For What It's Worth

This article is about the song by Buffalo Springfield. For other uses, see For What It's Worth (disambiguation).

"For What It's Worth"
Single by Buffalo Springfield
B-side"Do I Have to Come Right Out and Say It?"
ReleasedDecember 1966 (1966-12)[a]
RecordedDecember 5, 1966
StudioColumbia (Hollywood)
Genre
Length2:37
LabelAtco
Songwriter(s)Stephen Stills
Producer(s)
  • Charles Greene
  • Brian Stone
Buffalo Springfield singles chronology
"Burned"
(1966) 		"For What It's Worth"
(1966) 		"Bluebird"
(1967)
Official audio
"For What It's Worth" on YouTube

"For What It's Worth (Stop, Hey What's That Sound)" (often referred to as simply "For What It's Worth") is a song written by Stephen Stills. Performed by Buffalo Springfield, it was recorded on December 5, 1966, released as a single on Atco Records in December 1966 and peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the spring of 1967.[8] Its association with the Vietnam War is a popular misconception; the song is about young people clashing with police during the counterculture era.

It was later added to the March 1967 second pressing of their first album, Buffalo Springfield. The title was added after the song was written, and does not appear in the lyrics.[9]

In 2004 Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song at number 63 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[10]

  1. ^ Browne, David (November 11, 2016). "'For What It's Worth': Inside Buffalo Springfield's Classic Protest Song". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 19, 2022.
  2. ^ Savage, Jon (2015). 1966: The Year the Decade Exploded. London: Faber & Faber. p. 563. ISBN 978-0-571-27762-9.
  3. ^ Janovitz, Bill (2013). Rocks Off: 50 Tracks That Tell the Story of the Rolling Stones. New York City: St. Martin's Press. p. 99. ISBN 978-1-250-02632-3.
  4. ^ McKittrick, Christopher (2020). Somewhere You Feel Free: Tom Petty and Los Angeles. New York City: Post Hill Press. chap. 1. ISBN 978-1-64293-512-7.
  5. ^ "Bubbling Under the Hot 100" (PDF). Billboard. January 14, 1967. p. 24.
  6. ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Great Moments in Folk Rock: Lists of Author Favorites". Richieunterberger.com. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  7. ^ Jim DeRogatis (1996). Kaleidoscope Eyes: Psychedelic Rock from the '60s to the '90s. Carol Publishing Group. p. 51. ISBN 978-0-8065-1788-9. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  8. ^ "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. March 25, 1967 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ David Browne (November 11, 2016). "'For What It's Worth': Inside Buffalo Springfield's Classic Protest Song". Rolling Stone.
  10. ^ "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time 2004: 1-100". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 19, 2008. Retrieved December 23, 2022.


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