2600:4040:57B1:4300:53E:D7C6:C50D:D67D: Stephen Stills may have been inspired by the "curfew riots", but on a national level the song was DEFINITELY associated with the Viet Nam War. Most of the people hearing/loving/purchasing the single did not know about the curfew protests, and related to the song because of the clashes between young people and police at demonstrations against the war in Viet Nam.

2025-10-12T01:13:24Z

Stephen Stills may have been inspired by the "curfew riots", but on a national level the song was DEFINITELY associated with the Viet Nam War. Most of the people hearing/loving/purchasing the single did not know about the curfew protests, and related to the song because of the clashes between young people and police at demonstrations against the war in Viet Nam.

New page

{{short description|1966 single by Buffalo Springfield}}
{{about|the song by Buffalo Springfield}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox song
| name = For What It's Worth
| cover = For What It's Worth single.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = [[Buffalo Springfield]]
| album =
| B-side = Do I Have to Come Right Out and Say It?
| released = {{Start date|1966|12}}{{efn|name=release|"For What It's Worth" was rush-released as a single,<ref name="Rolling Stone">{{cite magazine |last1=Browne |first1=David |title='For What It's Worth': Inside Buffalo Springfield's Classic Protest Song |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/for-what-its-worth-inside-buffalo-springfields-classic-protest-song-106435/ |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221019085557/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/for-what-its-worth-inside-buffalo-springfields-classic-protest-song-106435/ |archive-date=19 October 2022 |date=11 November 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> but most authors do not specify its release date beyond December{{nbsp}}1966.<ref name=Savage>{{cite book |last1=Savage |first1=Jon |author1-link=Jon Savage |title=1966: The Year the Decade Exploded |date=2015 |publisher=Faber & Faber |location=London |isbn=978-0-571-27762-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/1966yeardecadeex0000sava/ |url-access=registration |page=563}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Janovitz |first1=Bill |author1-link=Bill Janovitz |title=Rocks Off: 50 Tracks That Tell the Story of the Rolling Stones |date=2013 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |location=New York City |isbn=978-1-250-02632-3 |page=99 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pljVYDHuv3wC |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=McKittrick |first1=Christopher |title=Somewhere You Feel Free: Tom Petty and Los Angeles |date=2020 |publisher=[[Post Hill Press]] |location=New York City |isbn=978-1-64293-512-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FSz_DwAAQBAJ |language=en |at=chap. 1}}</ref> The single debuted on ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''{{'s}} [[Bubbling Under the Hot 100]] chart on January{{nbsp}}14.<ref name=Bubbling>{{cite magazine |title=Bubbling Under the Hot 100 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=January 14, 1967 |page=24 |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/60s/1967/BB-1967-01-14.pdf}}</ref>}}
| recorded = December 5, 1966
| studio = [[CBS Columbia Square|Columbia]] ([[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]])
| venue =
| genre = *[[Folk rock]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Unterberger|first=Richie|author-link=Richie Unterberger|title=Great Moments in Folk Rock: Lists of Author Favorites|website=Richieunterberger.com|url=http://www.richieunterberger.com/turnlists.html|access-date=January 26, 2011}}</ref>
*{{nowrap|[[psychedelic rock]]<ref>{{cite book|author=Jim DeRogatis|title=Kaleidoscope Eyes: Psychedelic Rock from the '60s to the '90s|url=https://archive.org/details/kaleidoscopeeyes00dero|url-access=registration|access-date=October 13, 2015|year=1996|publisher=Carol Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-8065-1788-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/kaleidoscopeeyes00dero/page/51 51]}}</ref>}}
| length = {{Duration|m=2|s=37}}
| label = [[Atco Records|Atco]]
| writer = [[Stephen Stills]]
| producer = *Charles Greene
*Brian Stone
| prev_title = Burned
| prev_year = 1966
| next_title = [[Bluebird (Buffalo Springfield song)|Bluebird]]
| next_year = 1967
| misc = {{External music video|header=Official audio|{{YouTube|80_39eAx3z8|"For What It's Worth"}}}}
}}
"'''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]], first recorded by [[Buffalo Springfield]] on December 5, 1966, and released as a single on [[Atco Records]] in December{{nbsp}}1966; it peaked at no. 7 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart in the spring of 1967.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HSgEAAAAMBAJ&q=billboard+march+25+1967&pg=PA59|title=Billboard|date=March 25, 1967|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|via=Google Books}}</ref> The song is often associated with the [[Vietnam War]] because students, "flower children" and other young people often clashed with police at anti-war protests and other demonstrations during the counterculture era.

It was later added to the March 1967 second pressing of their first album, ''[[Buffalo Springfield (album)|Buffalo Springfield]]''. The title was added after the song was written, and does not appear in the lyrics.<ref name=Stone>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/for-what-its-worth-inside-buffalo-springfield-classic-w449685|magazine= [[Rolling Stone]]| title='For What It's Worth': Inside Buffalo Springfield's Classic Protest Song|author=David Browne|date=November 11, 2016}}</ref>

In 2004 ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine ranked the song at number 63 on its list of the [[500 Greatest Songs of All Time]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|url =http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs/page| title = The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time 2004: 1-100| magazine = [[Rolling Stone]]| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080619072533/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs/page| access-date = December 23, 2022| archive-date = June 19, 2008}}</ref>

==Background==
Although "For What It's Worth" is often considered an anti-war song, Stephen Stills was inspired to write the song because of the [[Sunset Strip curfew riots]] in [[Los Angeles]] in November 1966, a series of early [[Counterculture of the 1960s|counterculture]]-era clashes that took place between police and young people on the [[Sunset Strip]] in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], California, the same year Buffalo Springfield had become the house band at the [[Whisky a Go Go]].<ref name="pc34" /> Local residents and businesses had become annoyed by how crowds of young people going to clubs and music venues along the Strip had caused late-night traffic congestion. In response, they lobbied Los Angeles County to pass local ordinances stopping [[loitering]], and enforced a strict curfew on the Strip after 10 p.m. The young music fans, however, felt the new laws infringed upon their [[civil rights]].<ref name="LATimes 2007-08-05"/>

On Saturday, November 12, 1966, fliers were distributed on the Sunset Strip inviting people to join demonstrations later that day. Several of Los Angeles's rock radio stations also announced a rally outside the [[Pandora's Box (nightclub)|Pandora's Box club]] on the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Crescent Heights. That evening, as many as 1,000 young demonstrators, including future celebrities such as [[Jack Nicholson]] and [[Peter Fonda]] (who was handcuffed by police) gathered to protest against the curfew's enforcement. Although the rallies began peacefully, trouble eventually broke out.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://la.curbed.com/2019/3/7/18244871/sunset-strip-whisky-riots-bars |title=Rebellion and rock 'n' roll: The Sunset Strip in the '60s; How go-go dancing teens—and the underage clubs that embraced them—turned the Strip technicolor |first=Hadley |last=Meares |work=[[Curbed Los Angeles]] |date=March 7, 2019 |access-date=February 22, 2021}}</ref> The unrest continued the next night, and periodically throughout the rest of November and December, forcing some clubs to shut down within weeks.<ref name="LATimes 2007-08-05" /> It was against the background of these civil disturbances that Stills recorded "For What It's Worth" on December 5, 1966.

==Production==
Stills said in an interview that the name of the song came about when he presented it to the record company executive [[Ahmet Ertegun]] (who signed Buffalo Springfield to the Atlantic Records-owned ATCO label). Stills said "I have this song here, for what it's worth, if you want it."<ref name=Stone/> Another producer, Charlie Greene, claims that Stills first said the above line to him, but credits Ahmet Ertegun with giving the single the parenthetical subtitle "Stop, Hey What's That Sound" so that the song would be more easily recognized.<ref name=Stone/><ref name="Einarson Furay 2004"/>

The song was recorded on December 5, 1966, at [[CBS Columbia Square|Columbia Studios]], Hollywood. Tom Dowd claimed he mixed the song at Atlantic's studio in New York, though this has been disputed.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780679427728|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780679427728/page/201 201]|title=Shakey: Neil Young's Biography|first=Jimmy |last=McDonough|publisher=[[Random House]]|location=New York City|date= 2003|isbn=9780679427728}}</ref> Dowd did take part in the production of Cher's version of the song in 1969.<ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=qSkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA82|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|title=Top 20 Pop Spotlight Cher - For What It's Worth|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|date=August 16, 1969}}</ref> One of the most recognizable elements of the song is Neil Young's use of [[guitar harmonic]]s.<ref name=Stone/>

==Releases and charts==
While memories of the November riots were still fresh, the group and Ertegun pushed for a rush-release of "For What It's Worth".{{sfn|Einarson|Furay|2004|p=127}} On December 10, 1966, five days after the song was recorded, local Top 40 radio station [[KHJ (AM)|KHJ]] began playing the single.{{sfn|Einarson|Furay|2004|p=127}} It first appeared on the station's "Boss 30" chart on December 28, 1966, at number 26,<ref>{{Cite magazine
|date=December 28, 1966
|title=KHJ's "Boss 30" Records in Southern California
|magazine=Boss 30 from 93 [[KHJ (AM)|KHJ]]}}</ref> and was followed by rival [[KWVE (AM)#KRLA (1959–2000)|KRLA]] on January 14, 1967, where the single entered its "Top 40 Requests" at number eight.<ref>{{Cite magazine
|title=Top 40 Requests
|magazine=[[KRLA Beat]]
|date=January 14, 1967
|page=8}}</ref> Also on January 14, ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' magazine identified it as a "regional breakout"<ref>{{Cite magazine
|date=January 14, 1967
|title=Breakout Singles
|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]
|volume=79
|issue=2
|issn=0006-2510
|page=44}}</ref> and the single appeared on its [[Bubbling Under the Hot 100]] chart.<ref>{{Cite magazine
|date=January 14, 1967
|title=Hot 100
|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]
|volume=79
|issue=2
|issn=0006-2510
|page=24}}</ref> Two weeks later, it debuted at number 90 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], where it peaked at number seven on March 25 and remained on the chart for a total of fifteen weeks.<ref name="Billboard">{{Cite magazine
|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/the-buffalo-springfield/
|title=The Buffalo Springfield: Chart History
|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]
|access-date=June 3, 2023}}</ref> Although the single did not reach the charts in the U.K.,<ref>{{Cite web
|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/29457/buffalo-springfield/
|title=Buffalo Springfield – Singles
|website=[[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]]
|access-date=June 3, 2023}}</ref> the [[British Phonographic Industry]] (BPI) certified a 2004 release by [[Warner Music]] as platinum (sales and streams of 600,000) in 2023.<ref name="BPI"/>

{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+1967 singles charts
! scope="col" |Chart
! scope="col" |Peak
! scope="col" class="unsortable" |{{Abbr|Ref(s)|Reference(s)}}
|-
! scope="row" |Canada ''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]'' 100
|5
|<ref>{{Cite magazine
|title=''RPM'' 100
|date=April 8, 1967
|magazine=[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]
|volume=7
|issue=6
|url=https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.10052.pdf
|via=}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" |U.S. ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]]
|7
|<ref name="Billboard"/>
|-
! scope="row" |U.S. [[Cash Box (magazine)|''Cash Box'']] Top 100
|7
|<ref>{{Cite magazine
|date=April 1, 1967
|title=Top 100
|magazine=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]
|volume=28
|issue=37
|issn=0008-7289
|page=4}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" |U.S. ''[[Record World]]'' Top 100
|8
|<ref>{{Cite magazine
|date=April 8, 1967
|title=100 Top Pops
|magazine=[[Record World]]
|volume=21
|issue=1035
|issn=0034-1622
|page=21}}</ref>
|}
{{col-2}}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+1967 year-end charts
! scope="col" |Chart
! scope="col" |Rank
! scope="col" class="unsortable" |{{Abbr|Ref(s)|Reference(s)}}
|-
|-
! scope="row" |Canada ''RPM'' Top Singles
|72
|<ref>{{Cite magazine
|title=The RPM 100 Top Singles of 1967
|date=January 6, 1968
|magazine=[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]
|volume=8
|issue=19
|url=https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.100151.pdf
|via=}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" |U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100
|27
|<ref>{{Cite magazine
|date=December 30, 1967
|title=Hot 100-1967
|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]
|volume=79
|issue=52
|issn=0006-2510
|page=42}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" |U.S. ''Cash Box'' Top 100
|52
|<ref>{{Cite magazine
|date=December 23, 1967
|title=Top 100 Chart Hits of 1967
|magazine=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]
|volume=29
|issue=22
|issn=0008-7289
|page=16}}</ref>
|}
{{col-end}}

To capitalize on the single's success, Atco was pushing for a follow-up album that featured the song.{{sfn|Einarson|Furay|2004|pp=167–168}} It began printing album jackets with the title ''Stampede'', but the group did not have enough songs for a new LP.{{sfn|Einarson|Furay|2004|p=176}} Instead, Atco reissued their debut album and added Stills's song as the opening track.{{sfn|Einarson|Furay|2004|p=167}} It eventually reached number 80 on ''Billboard''{{'}}s [[Billboard 200|Top LPs]] chart.<ref name="Billboard"/> As one of Buffalo Springfield's best-known songs, it is included on several of the group's anthologies, such as ''[[Retrospective: The Best of Buffalo Springfield]]'' (1969),<ref>{{Cite web
|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/buffalo-springfield-box-set-mw0000006966
|last=Erlewine
|first=Stephen Thomas
|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine
|title=''Retrospective: The Best of Buffalo Springfield''{{snd}}Review
|website=[[AllMusic]]
|access-date=June 3, 2023}}</ref> the ''[[Buffalo Springfield (box set)|Buffalo Springfield]]'' box set (2001),<ref>{{Cite web
|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/buffalo-springfield-box-set-mw0000006966
|last=Unterberger
|first=Richie
|author-link=Richie Unterberger
|title=''Buffalo Springfield'' [Box Set]{{snd}}Review
|website=[[AllMusic]]
|access-date=April 5, 2020}}</ref> and ''[[What's That Sound? Complete Albums Collection]]'' (2018).<ref>{{Cite web
|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/whats-that-sound-complete-albums-collection-mw0003176316
|last=Erlewine
|first=Stephen Thomas
|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine
|title=Buffalo Springfield: ''What's That Sound? Complete Albums Collection''{{snd}}Review
|website=[[AllMusic]]
|access-date=April 5, 2020}}</ref>

== Certifications ==
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "For What It's Worth"}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Denmark|type=single|artist=Buffalo Springfield|title=For What It's Worth|award=Gold|relyear=1967|certyear=2024|access-date=December 9, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|type=single|artist=Buffalo Springfield|title=For What It's Worth|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=1967|id=2024-08-30|source=newchart|access-date=2024-11-20|certyear=2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|type=single|artist=Buffalo Springfield|title=For What It's Worth|award=Gold|relyear=1966|certyear=2018|access-date=December 9, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Spain|type=single|artist=Buffalo Springfield|title=For What It's Worth|award=Gold|relyear=1967|certyear=2024|access-date=August 30, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Buffalo Springfield|title=For What It's Worth|award=Platinum|relyear=2004|certyear=2023|id=14910-2412-1|access-date=August 30, 2024|refname="BPI"}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}

==Critical commentary and legacy==
''[[Cash Box]]'' said the single is a "throbbing, infectious protester circling 'round the current happenings in Cal."<ref name=cb>{{cite magazine |title=CashBox Record Reviews |date=January 7, 1967 |page=18 |access-date=January 12, 2022 |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/60s/1967/CB-1967-01-07.pdf |magazine=Cash Box}}</ref>

"For What It's Worth" quickly became a well-known [[protest song]].<ref name="Lustig 2011"/> However, contrary to popular belief, the song was not motivated by the [[Vietnam War]], but rather a confrontation Stills had in Los Angeles' [[Sunset Strip]] neighborhood.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/02/20/693790065/buffalo-springfield-for-what-its-worth-american-anthem#:~:text=While%20it%27s%20often%20recognized%20as,famous%20blocks%20in%20Los%20Angeles.|title=A Thousand People In The Street: 'For What It's Worth' Captured Youth In Revolt|first=Danny|last=Hajek|publisher=NPR|date=February 20, 2019|accessdate=January 20, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.npr.org/2019/02/20/693790065/buffalo-springfield-for-what-its-worth-american-anthem | title=A Thousand People in the Street: 'For What It's Worth' Captured Youth in Revolt | work=NPR }}</ref> In 2006, when interviewed on [[Tom Kent]]'s radio show ''Into the '70s'', Stills pointed out that many people think the song is about the [[Kent State shootings]] of 1970, even though its release predates that event by over three years.<ref name="Stevenson 2010" /> [[Neil Young]]—Stills's bandmate in both Buffalo Springfield and [[Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young]] (CSNY)—would later write "[[Ohio (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song)|Ohio]]" in response to the events at Kent State.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lynskey |first1=Dorian |title=Neil Young's Ohio – the greatest protest record |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/may/06/ohio-neil-young-kent-state-shootings |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=May 6, 2010 |access-date=January 5, 2019}}</ref>

An all-star version of "For What It's Worth", with [[Tom Petty]] and others, was played at Buffalo Springfield's induction into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 1997; Neil Young did not attend the event.<ref name="Rolling Stone 1997-05-08" />

The song is a staple of [[period piece]] films about 1960s America and the Vietnam War, such as ''[[Forrest Gump]]'', and often used as a common shorthand to quickly establish the atmosphere of [[1960s counterculture]] movement and protests.<ref name=Dowd>{{cite news |url=https://www.avclub.com/ewan-mcgregor-flattens-american-pastoral-into-60s-clic-1798189289 |last=Dowd |first=A.A. |date=October 21, 2016 |title=Ewan McGregor flattens ''American Pastoral'' into '60s cliché |website=[[The A.V. Club]] |access-date=August 17, 2020}}</ref>

The song appears in the intro to the 2005 film ''[[Lord of War]]'', showing the lifecycle of a rifle cartridge, from manufacture to firing.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0399295/soundtrack/ |title=Lord of War Soundtracks |work=[[IMDb]] |access-date=July 22, 2024}}</ref>

On August 17, 2020, [[Billy Porter (entertainer)|Billy Porter]] sang "For What It's Worth" for the [[2020 Democratic National Convention]] backed by Stephen Stills on guitar, a nod to the song's resurgent use in the [[George Floyd protests|summer 2020 American protests]].<ref name=Aswad>{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2020/music/news/billy-porter-stephen-stills-dnc-for-what-its-worth-listen-1234737847/ |last=Aswad |first=Jem |title=Stephen Stills Talks His DNC Performance With Billy Porter of 'For What It's Worth' |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=August 17, 2020 |access-date=August 17, 2020}}</ref><ref name=Bowen>{{cite news |url=https://pasadenaweekly.com/artists-give-voice-to-crisis-in-the-streets/ |title=Artists give voice to crisis in the streets |last=Bowen |first=Bliss |date=June 18, 2020 |access-date=August 17, 2020 |website=[[Pasadena Weekly]] |archive-date=September 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926050421/https://pasadenaweekly.com/artists-give-voice-to-crisis-in-the-streets/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2000, the 1966 recording of "For What It's Worth" by [[Buffalo Springfield]] on ATCO Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. The HOF lists the ATCO date as 1967.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GRAMMY Hall Of Fame {{!}} Hall of Fame Artists {{!}} GRAMMY.com |url=https://www.grammy.com/awards/hall-of-fame-award#f |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=grammy.com}}</ref>

[[Dawes (band)|Dawes]], alongside [[Stephen Stills]] and [[Mike Campbell (musician)|Mike Campbell]] performed the song on January 30, 2025 at [[Kia Forum]] in [[Inglewood, California]] for [[FireAid]] to help with relief efforts for the [[January 2025 Southern California wildfires]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/30/arts/music/fireaid-los-angeles-concert.html | title=At FireAid Benefit, Stars Sing a Love Song to Los Angeles | work=The New York Times | date=January 30, 2025 | last1=Stevens | first1=Matt | last2=Sisario | first2=Ben }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/fireaid-recap-lady-gaga-green-day-billie-eilish-no-doubt-1235250513/ | title=FireAid: Inside the Star-Studded Benefit Show for Los Angeles | magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] | date=January 31, 2025 }}</ref>

==Covers and sampling==
"For What It's Worth" has been covered, sampled, and referenced in numerous musical performances. Versions include those by [[The Staple Singers]] (US #66 in 1967, CAN #46 in 1967),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.100106.pdf| title=RPM Top 100 Singles - October 21, 1967}}</ref> Art (1967 single from ''[[Supernatural Fairy Tales]]''), [[King Curtis]] (in the 1967 album ''King Sized Soul''),<ref>{{cite web |title=King Curtis - King Size Soul Album |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/king-size-soul-mw0000839869 |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=2 January 2024}}</ref> [[Brenda Bennett|Ken Lyon & Tombstone]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJHl_FDLmC4|title = KEN LYON & TOMBSTONE: For What It's Worth (1974)|website = [[YouTube]]| date=October 14, 2011 }}</ref> [[Rush (band)|Rush]], [[Cher]], [[the Candyskins]], [[Oui 3]] (UK #28),<ref>[https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/for-what-it's-worth/ UK Official Charts, 20 February 1993]</ref> [[Queensrÿche]] (on their album [[Take Cover (album)|''Take Cover'']]), [[Miriam Makeba]] (on her album ''[[Keep Me in Mind (Miriam Makeba album)|Keep Me in Mind]]''), [[Ozzy Osbourne discography|Ozzy Osbourne]] and [[Hed PE|(həd) <sup>p.e.</sup>]] (retitled ''Children''). Cher's 1969 cover did not make the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 but it did reach #88 in [[RPM (magazine)|Canada]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.6002.pdf| title=RPM Top 100 Singles - September 6, 1969}}</ref> [[AllMusic]] retrospectively called her version "mature [and] forceful".<ref name="AM">{{cite web|author=Mark Deming |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/3614-jackson-highway-mw0000694186 |title=3614 Jackson Highway - Cher | Songs, Reviews, Credits |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=September 30, 2016}}</ref>

[[Sérgio Mendes|Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66]] recorded a version of this song. It reached #10 in the Adult Contemporary Music Chart on September 19, 1970.<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Adult Contemporary Chart|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/adult-contemporary/1970-09-19|access-date=August 18, 2020|magazine=Billboard|date=January 2, 2013}}</ref>

[[David Cassidy]] recorded an extended live version for his 1974 album ''[[Cassidy Live!]]'' (Bell Records, UK #9; recorded live in Great Britain in May 1974).{{citation needed|date=July 2025}}

The hip-hop group [[Public Enemy (band)|Public Enemy]] sampled "For What It's Worth" on their 1998 song "[[He Got Game (soundtrack)|He Got Game]]", which featured Stephen Stills reprising his vocal performance from the original song.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Locker |first=Melissa |url=https://entertainment.time.com/2012/11/06/in-the-name-of-hip-hop-celebrating-25-years-of-public-enemy/slide/he-got-game/ |title='He Got Game' |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=November 5, 2012 |access-date=September 30, 2016}}</ref> [[Oui 3]] adapted the song for their 1993 debut single of the same name, which reached number 26 in the UK chart.<ref>{{cite web|title=Oui 3|url=http://www.blairbooth.co.uk/OUI3/oui3_about.html|website=Blair Booth Music|access-date=April 6, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Oui 3|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/28592/oui-3/|website=Official Charts|access-date=April 6, 2016}}</ref>
In 2017, [[Haley Reinhart]] released a cover of the song as the third single from her third studio album, ''[[What's That Sound?]]''<ref name="PerezFWIW">{{cite news |url=http://perezhilton.com/2017-08-10-american-idol-alum-haley-reinhart-exclusive-premiere-for-what-its-worth-lyric-video#.WYzQGemQzIX |title=Exclusive! Haley Reinhart Covering The '60s Classic For What It's Worth Is As Chilling As Our Current Political Climate! Listen! |work=PerezHilton |date=August 10, 2017 |access-date=August 10, 2017 |archive-date=August 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810181102/http://perezhilton.com/2017-08-10-american-idol-alum-haley-reinhart-exclusive-premiere-for-what-its-worth-lyric-video#.WYzQGemQzIX |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2018, [[the Lone Bellow]] released a cover of the song as a single.<ref>{{Citation|title=For What It's Worth|date=October 2018|url=https://open.spotify.com/album/2rv7WyO5KUv5FIgmn7VEji|language=en|access-date=March 10, 2020}}</ref> In 2022 [[Stevie Nicks]] released a cover of it as well, not to be confused with her [[For What It's Worth (Stevie Nicks song)|2011 song of the same name]].{{citation needed|date=July 2025}}

==See also==
* [[List of one-hit wonders in the United States#1960s|List of 1960s one-hit wonders in the United States]]
* [[Protest songs in the United States]]

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em
| refs =
<ref name="LATimes 2007-08-05">
{{cite web
| title = Sunset Strip Riots | Closing of club ignited the 'Sunset Strip riots'
| work = [[Los Angeles Times]]
| date = August 5, 2007
| url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-aug-05-me-then5-story.html
| access-date = January 16, 2012
}}
</ref><ref name="Lustig 2011">
{{cite news
| last = Lustig
| first = Jay
| date = February 18, 2011
| title = Song of the Day: 'Rock 'n' Roll Woman,' Buffalo Springfield
| newspaper = [[The Star-Ledger]]
| url = http://www.nj.com/entertainment/music/index.ssf/2011/02/song_of_the_day_rock_n_roll_wo.html
| access-date = February 19, 2011
}}
</ref><ref name="pc34">
{{Gilliland
| title = Show 34 – Revolt of the Fat Angel: American musicians respond to the British invaders. [Part 2] : UNT Digital Library
| publisher = digital.library.unt.edu
| url = https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19793/m1/
| accessdate = December 20, 2011
}}
</ref><ref name="Einarson Furay 2004">
{{cite book
| first1 = John
| last1 = Einarson
| first2 = Richie
| last2 = Furay
| year = 2004
| title = For What It's Worth: The Story of Buffalo Springfield
| publisher = Taylor Trade Publications
| isbn = 978-0-8154-1281-6
| page = 127
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=vIdR--aAoAsC&pg=PA127
}}
</ref><ref name="Stevenson 2010">{{cite news
| last = Stevenson
| first = Tommy
| date = October 20, 2010
| title = 'Days of Rage' conference revisits unrest of May 1970
| newspaper = [[Tuscaloosa News]]
| url = http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20101020/news/101019519%26tc%3Dyahoo
| access-date = February 19, 2011
| archive-date = March 4, 2016
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304002229/http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20101020/news/101019519%26tc%3Dyahoo
| url-status = dead
}}</ref><ref name="Rolling Stone 1997-05-08">
{{cite magazine
| title = CSN, Jackson 5 Join Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
| date = May 8, 1997
| magazine = [[Rolling Stone]]
| url = https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/csn-jackson-5-join-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-19970508
| access-date = February 19, 2011
}}
</ref>
}}

==External links==
* [http://www.reasontorock.com/tracks/for_what_its_worth.html Reasontorock analysis of song]
* Buffalo Springfield: {{YouTube|1eD-8NTwP9I|For What It's Worth}}
* The Staple Singers: {{YouTube|QI3ZzQWr0-o|For What It's Worth}}

{{Buffalo Springfield}}
{{Cher songs part 1}}
{{Haley Reinhart}}
{{King Curtis}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:For What It's Worth (Buffalo Springfield Song)}}
[[Category:1966 songs]]
[[Category:1967 singles]]
[[Category:1969 singles]]
[[Category:Atco Records singles]]
[[Category:Buffalo Springfield songs]]
[[Category:Cher songs]]
[[Category:Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients]]
[[Category:American protest songs]]
[[Category:Songs about Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Songs written by Stephen Stills]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Arif Mardin]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Tom Dowd]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Jerry Wexler]]

For What It's Worth - Revision history