THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

559-Buffalo Springfield-For What It’s Worth (Stop, Hey What’s That Sound)

1966- It has never charted in the UK.

Best Bit-At 0.01. The title of the song came about when Stephen Stills presented the song to the record company executive. ‘I have this song here, for what it’s worth, if you want.’

Buffalo Springfield were formed in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1966, by the three Canadian musicians, Neil Young, (see also best songs 602) Bruce Palmer, (1946-2004) and Dewey Martin, (1940-2009) along with the two American musicians Stephen Stills, (see also best songs 417) and Richie Furay. Buffalo Springfield remained active through until 1968, with a further five members joining during the course of their time together. The group who took their name from a brand of steamroller, made by the ‘Buffalo-Springfield Roller Company,’ are remembered as one of the originators in the development of the musical genre ‘Folk Rock,’ which they further developed by introducing ‘Psychedelic Rock’ in to their music on their second Album. In 2010, and in 2011, Young, Stills and Furay, who were the three surviving members from the original lineup, reformed for a series of concerts, and in 2012 Furay announced that the band was on indefinite hiatus. After Buffalo Springfield split in 1968, Stephen Stills went on to co-form the ‘supergroup’ Crosby, Stills and Nash, (see also best songs 417) with Neil Young joining them after a brief solo career. Richard Furay went on to form the ‘Country Rock’ band ‘Poco,’ along with Jim Messina, who had joined Buffalo Springfield in 1968.

The discography of Buffalo Springfield includes three studio Albums released between 1966-1968, and nine singles released within the same time period, there are also four official compilation Albums available, that have been issued between 1969-2018. In America on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, their only top 40 entry was this song, which peaked at Number 7 in 1967, while in the UK, none of their singles have ever charted.

Stephen Arthur Stills was born on January 3rd, 1945, in Dallas, Texas, United States, throughout his career through his various projects he has amassed record sales of over 35 million Albums. According to Neil Young, ‘Stephen is a genius.’ After Buffalo Springfield disbanded, he began working with David Crosby, (1941-2023) formerly of ‘The Byrds,’ (see also best songs 621) and Graham Nash, formerly of ‘The Hollies,’ (see also best songs 369) to form the ‘supergroup’ ‘Crosby, Stills & Nash,’ (CSN) who would be joined later by Neil Young (CSN&Y.) In 1972 Stephen Stills formed another ‘supergroup’ called ‘Manassas,’ which included Chris Hillman, who had been the original bass player with ‘The Byrds,’ this group were formed by Stills to primarily record his music, and be an extension of his solo career. ‘Manassas’ released two Albums between 1972-1973. As a solo artist Stephen Stills has released 15 Albums, and there are a further eight recorded with artists, not including Buffalo Springfield, or ‘Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young,’

‘For What It’s Worth (Stop, Hey What’s That Sound’) was written by Stephen Stills, with the production credited to Charles Greene, and Brian Stone. The part of the songs title that is in brackets is so people can better identify which song it is. The song was issued as the third single release by Buffalo Springfield, in December 1966, as a stand alone single, but after it’s commercial success, it was later added to future pressings of Buffalo Springfield’s self titled debut studio Album, in order to boost sales, replacing the track ‘Baby Don’t Scold Me,’ which was also a Stephen Stills composition.

‘For What It’s Worth (Stop, Hey What’s That Sound’) has been adopted as an anti war song, but in fact it had been written by Stephen Stills about youth gatherings, protesting anti-loitering laws, and the closing of the West Hollywood Nightclub,’Pandora’s Box,’ in 1966. Stills was not there when they closed the club, but had heard about it from his band mates. Stephen Stills has said,’I had had something kicking around in my head. I wanted to write something about the kids that were on the line over in Southeast Asia that didn’t have anything to do with the device of this mission, which was unravelling before our eyes. Then we came down to Sunset from my place on Topanga with a guy – I can’t remember his name – and there’s a funeral for a bar, one of the favourite spots for high school and UCLA kids to go and dance and listen to music. Officials decided to call out the official riot police because there’s three thousand kids sort of standing out in the street; there’s no looting, there’s no nothing. It’s everybody having a hang to close this bar. A whole company of black and white LAPD in full Macedonian battle array in shields and helmets and all that, and they’re lined up across the street, and I just went ‘Whoa! Why are they doing this?’ There was no reason for it. I went back to Topanga, and that other song turned into ‘For What It’s Worth,’ and it took as long to write as it took me to settle on the changes and write the lyrics down. It all came as a piece, and it took about fifteen minutes.’

‘There’s somethin’ happenin’ here, but what it is ain’t exactly clear. There’s a man with a gun over there, a-tellin’ me I got to beware. I think it’s time we stop, children, what’s that sound? Everybody look what’s going down.’