War

One of the most powerful and straightforward anti-war songs ever recorded, "War" was released at the height of the Vietnam War, but the song makes a broader statement of the need for harmony in our everyday lives. Edwin Starr explained to the UK newspaper The Voice in 2001: "The song was never about the Vietnam War. It was about the neighborhood wars and the racial wars that were going on inside America at the time. It just happened to coincide with the war in Vietnam."

Motown hitmakers Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong wrote this song, and Whitfield produced it. Edwin Starr began his career recording for Ric-Tic Records, a Detroit label that was a rival to Motown. In 1968, Motown bought Ric-Tic, which gave Starr access to their writers and producers but put him in competition with established stars on the label like Marvin Gaye, The Temptations and The Four Tops. "War" was a big break for him. "Before that came along I had no direction to go in and really didn't know what to do next, he told Disc and Music Echo. "I was very lucky to be offered 'War' because not only is it a fantastic song but because I really believe in the lyric. And I recorded it with as much conviction as possible. I was pleased to record it because the lyrics mean more than most songs."

The Temptations were the first to record this song; it was included on their 1970 album Psychedelic Shack. Motown had no intention of releasing it as a single, but many in the protest movement, especially college students, made it clear that the song would be a big hit if it was. Motown head Berry Gordy had other plans for The Temptations and didn't want them associated with such a controversial song, so he had Starr record it and his version was released as a single. Starr didn't have as big a fan base to offend.