Buffalo Springfield “For What It’s Worth” Fifty Years Later

Buffalo Springfield were a band that was created in Los Angeles in the second half of the 1960’s. They were comprised of five young men, two of whom were from Canada. The band released three albums and one iconic single, “For What It’s Worth”. None of these details are particularly noteworthy, as they could apply to any number of rock and roll groups who came to California during that time period seeking their fortune. What was different was that Neil Young, Stephen Stills and Richard Furay were three of the group’s members. Buffalo Springfield was the initial platform for these young artists, all three of whom would subsequently go on to very successful musical careers (especially Stills and Young), and create some of the most seminal music of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. However, the strong personalities within the group that made Buffalo Springfield’s music so vibrant and engaging also ensured that the group would have a short period of incandescent light, and then quickly fade to darkness.

 Neil Young and Stephen Stills had made each others acquaintance in Thunder Bay Ontario in the early 1965.  Both were on the road with their respective groups of the time. They hit it off and Stills told Young to look him up. Approximately a year or so after this meeting, Neil Young (accompanied by his friend and fellow Canadian, bassist Bruce Palmer) left Canada to go to Los Angeles. The story about how Neil Young then met with with Stephen Stills has since become the stuff of legend. Stephen Stills was driving in one direction on Sunset Boulevard, and noticed a hearse with Ontario licence plates being driven on the same street in the opposite direction. Guessing Neil Young might be inside, Stephen Stills made a "U turn" and managed to get the driver's attention, and have the vehicle pull over. Of course, Neil Young was the driver, and the rest, as they say is history. Stephen Stills was in the process of forming a band, and Richard Furay had already been recruited. Neil Young and Bruce Palmer were then added to the lineup, and so the only position left to fill was that of drummer. A drummer named Dewey Martin contacted the group, and Buffalo Springfield was born. 

Things began to move very quickly from that point on. The group debuted at the famous Troubadour club in Los Angeles on April 11, 1966. They then became the opening act on a bill featuring a couple of more established groups for a short tour of California. Commencing May 2nd, they became the house band at the famous Los Angeles club, the “Whiskey A Go Go” for a seven week period. A flurry of activity involving various parties competing to manage the group, and also sign the group to a record label followed. Managers were decided upon, and in mid 1966, Buffalo Springfield signed a recording contract with the famous Atlantic record label, with the personal involvement of the legendary Ahmet Ertegun, one of the owners and the face of Atlantic.  

Atlantic has gone on to be recognized as the American record label that contained such iconic rhythm and blues artists as Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin, and some of the top rock acts of the late 1960’s (and the following decade of the 1970’s) such as Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones and Yes. But much of this was in the future back in late 1966, and  at the time of the signing, Atlantic was known primarily as a record label that focused on African-American artists. However, with the changing demographics of the American record buying public, Atlantic recognized it had to become competitive in a larger more diverse market if it was to survive. Ahmet Ertegun, who has subsequently been recognized as an intuitive genius in recognizing and mentoring musical talent, made it a personal priority in signing the group. It is noteworthy that while the groups’ tenure with Atlantic was brief, and not very successful from a commercial point of view, Stephen Stills and Neil Young, the two musicians from the band who gone on to have the greatest success, maintained a close personal relationship with Ahmet, including performing a heartfelt musical tribute at his funeral, approximately 4 decades after their initial meeting and the signing of Buffalo Springfield to Atlantic records.  

“For What It’s Worth” is the song that would go on to define the group and start the careers of Stephen Stills and Neil Young. The song has become a cultural signpost of late 1960’s America. It deals with the issues of alienation and paranoia among young adults and frustration with society and its rules (and authority in the guise of the police). Inherent in the lyrics is a plea for reconciliation and understanding between the generations. Much has been written about the genesis of the song, and I don’t intend to go over all those details again. I would instead like to focus on the musical aspects of the song itself. From that standpoint, the song contains many of the ingredients that would go on to define the classic rock music genre of psychedelia. The song opens with a sparse arrangement featuring a classic bright guitar riff, complete with a compelling vibrato. The rhythm section features a simple snare drum, high hat and bass drum pattern along with a half time feel from the bassist Bruce Palmer. The verse has Still’s plaintive vocal, featuring Bob Dylan influenced social commentary lyrics. However, the chorus changes things up dramatically, with a series of chord changes and subtle shift in the rhythm section. The bass changes feel to a funky mix of moving quarter notes along with the drummer moving from the “2” and “4” pattern on the high hat to a more “4/4” feel. The guitar solo in the song has a reverb drenched feel that is symbolic of the psychedelic influence that was starting to be heard in the rock music of the time. All of these factors combined to make the song the classic it has become.

While Buffalo Springfield would continue to record and perform for a short period after the release of this record, none of their other songs would have the impact that “For What It’s Worth” had. Intense artistic turmoil within the group, as well as a number of other difficulties (including personnel changes) lead to  the band's demise approximately two years after it had been formed. There is no doubt though that “For What It’s Worth” is an amazing example of the creative genius of the members of the band, and was a harbinger of the tremendous musical contributions to come, especially from Stephen Stills and Neil Young. Please take the time to check out everything Buffalo Springfield and its various members have graced us with. You won’t be disappointed.