Protest songs in the United States Tom Paxton ("Lyndon Johnson Told the Nation" - about the escalation of the war in Vietnam, "Jimmy Newman" – the story of a dying soldier, and "My Son John" – about a soldier who returns from war unable to describe what he's been through), among others. The first protest song to reach number one in the United States was P.F. Sloan's "Eve Of Destruction", performed by Barry McGuire in 1965. The civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s often used Negro spirituals as a source of protest, changing the religious lyrics to suit the political mood of the time.
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