Eve of Destruction (song) Eve of Destruction (song) "Eve of Destruction" is a protest song written by P. F. Sloan in mid-1964. Several artists have recorded it, but the best-known recording was by Barry McGuire. This recording was made between July 12 and July 15, 1965, and released by Dunhill Records. The accompanying musicians were top-tier Los Angeles session players: P. F. Sloan on guitar, Hal Blaine (of Phil Spector's Wrecking Crew) on drums, and Larry Knechtel on bass guitar. The vocal track was thrown on as a rough mix and was not intended to be the final version, but a copy of the
Eve of Destruction (song) debut album "It Ain't Me Babe", shortly before McGuire's version was cut; it was eventually released as a single and hit #100 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 in 1970. The song was also recorded by Jan and Dean on their album "Folk 'n Roll" in 1965, using the same backing track as the McGuire version, and by The Grass Roots on their first album "Where Were You When I Needed You" in 1966. McGuire recalled in later years that "Eve of Destruction" had been recorded in one take on a Thursday morning, reading lyrics scrawled on a crumpled piece of