Artists throughout history have conveyed their thoughts, experiences, and opinions through their songs, whether for good or for the worse. In 1970, an artist named Edwin Starr released his song “War.” In 1971, Marvin Gaye released his song "What's Going On". In 1965, PF Sloan released his song “Eve of Destruction”. In 1963, Bob Dylan released his song “Blowing in the Wind”. Artists wrote, recorded, and released these songs in an effort to express their feelings of dislike toward war, particularly the Vietnam War and the race wars occurring simultaneously in America. The four songs listed above are all from the same era and were written, recorded and inspired by major events that occurred in the 1960s and 1970s. These events were the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War and the race wars . These songs help express the feelings and highlight the emotions of American citizens who were not only against the Vietnam War but against the unfair treatment of other American citizens based on certain prejudices. These songs help reveal a time in American history when a huge population of American citizens began to express frustration with violence and mistreatment of people, no matter where it occurred. In Marvin Gaye's "What's going on", he focuses on initiating change. within one's community in an effort to recognize issues such as war or people who commit open and direct acts of violence against their fellow human beings. Marvin Gaye expresses his disgust for war and especially for violence. For example, he says: “We don't need to escalate the situation. You see, war is not the solution. Because only love can overcome hatred. Marvin Gaye openly expresses his opinion on the war. ...... middle of paper ...... the races of the artists in these songs were different, they all had the same opinions against violence which did not depend on where the violence was carried out.Works Cited03 , april . "Edwin Starr, 61; singer of Motown's 1970 hit 'War'." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, April 3, 2003. Web. February 25, 2014. “10 Best Anti-War/Protest Songs About the Vietnam War.” » Examiner.com. Np, and Web. February 24, 2014. Bob Dylan's “Blowin' in the Wind” HubPages. Np, and Web. February 26, 2014. “Eve of Destruction – Marlene Grant. » Marlene Grant. Np, and Web. February 26, 2014. Hansen, Liane. “PF Sloan's Long Road Back After 'Destruction'” NPR. NPR, and Web. February 26, 2014. Naylor, Brian. "'Blowin' In The Wind' always asks tough questions." NPR. NPR, and Web. February 25, 2014. “What’s going on? by Marvin Gaye – The Vietnam War. » The Vietnam War. Np, and Web. February 25. 2014.