http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6jxxagVEO4 You're probably aware that the lyrics to Turn! Turn! Turn! borrow heavily from the Bible; the book of Ecclesiastes, to be exact. In other words, Seeger borrowed much of the lyric to this song. Don't go throwing your laptop across the room, though; this is the last song of this type. And after all, Seeger did write some of this song and he wrote all the music. Seeger wrote this song in the 1950s. He used one line to change the original scripture's meaning (about accepting all the different seasons of life) into a plea for world peace. That line is "A time for peace...I swear it's not too late." It's not subtle, but then, Seeger was always best when blunt. Anyway, a couple of folk singers and groups (including Seeger himself) recorded the song in 1962 and 1963, only to have those recordings flop. The song would probably be forgotten today if not for The Byrds' excellent cover in 1965, which finally made a hit out of the tune, topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart with it. Seeger's song isn't really a powerful anti-war song, as Seeger probably intended it to be. The song is, however, a powerful reminder that we must accept what we cannot change and remember that we must experience all kinds of emotions in life. That's a lesson that we all must learn, and Turn! Turn! Turn! teaches it well.
Alan Howell is a native of Southern California. He loves movies of any and all kinds, Hollywood, indie, and everywhere in between. He loves pizza, sitcoms, rock and pop music, surfing, baseball, reading, and girls (not necessarily in that order).