The No. 1 Song On August 29, 1970 Sounds Even More Relevant Today

On August 29, 1970, singer Edwin Starr took "War" to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for three straight weeks. With a musical arrangement blazing as brightly as the late-summer temperatures (punctuated by vocal ad-libs, blasts of electric guitar and brass, and even urgent riffs on the clavinet), this impassioned track asked and answered a simple question in its refrain: "War / What is it good for? / Absolutely nothing."  It's a '70s song that speaks to powerful truths about life — and, unfortunately, continues to be relevant more than 50 years later.

There's some incredible history behind this hit. While "War" is a peak example of Motown Records' high-quality artistry, it took more than one try to make the song a chart-topper. And while its lyrical content was easily linked to a very specific war raging overseas at the time of release, its best-known singer says he intended the song to focus on a conflict raging much closer to home.

"War" was written by Motown staffers Norman Whitfield (who also produced) and Barrett Strong. The duo, best known for writing "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," a hit for both Gladys Knight & The Pips and Marvin Gaye, was also responsible for a wave of psychedelic soul collaborations with the Temptations through the late '60s. In fact, the quintet behind "My Girl" was the first act to cut a version of "War."

The Temptations' version, released the same year as the hit version, is upbeat and catchy. But it lacks some of the punch of its more familiar version, even though Gaye once said one of the Motown singers had a voice more powerful than his own. Motown's fabled quality control department, which decided which songs got released to radio, overruled Whitfield's hopes to release it as a single. But after turning to an underutilized Edwin Starr, Whitfield (and "War") didn't have to wait too long to get their moment in the spotlight.

Edwin Starr, a well-regarded soul singer, only had one Top 10 hit at Motown (1969's "Twenty-Five Miles") when Norman Whitfield recruited him to have another go at "War." Almost immediately, it became clear that this second version was something special, thanks to its explosive arrangement and Starr's own impassioned delivery, famously shouting "Good God, y'all" during the fiery chorus.

"War" caught on thanks to a wave of anti-war sentiment caused by the United States military's ongoing conflict in Vietnam. (Coincidentally, Starr recorded his version the same month that the campus at Kent State University in Ohio was rocked by violence committed by the National Guard against a peaceful anti-war demonstration, an incident that affected multiple rock musicians, including Joe Walsh.) However, the singer later admitted Vietnam wasn't specifically on his mind when he recorded it. "The song was never about the Vietnam War," Starr told the Voice in 2001 (via the Los Angeles Times). "It was about the neighborhood wars and the racial wars that were going on inside America at the time. It just happened to coincide with the war in Vietnam."

Of course, a song as simple as "War" reflects today's sentiments as effectively as yesterday's. As long as there are wars to speak out about, this classic chart-topper is good for something. Say it again, y'all.