Billy Porter urges Americans to vote with soulful cover of '60s anti-war anthem 'For What It's Worth'
Billy Porter has released a lyric video for his soulful cover of Buffalo Springfield's 'For What It's Worth'. Originally released in 1966, the song was often considered the be an anti-war anthem.
Stephen Stills penned the song in response to the Sunset Strip curfew riots in November of that year, which also happened to be the same year that Buffalo Springfield became the house band at the Whisky a Go Go nightclub on the Sunset Strip.
The riots began after local residents and business owners, annoyed at the late-night traffic congestion being caused by young people going to clubs and venues along the Strip, lobbied the city to pass ordinances against loitering and enforce a curfew after 10 pm.
The curfew angered young music fans who took to the streets to protest what they saw as an infringement of their civil rights.
They began by distributing fliers along the strip and inviting people to join their demonstrations, including a rally outside the Pandora's Box club, which was also being announced on several Los Angeles radio stations.
That evening, 1,000 young demonstrators including Jack Nicholson and Peter Fonda joined the protest, starting out peacefully before descending into unrest which would continue well into December. And it was against this backdrop that songs like Stills' 'For What It's Worth' were written and recorded.
But Porter's version does something a little different from igniting a spark for a counter-culture war. The Emmy, Grammy and Tony award winner's soulful take on the rock song is geared towards encouraging people to vote in November.
"I've always been a political person," stated Porter. "I come from the generation where the music reflected what was going on in the world, in the day." He continued, "I decided to record ‘For What It's Worth’ because I wanted to have my art and my music matter, make a difference."
He added, "The song was written and performed sort of during the Civil Rights Era, the Vietnam War, it was protest music and I wanted to have a hand in bringing that back and speaking truth directly to power."
Stills himself had said he was "proud and delighted" when he heard the rendition: "For many years no one tried to 'make it theirs' as covers are supposed to do. That an artist of Billy's caliber has chosen to add his flourish to my song from so many years ago is totally in keeping with what I intended."
Given the current situation of the world, which includes a coronavirus pandemic and a total lockdown to prevent its further spread, it would be quite easy for voters to be distracted. But Porter hopes his new song will help bring people's attention back to something that cannot be ignored.
"While we're all stuck at home, now is a great time to make sure you're registered to vote," Porter stated, adding, "The election is comin', y’all. Let's get ready and stay ready."
He concluded by saying, "I hope people are inspired to not give up, to continue to have hope, and to understand that the only way change comes is for the people to come together and demand it."
Check out the lyric video for 'For What It's Worth' below.
