\u201d 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\u2019t be Young\u2019s last <a href=\"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/facts\/neil-young\/rockin-in-the-free-world\">protest anthem<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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\u2019t finish college and instead moved to London three years later, where she formed The Pretenders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Photo by Michael Putland\/Getty Images<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In 1970, a deadly shooting at Kent State University inspired Neil Young to write one of his greatest protest anthems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":973477,"featured_media":3041,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"byline":{"profiles":[{"type":"byline_id","atts":{"term_id":316,"post_id":2139}}]},"savage_platform_role_ideator":[],"savage_platform_role_editor":[],"savage_platform_role_senior_editor":[],"savage_platform_role_photographer":[],"savage_platform_role_illustrator":[],"savage_platform_role_translator":[],"savage_platform_role_as-told-to":[],"savage_platform_role_reviewed-by":[],"savage_platform_disable_recirculation":false,"savage_platform_article_type":"news","savage_platform_vice_article_type":"article","savage_platform_article_intent":"","savage_platform_show_affiliate_disclaimer":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"wp_curate_deduplication":false,"wp_curate_unique_pinned_posts":false,"savage_platform_featured_image_caption":"Photo by Michael Putland\/Getty Images","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"savage_platform_subheadline":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[48,18],"byline":[316],"class_list":["post-3039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","tag-neil-young","tag-rock-music"],"savage_platform_primary_term":{"category":{"term_name":"Features","term_id":12,"term_link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/category\/features\/"},"post_tag":{"term_name":"Neil Young","term_id":48,"term_link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/tag\/neil-young\/"}},"hide_from_homepage":false,"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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