1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything

The end of the '60s, around 1970,

there was a huge divide in America because of Vietnam.

Every kid I knew was anti-Vietnam,

and we were all at odds with the silent majority.

In New York, students protesting

are met by construction workers.

The confrontation dramatizes the deep split

within the conscience of the country.

I went to Kent State. I think it was a Friday night.

And this was when we burned down the ROTC buildings

'cause the ROTC was the military presence on our university.

Training reserves and, you know, the military presence had to go.

To start, we'll make a perimeter. A circle right out in here.

Then the Monday, they'd positioned these National Guardsmen...

with rifles pointing into us students.

You fucking pigs!

This then was the climax of three days of rioting on the campus.

...this area immediately.

Leave this area immediately.

In moments, clouds of tear gas covered the center of the campus.

I heard what I assumed were some fireworks.

They were actually the rifles.

The shootings today have caused a shock wave of reaction.

Shocked. Yeah, I mean these kids were lying in the ground, you know.

Bleeding to death.

There's people dying down here. Get an ambulance up here.

Kent State, to the four of us, that was insane.

And Neil picked up his guitar and wrote "Ohio."

"This summer you hear the drumming. Four dead in Ohio."

We loved Neil Young.

Soldiers are gunning us down

Should have been done long ago

At that time, you know, all these bands were making music

that was referring to protest and the Vietnam War.

That was our language.

The music was articulating everything you're seeing and feeling.

Killing our children for standing up for their rights.

We questioned what was going on

and we thought that music could change the world.

Tin soldiers and Nixon comin' We're finally on our own

So by the time it came to 1971,

we were fueled by this amazing music that everyone was making.

The dream's over.

- In 1971... - Music said something.

The world was changing.

We were creating the 21st century in 1971.

Brother, brother, brother

There's too many of you dying

We have begun a new year with the same old story.

Eleven Americans were killed in Vietnam in a day.

You know we've got to find a way

One of the things that I worked with Marvin on

were his double vocals.

To bring some loving here today

He would harmonize with himself.

Marvin was a sweetheart

but he was upset with his brother being in Vietnam

and why we were there in the first place.

Elvis Presley and this next singer are the only two solo acts

to have 12 top ten records in the past ten years.

With "What's Going On," here's Marvin Gaye.

The war... my brother was in the war at the time.

I was incensed so I wrote and I produced.

I am a great believer in God, and I feel the world is in an awful state.

I don't know. I see the country headed for civil war, in a sense.

And I knew that there was this thing in me

that wanted to come out and make a statement.

You gotta remember, first it was Marvin crooning

and making ballads basically. But when he wrote "What's Going On,"

he went political and made us remember what's going on.

So it was a welcomed change because I had lost a brother in Vietnam.

Oh, but who are they to judge us

1971,

I worked in a record store, and I'm 18. I'm eligible for the draft.

Everything is clouded by the Vietnam War

'cause my friends are coming home dead, you know.

Already the guy next door to me.

And drafted is so different than joining.

They sit back in air-conditioned rooms and say, "Okay, you--

you guys go out there and fight the war.

We'll tell you where to go and how to do it."

Just stay and do my time, which I'm gon' do. Get out of Vietnam.

I still don't know why I'm here. That's God's truth.

Three months and I don't know why I'm shooting these people.

Vietnam was in your neighborhood.

And, to me, the music was not a soundtrack.

It was much more than that because it infiltrated.

Money is tighter than it's ever been

Hey, man, I just don't understand What's going on across this land

There was nothing more beautiful than "What's Going On," Marvin Gaye.

It's so seductive. It was a hit.

I'm listening to every word and caring about every word.

And, like, you go, "Yeah, that's me,"

but your parents are singing along 'cause it was a Trojan horse.

It came as beautiful music.

So it just came right in.

And tell me, friend

How in the world have you been?

I wanna know, I wanna know...

I wanted to write stinging things

and do music that would really make people say, "Wow, he's after us"

and maybe incense them also.

But something wouldn't let me do that. It was a very divine project.

Now, now I'm back on the scene

What's happening, brother?

What's happening? What's happening? What's happening, brother?

Do you ever see much of the Beatles these days?

The Beatles as I remember them? No.

This is actually a Beatle wife fixing a tea

for one of the Fab Four. Ex-Beatles.

-Fab Three. -Fab Three or so--

Paul, he's isolated himself from us,

which is really his own doing.

And then Paul and Linda,

and the Yoko and John situation.

-Would you like something else? -No.

-Just like the old days, isn't it? -Yes.

Obviously, we've been so close and through so much together,

familiarity breeds contempt.

Those freaks was right when they said

You was dead

But it's all right. It's not as bad as it seems, you know.

Paul and John and myself, we all know it's bitchiness.

That's all it is. It's just being bitchy to each other.

How do you sleep at night?

Yeah. That's the nasty one.

-Hello, Phil. -Hello, John.

Hey, Phillip.

The conflict, musically for me, with John is a very subtle thing, really.

You know, I want peace too.

Right, can I just record some level?

But I don't think you get peace

by going around shouting, "Give peace a chance, man!"

Turn on!

I think, you know, English food is the best.

-True, true. -Do you agree on English sausages?

I do agree that we are freeing ourselves

by using English sausages these days.

I do agree that they-- we are freeing ourselves by using...

Thing is, I believe in all the songs going on.

You're aimed at the windows and it's bouncing back off.

-That's the trouble. -So...

You know. Whatever motive they put them out for.

-Or maybe I'll swap positions with you. -It'd be better if you swap places or--

And at the moment, there's-- the American one was Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On."

You know, I mean, if a musician uses his talent to sing that, you know, that'll do.

First of all, John, do you think there's been a change in pop music?

Yeah. I mean, I think the music reflects the state that the society's in.

And the thing we should really be talking about is the violence,

you know, that goes on in this society.

That's a far more important subject to talk about than where's your hemline

and did you sleep with somebody when you were 15 or 16?

I think that humans always tend to talk about rubbish.

The Beatles breaking up and all that was-- It was depressing.

I was a huge John Lennon fan, and I loved John and Yoko.

I totally bought into their whole thing.

Or people are always struggling for, sort of, nirvana or some status quo.

It doesn't exist.

You know, but he had been through a big trauma.

I mean, the Beatles was a huge trauma for those guys.

You know, they were the most famous four people in the world.

Should we listen to the tape or should we just get on?

And everyone wanted at them and, you know,

it must've taken a long time for them to process that.

Come on, gang. Come on.

I think everybody's in that state.

At every record, or book, art or anything

that's a reflection of where the person's at at the moment.

He... conceives it and puts it into action.

We're on.

Okay, stop. Sorry. Are you ready?

You know, when I worked with the boys, all their tracks had magic.

John's and George's.

Okay, we're ready this time.

John's were just more political and message-y.

I'm sick and tired of hearing things

From uptight, short-sighted Narrow-minded hypocrites

All I want is the truth

Just gimme some truth

No short-haired, yellow-belli--

Come on, I'm doing Eddie Cochran. It doesn't last long.

There's no limit to where anybody's music can go, innit?

And I think Beatles stood still a bit.

-Politicians, all I want is the truth -The truth

Just gimme some truth

No short-haired, yellow-bellied Son of Tric--

Come on, you ****.

What did you stop for?

John, don't sing it the Eddie Cochran way yet.

-Just come in. Just sing. -Okay, okay. Okay.

To get the sound that you have imagined is the hard thing.

...want is the truth

Just gimme some truth

I don't know what's going on, you know.

I just believe in evil.

I believe in that kind of thing. And I think that's what it is.

And I think we have to fight it on all levels as well as in the streets.

And if it's the guy in the street or the guy in the office or the president,

maybe the president will get it, you know.

All I want is the truth