Ohio

Neil Young wrote Ohio after seeing photographs of the Kent State shootings of 4 May 1970 in Life magazine. David Crosby recalled that Young was silent for a long time, then picked up his guitar and had the song 20 minutes later. Bill Halverson recorded it on 21 May 1970 at Record Plant Studio 3 in Hollywood, live and in only a few takes, with Calvin Samuels on bass and John Barbata on drums. Stephen Stills's Find the Cost of Freedom was cut at the same session as the B-side.

Atlantic released it in June 1970, while Teach Your Children was still on the chart. It reached number 14 on the Hot 100 and 16 in Canada. It was banned from some AM radio stations, including in the state of Ohio, but received airplay on underground FM stations. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2009, and Rolling Stone placed it ninth on its 2025 list of the 100 best protest songs.

Live and covers

Live versions of Ohio and Find the Cost of Freedom are on 4 Way Street, and the studio recording first reached an album on So Far in 1974. Young also put it on Decade in 1977. Devo recorded it for the 2002 collection When Pigs Fly, and the Dandy Warhols in 2004.