Background
The song was offered to the Byrds as a Bob Dylan, Dylanesque potential single, but they rejected it. The Turtles, another L.A. group which often recorded the Byrds' discarded or rejected material, recorded a version instead. Their version was issued as a track on their 1965 debut album ''It Ain't Me Babe (album), It Ain't Me Babe'', shortly before McGuire's version was cut; it was eventually released as a single and hit #100 on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1970.Lyrical references
* "You’re old enough to kill, but not for votin'" refers to the United States law requiring registration for the draft at age 18, while the minimum voting age (in all but four states) was 21, until Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, a Constitutional amendment changed it to 18 in July 1971. * "And even the Jordan River has bodies floatin'" refers to War over Water (Jordan river), The War over Water. * "If the button is pushed, there's no runnin' away." Refers to the threat of a nuclear war at any moment, and the damage that this would cause. * The song's mention of Selma, Alabama pertains to the Selma to Montgomery marches and "Selma to Montgomery marches, Bloody Sunday" in March 1965. (The Jan and Dean version substitutes "Watts, California" in the lyrics, in apparent reference to the Watts riots.) * "You may leave here for four days in space, but when you return it's the same old place" refers to the June 1965 mission of Gemini 4, which lasted just over four days. * "The pounding of the drums the pride and disgrace" refers to the JFK assassination and the marching band as his casket was carried to Arlington cemetery. * "Hate your nextdoor neighbor but don't forget to say grace" refers to simple hypocrisy, according to Sloan.Barry McGuire version
McGuire's recording was made between July 12 and July 15, 1965, and released by Dunhill Records. The accompanying musicians were top-tier Los Angeles session players: P. F. Sloan on guitar, Hal Blaine (of the The Wrecking Crew (music), Wrecking Crew) on Drum kit, drums, and Larry Knechtel on bass guitar. The vocal track was thrown on as a rough mix and was not intended to be the final version, but a copy of the recording "leaked" out to a disc jockey, who began playing it. The song was an instant hit, and as a result, the more polished vocal track that was at first envisioned was never recorded. McGuire recalled in later years that "Eve of Destruction" had been recorded in one take on a Tuesday morning, reading lyrics scrawled on a crumpled piece of paper. The following Monday morning he got a phone call from the record company at 7:00 am, telling him to turn on the radio — his song was playing. McGuire's single hit #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and #3 on the UK Singles Chart in September 1965.Reception
In the first week of its release, the single was at No. 103 on the Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' charts. By August 12 Dunhill released the LP, ''Eve of Destruction (Barry McGuire album), Eve of Destruction''. It reached its peak of #37 on the ''Billboard'' album chart during the week ending September 25. That same day the single went to #1 on the chart, and repeated the feat on the ''Cashbox (magazine), Cashbox'' chart, where it had debuted at No. 30. McGuire would never again break into the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It went to #1 in Norway for two weeks.Chart history
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Controversy, parodies, and response songs
In addition to its being banned in some parts of the U.S., it was also banned by Radio Scotland. It was placed on a "restricted list" by the BBC, and could not be played on "general entertainment programmes". It was however featured on ''Top of the Pops'' on television one week while in the Top 10. A group called The Spokesmen released a partial parody music, parody and answer song, answer record entitled "The Dawn of Correction". This became a Top 40 hit. Singer Tony Mammarella also released a positive answer song titled "Eve of Tomorrow". That song did not make the pop charts. A few months later, United States Army Special Forces, Green Beret medic SSgt. Barry Sadler released the patriotic "Ballad of the Green Berets". Johnny Sea's 1966 spoken word recording, "Day For Decision", was also a response to the song, and was also a Top 40 hit. In addition the British musician Alan Klein wrote and performed a parody and attack on folk-singers such as Donovan and Bob Dylan entitled "Age of Corruption", using the same melody as Sloan's song, on his album ''Well at Least It's British''.In popular culture
The Temptations' song "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)" mentions the song title. The song is prominently featured in the second season episode of ''The Greatest American Hero'', entitled "Operation Spoilsport." The aliens who gave Ralph the supersuit play it on the radio to motivate Ralph to shut down the missile launch. The song is played during the fourth-season finale of ''The A-Team'', "The Sound of Thunder," when the team returns to Vietnam and flashbacks recall their tours of duty. The song, like many other popular songs of the day, gave its name to a gun truck used by United States Army Transportation Corps forces during the Vietnam War. The truck is on display at the U.S. Army Transportation Museum and is believed to be the only surviving example of a Vietnam era gun truck. The song is featured in the soundtrack of ''Mafia III''. The song is played in its entirety in the Italian film ''Rose Island (film), Rose Island'' from 2020. An extract of the song is played by Larry Underwood in the 1994 television adaption of Stephen King's ''The Stand'', symbolizing the end of civilization that occurs in the story.See also
*Civil rights movement in popular culture *List of anti-war songsReferences
External links