In 1968, Sly and the Family Stone recorded one of the most iconic theme songs marking a very troubled era.
Sometimes I’m right and I can be wrong
My own beliefs are in my song
The butcher, the banker, the drummer and then
Makes no difference what group I’m in
I am everyday people, yeah, yeah
There is a blue one who can’t accept the green one
For living with a fat one, trying to be a skinny one
And different strokes for different folks
And so on and so on and scooby dooby doo-bee
Ooh, sha sha
We got to live together
This week, we look back on the 50th anniversary of 1968, the year of MLK, RFK, an unpopular war overseas, batons, guns and demonstrations in the streets. Local history buff Tom Hanks has executive produced a series on recent decades with 1968 being his latest.
“This was a critical time,” he says, “the year that changed America.”
Vietnam was called “the living room war.” After the Tet Offensive, fighting spilled into the streets and got ugly. “This was a was a war without end,” says journalist Jeff Greenfield.
Walter Cronkite’s commentary sent blood pressures rising at the Pentagon. “If we’ve lost Cronkite, we’ve lost America,” they said.
At the same time, social issues were all around.
Diana Ross started singing about being a “Love Child.” Rowan and Martin’s politically whacky “Laugh In” brought us Malibu’s Goldie Hawn, Artie Johnson, Lily Thompson and Flip Wilson (“Here comes the Judge” and “Sock it to Me”) and, in addition to regular commercial fare like “The Beverly Hillbillies,” “Petticoat Junction,” “Mayberry RFD,” “I Dream of Jeannie” and “Bewitched,” a little color started to creep in like on “The Mod Squad” and “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.”
There were other cultural landmarks: Elvis made his comeback, the space program was underway and a Big Mac cost 49 cents. On Broadway it was all about “Hair,” a revolutionary musical that hailed the “Dawning of the Age of Aquarius” and urged everyone—nude or not—to “Let the Sunshine in.” It caused a sensation.
You almost think what didn’t happen in 1968. Although I’d like to swap “Ball of Confusion” for my favorite song from the Young Bloods … “Come on people now, smile on your brother, everybody get together try to love one another right now.” Peace and love.