One thought on ““Eve of Destruction.””

  1. That’s the original mix, you can hear the early Beatles-style stereo separation.

    While it was an instant hit, it was also hugely controversial at the time. In 1965 I was a kid of 12 who sometimes hung around a local AM radio studio (WGOE in Richmond, VA, but this was before they went “progressive AM,” it was a low-rated top-40 station at the time) helping the DJs – I’d fetch them sodas and snacks, sometimes they would let me pick the next record, and one would even let me throw the switch between turntables to start a back-to-back song if he was still in the bathroom.

    EoD had people talking, and getting mad. It was perceived as anti-American and anti-war (Vietnam was still popular at home at the time). One of the DJs – “Bachelor Bill” Meade – got a phone call from the station manager while he was on the air, telling him to pull EoD from the rotation.

    This was right after the song had come from nowhere to the top of the charts. After he hung up and said, “I can’t believe that guy!” I asked what was up, he told me, and then said, “Screw him!” and played it anyway.

    I’d never heard anyone refer to their boss like that before. Years later I understood the sentiment perfectly.

Comments are closed.