Are we on the “Eve of Destruction”? | Global Empire |Axisoflogic.com

Having read this morning James Petras’ latest contribution to the world debate on Axis of Logic entitled The Emperor’s Rage: Let Chaos Envelop the World! A similar situation popped up in my mind when I was a young man back in the 1960’s.

At that time the Cold War and the Vietnam War were in full swing. The Six Day War in the Middle East was on the horizon, the Civil Rights Movement was also flexing its muscles in the US, the Cuban Missile Crisis had led us to the edge of a nuclear exchange in 1962 and Mao’s Cultural Revolution. It was a time of change in the year of 1965 and we did not know what events would befall us with the killing of Malcolm X and, in 1968, the assassination of Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King still to come.

Protest songs and singer-songwriters were prevalent exemplified in the work and inspiration of Bob Dylan (I never got over him “going electric” in 1965) making people more aware of what was happening in the world.

There were numerous “one hit wonders” that struck a chord in the protesting youth. One of these great songs was “Eve of Destruction by Barry McGuire whose lyrics are still as relevant today in the Chaotic World edging towards a possible nuclear confrontation as described by Petras in his essay.

Some of the lyrics of the original 1965 version such as “Think of all the hate there is in Red China!” may have been true then but not now and McGuire who still performs this song has subtly changed this lyric to “Think of all the hate still living inside us, it’s never too late to let love guide us” to maintain the relevance of the song to current circumstances and also to make a statement about himself as McGuire became a Born Again Christian in 1971.

For readers’ enjoyment and reflection we present the original version of “Eve of Destruction”. What makes this special is how McGuire’s voice gets more pissed off as the strophes progress.

In the later version recorded live in 2011 the song has lost that “edge” but the change in lyrics still make it worth listening to.

Here is the original version with some interesting images that reflect the lyrics that can be seen in the video itself. (If you listen carefully you can hear the 12 string Rickenbacker guitar pumping out the chords a la Byrds’ Roger McGuinn).

Now here is a live version recorded in 2011with a little background thrown in for good measure:

Half a century later, are we once again heading for the “Eve of Destruction”? Draw your own conclusions from Petras’ essay, but no-one wants a post-nuclear age due to the unbridled madness occurring in the world we live in.

MORE ANALYSIS AND ESSAYS BY

AXIS OF LOGIC COLUMNIST, ARTURO ROSALES