The song "Ohio" refers to May 4, 1970 when the National Guard marched on to Kent State. Students came out on the Kent State campus to protest the bombing of Cambodia--a decision that was made by President Nixon which many felt escalated the Vietnam War. Protests got out of hand when students began throwing rocks and breaking windows; a select few attempted to burn down the campus' ROTC building. At that time Ohio governor, James Rhodes, called the National Guard in for assistance. As tensions escalated, many National Guardsmen fired directly into a crowd of students hitting thirteen, killing four of them, pulling the trigger over and over, for thirteen seconds. This is what the song "Ohio" is referring to when it says "four dead in Ohio." The song "Ohio" highlights people's frustration that none of the guardsmen were punished. In fact, there was no formal investigation. The Nixon administration did little to rectify the situation. Over the next few years a federal prosecution was finally brought, but all charges were dismissed at the close of the prosecution's case, avoiding the need for a defense and taking the case away from the jury. Among his reasons: a failure to prove specific intent to deprive the victims of their civil rights; due to the lack of any investigation, it was almost impossible at this late date to show which Guardsmen shot which victim. Click Here for lyrics to "Ohio"

The themes in the top ten songs in the 1970s are very similar to that of "Ohio". They dealt with perseverance and love in times of trouble. For example, the theme of B.J. Thomas's "Rainbows" is a song about overcoming the hardships of life. Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" states that there is always a way to overcome your struggles. "Let It Be" was a song and movie by the Beatles. The song touched on the theme of hope in times of trouble. Other songs were about love. "Venus", by The Shocking Blue, was a song about a beautiful girl named Venus that every man wanted. "I Want You Back" by the Jackson Five was about wanting the love of your life back after breaking up. These songs are very representative of the time. Artists attempted to spread an idea of peace of love. Many recording artists were anti-war as is evident in their songs. Click here for a list of the top ten songs and albums

Also, popular movies of the time touched on similar topics. The number one movie in 1970 was Love Story. Love Story was reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet because it was about two people being in love despite the disapproval of family. It also has a tragic ending involving the death of a main character. This movie coincides with the popular theme that love is unapologetic. There were also several films that discussed the controversial issue of war. These included Patton, M*A*S*H, and Catch-22. Also there were movies that dealt with racial injustice, such as Little Big Men, which was about the injustices brought upon Native Americans. Click here for a list of the top ten movies

The artists of this time used music and/or movies as a medium to express their opinions on various political and social issues. Artists seemed to take a much defined stance and were not afraid to speak out. Many recording artists showed their distaste for the way America was being governed. Many artists sing about their distaste for the Vietnam War, for unequal racial treatment, and for the cruel treatment of protesters. The artists of this time realized the influence that they had on the public and they effectively used this influence to their advantage.

Generally speaking, recording artists were pretty outspoken when it came to political and socials issues. They seemed to be more outspoken than artists today. Today's artists seem to be more concerned about record sells. They are less likely to risk speaking out; often with good reason. For example, recently the Dixie Chicks made a disapproving remark about President Bush that has seemingly put a damper on their careers. Also, it can be argued that artists today have less to protest about.