History, what is it good for?

[Gandalph]

Originally posted by primitive:

quote:

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Originally posted by Slynky:
Wasn't there a song by that title some time back?

"History, what is it GOOD for? Absolutely NOTHING!"

Don't you mean: "War, what is it GOOD for? Absolutely NOTHING!" ?
Made famous by the Boss.

Or: "History will teach us nothing" by Sting.

Both great songs with great lyrics.

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War (What is it good for) was made famous in 1970 by Edwin Starr. The Boss's Version came much later. Here is an excerpt from an article about it;

"In 1970, Edwin began work with one of Motown's finest writers and producers, Norman Whitfield, who had been responsible for the continuing success of the Temptations. It was Norman and composer Barrett Strong who came up with perhaps the label's most controversial hit single ever.

"'War' was originally recorded by the Temptations," recalled Edwin. "It was buried on one of their albums. But then a lot of mail came in, mostly from students, asking why they didn't release it on a 45. Well, that was a touchy time, and that song had some implications. It was a message record, an opinion record, and stepped beyond being sheer entertainment. It could become a smash record, and that was fine, but if it went the other way, it could kill the career of whoever the artist was."

Apparently, the Temptations were afraid of the song, and so it was given to Edwin Starr."

[ May 08, 2003, 00:18: Message edited by: Gandalph ]