War Song

"War Song"
"War Song"
Single by Neil Young and Graham Nash
B-side	"The Needle and the Damage Done"
Released	June 24, 1972
Recorded	May 22, 1972
Studio	Broken Arrow Ranch
Genre	Rock
Length	3:35
Label	Reprise
Songwriter(s)	Neil Young
Producer(s)	Elliot Mazer; Tim Mulligan; L.A. Johnson; Neil Young;
Neil Young singles chronology
Graham Nash singles chronology

"War Song" is a 1972 single credited to Neil Young & Graham Nash, backed by The Stray Gators. It was released in support of George McGovern's 1972 presidential campaign, who was running against incumbent President Richard Nixon. Young had already voiced his opinions of Nixon two years prior with "Ohio" while a member of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and once again tried to make an impact with a protest song. Despite his and Nash's intentions, the single failed to make a serious impression.

Cash Box described the song as a "philosophical/political opus in the groove of [the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song] 'Ohio.'"^[1] Record World called it "an angry reply to the renewed bombing of North Vietnam" and said that "it's the best Young has sounded in some time."^[2]

The single itself soon went out of print. Warner Brothers released the song on their 1974 loss leader Series album Hard Goods (a promotional series used primarily to promote rock acts on the label at the time). After that, "War Song" would remain unreleased in any other format until June 2009, when it was released on CD, DVD, and Blu-ray on a box set by Neil Young called The Archives Vol. 1 1963–1972.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1972)	Peak position
Canada RPM Top Singles	40
US Billboard Hot 100	61
US Cashbox Top 100^[3]	52
US Record World Top 100^[4]	51
Japan (Oricon)^[5]	97

References

^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. June 17, 1972. p. 16. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. June 24, 1972. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
^ "CASH BOX MAGAZINE: Music and coin machine magazine 1942 to 1996". worldradiohistory.com. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
^ "RECORD WORLD MAGAZINE: 1942 to 1982". worldradiohistory.com. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
^ Okamoto, Satoshi (2011). Single Chart Book: Complete Edition 1968–2010 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. ISBN 978-4-87131-088-8.