3 Classic Rock Songs That Captured the End of the Hippie Era

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As the 1960s came to a close, classic rock songs like "Won't Get Fooled Again" by The Who, "Ohio" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and "Something in the Air" by Thunderclap Newman captured the end of the hippie era through their cynical, disillusioned lyrics and sounds.

Why it matters

These songs reflected the shift in the cultural and political landscape as the idealism of the 1960s gave way to a more jaded outlook in the early 1970s, with the Vietnam War raging on and the establishment proving resistant to change despite years of protests and attempts at revolution.

The details

"Won't Get Fooled Again" by The Who exemplified the cynicism of the era with its famous line "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss." "Ohio" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young was written in response to the Kent State shootings, in which unarmed college students were killed by the National Guard during a Vietnam War protest. "Something in the Air" by Thunderclap Newman, produced by The Who's Pete Townshend, also captured the uncertain transition from the 1960s to the 1970s.

• The hippie era is generally considered to have ended around 1970.
• The US military finally pulled out of Vietnam in 1973.