In 1964, at the age of nineteen, P.F. Sloan wrote a prayer to God in the form of a poem that addressed all the issues in the world that he found unbearable. As he sat in his bedroom, his writing was guided by an inner voice and he was hopeful that God would answer his prayer. Once completed, he transformed his words into a song and called it Eve of Destruction.
He brought his work to a publishing company where it was immediately marked “unpublishable.” A young folk singer named Barry McGuire, in spite of admittedly not liking the song that much, agreed to record Eve of Destruction in 1965. Once recorded, a media frenzy ensued. The song was called an attack on “the System” and was used to point out everything that was wrong with the youth culture in America.
Sloan was banned from national television shows and any positive press about the song was labeled “unpatriotic.” Eve of Destruction meant something different for everyone who heard it. It was a love song for humanity, a cry against war, an appeal to the American government, a means to raise awareness of world issues, a rally to change legislation, a warning that the end of the world was coming, and a plea for God’s mercy.
The profound effects of Sloan’s words are felt by all humans as his words allow us to set aside our political, social, financial, religious diversities and unite as one. He let us realize that we all seek the same joys in our lives and he shows us that all people are more alike than they are different.
At the time that Eve of Destruction was written, the world was coping with the Cuban Missile Crisis, the assassination of JFK, the erection of the Berlin Wall, Nelson Mandela being sentenced to life in prison, the USSR’s detonation of the hydrogen bomb, and the Vietnam War.
Sadly, the passionate words written by a frightened teenager in 1964 are just as appropriate today as they were then. The passion, the fear, and the intensity of his words have not paled in today’s culture of war, violence, and unrest, not just in America, but around the world. Eve of Destruction still stands for a vision of hope that the tragedies of people everywhere will not go unnoticed or be disregarded.
Source: Barry McGuire Website