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) more contemporary issues. The Temptations' song "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)" mentions the song title. The song was briefly featured on Stephen King's 1994 miniseries "The Stand". With a burning Des Moines, Iowa, as a backdrop, Larry Underwood sits atop the hood of a car, belting out the song to amuse himself until interrupted by another survivor of the superflu. It also appeared in "The Simpsons" episode GABF16, "The Girl Who Slept Too Little", and was featured in Michael Winterbottom's 1997 film "Welcome to Sarajevo". A Joey Scarbury cover was played repeatedly in the original airing