1965 Folk Rock Hit, First Leaked and Later Banned by Radio Stations, Became a No. 1 Protest Song
Some of the most memorable and iconic songs that went down in history challenged the status quo or were a response to real events. Musician and producer P.F. Sloan developed an anti-war song in 1965, sung by Barry McGuire, that became a resonating and controversial protest track during the Vietnam War.
"Eve of Destruction" was written during a sudden spurt of inspiration where Sloan developed five tracks, one of them being a folk-rock hit based on the consequences of war and hatred. The song was originally offered to the Byrds, who would later release the track "Eight Miles High," but rejected it. The Turtles would record their own version of "Eve of Destruction" for their debut album.
At the time, McGuire had just left the Christies and became a solo artist, having released the track "Green Green" that topped the charts. He soon landed at Dunhill Records and stumbled upon Sloan's track, and released his own version, with Sloan playing guitar.
The lyrics resonated with listeners at the time, focusing on multiple events of the '60s. Events like the Vietnam War, the draft, social injustices, the Selma to Montgomery marches, the Watts riots, nuclear war, and even the American space program were all alluded to in its lyrics.
According to reports, an unfinished cut of "Eve of Destruction" was leaked by a radio disc jockey. McGuire got a call from his record label to turn up the radio and was stunned ot hear the track. Despite being an unpolished version of McGuire's vocals that were recorded in one day, the track was a hit. It landed on the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box at No. 1, and in Europe.
Due to "Eve of Destruction" being tagged as a protest song, it was subsequently banned by multiple radio stations. According to UDiscoverMusic, Billboard said its "controversial message lyric…leaves a lot to be desired." Radio stations in Chicago, Washington, Baltimore, and Memphis refused to play it and called it "leftist propaganda." The ban and controversy only made the track more popular among young listeners and on the charts.
McGuire has previously stated to have been stunned that "Eve of Destruction" was tagged a protest song, and revealed he saw it as "nothing more than a societal mirror, reflecting back at the world the hypocrisy of this present age, Political hypocrisy, Industrial hypocrisy, Social hypocrisy, Spiritual hypocrisy."
He also revealed that he received hate mail because of the track, and later learned that the FBI had a whole file on him. According to Sloan, McGuire wasn't the biggest fan on the track, and it was a placeholder if they had time during the recording session. He explains that listeners can hear him rushing through the song because of time constraints and because he was "reading it for the first time off a piece of paper."
Related: 1966 Folk Rock Hit, Written in 15 Minutes, Ranked Among ‘Best Protest Songs' Of All Time
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This story was originally published May 25, 2026 at 11:50 AM.