“War” was a Top 10 hit–twice–but never for its original recording artists.
That’s because The Temptations never released it as a single, despite fan requests to do so, for fear of angering a fan base that didn’t all share the song’s sentiment.
Perhaps that’s for the best, because The Temptations’ original 1970 recording never quite mustered the visceral power that Edwin Starr would bring to bear in his now-legendary single released just a few months later.
Starr’s version was an immediate smash, riding the charts during the summer of 1970, topping it for three weeks in late August into September, and finishing the year at #5. Starr himself earned a Grammy nomination for his performance, and the performance itself is now enshrined in the Grammy Hall of Fame.
In 1985, as the Born in the U.S.A. Tour was winding down, Bruce introduced a few wild cards into the tour’s last stand in Los Angeles. One of them was a cover of “War,” introduced by a prescient plea to his young fans not to blindly trust their leaders. Bruce had never shied away from anti-war sentiment, but rarely had he embraced it quite so boldly.
The song went over well, and Bruce kept it in the set for the remainder of the tour, recording it on September 30 for release in his Live 1975-85 box set the following year. Not only was it prominently featured in the set (leading off Side Eight), it was even released as the lead single on the same day as the box set itself, supported by a music video.
Bruce’s single peaked at #8, making it the second time “War” cracked the Top Ten.
When Bruce resumed touring in 1988 in support of his Tunnel of Love album, “War” stayed in the set. Throughout the entire tour, Bruce played “War” as a nightly lead-in to “Born in the U.S.A.” — perhaps to make sure no one misunderstood the latter.
In June of that year, when the tour reached Birmingham, England, Bruce was finally able to perform “War” with the artist who took the song all the way to Number One (Starr had moved to the U.K. by then). Fortunately, that performance was captured on video.
That performance flies under the radar, but it deserves much wider exposure. Starr’s vocals are more powerful than ever, and his delivery–combined with Bruce’s intense performance and that incredible horn section–takes the song to the next level. Watch it below.
Bruce had two more chances to sing “War” with Starr–once just a few days later, and then again on the Reunion Tour.
During the Rising Tour, when the U.S. was preparing to invade Iraq, Bruce thought it appropriate to reintroduce “War” into his setlists. He performed it a half-dozen times in March 2003, from Austin, Texas to Brisbane, Australia.
Bruce played the song for the last time on March 26, 2003 in Brisbane. Edwin Starr died exactly one week later, his greatest hit sadly still as relevant as ever.
War
Recorded: September 30, 1985
Released: Live 1975-85 (1986)
First performed: September 27, 1985 (Los Angeles, CA)
Last performed: March 26, 2003 (Brisbane, Australia)
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