YOU ARE HERE: zharth.net / Zharth's Music Log / Week 106 (CSN/Y)
(Originally finalized on November 3, 2024)
Preface: I was thinking about what I would consider to be the "essential" songs by supergroup Crosby Stills Nash & [sometimes] Young, and I found that it came down perfectly to seven tracks. So I thought we could make it a theme! Tastes are subjective, so you might disagree with this list, but so be it. I was surprised to discover that, out of the four luminaries that constitute this band, I heavily favor David Crosby. And that's coming from a huge fan of Neil Young! So if you prefer Stephen Stills or Graham Nash, I sincerely apologize. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, Carry On, Teach Your Children, etc. are all great songs - don't get me wrong. But these are the songs I keep coming back to, time and time again.
Monday: Long Time Gone [Crosby Stills & Nash, 1969]
Comments: We'll start this list with a protest song from a time of great social upheaval - not very much unlike our own, more than fifty years later. (There are more constants in life than death and taxes...) The song avoids getting too specific, which contributes to its timeless quality. Nor is it overly optimistic. It's as much a warning of the danger of meddling in politics, as it is a call to action. To paraphrase David Crosby, the pure of heart know instictively to choose the naked flower girl laughing in the sunshine over the gray-faced man dealing cards from the bottom of the deck.
"Speak out! You got to speak out against the madness. You got to speak your mind, if you dare."
Tuesday: Wooden Ships [Crosby Stills & Nash, 1969]
Comments: Sharing songwriting credits with Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane - who recorded their own version which is, honestly, just as good - this song plays out like the establishment arc of a post-apocalyptic drama, as survivors from opposite armies in a devastating war put aside their differences and band together on a remote island, trying to reclaim hope for the future. I once heard a local band jam out on this song, and it was positively sublime.
"If you smile at me I will understand, 'cause that is something everybody everywhere does in the same language."
Wednesday: Guinnevere [Crosby Stills & Nash, 1969]
Comments: Honestly? I'm not even sure what this song is about - other than a witch, I think, performing occult rituals. But that's all beside the point. I'll admit I have a soft spot for songs about maidens with "golden hair", but the appeal of this song goes far beyond that. It just sounds so... mystical, with a palpable sense of longing. But above all, the lyrics are pure poetry. Whether they make sense or not. It's a perfect vehicle for the vocal harmonies this band was known for.
"Seagulls circle endlessly. I sing in silent harmony - we shall be free."
Thursday: Deja Vu [Deja Vu, 1970]
Comments: Crosby Stills & Nash's self-titled debut is a strong album, but the followup - which added Neil Young to the mix - is their definitive work. Here is the title track, an eerie number that effectively conveys the disorientation that accompanies deja vu, with a suppressed guitar lead, and minimalist lyrics that could be interpreted to reference reincarnation, or a form of determinism - yet not without some measure of doubt and uncertainty.
"If I had ever been here before, I would probably know just what to do. Don't you?"
Friday: Almost Cut My Hair [Deja Vu, 1970]
Comments: One of my dad's favorites before me, this was probably the first song by CSN/Y that really won me over. As a person for whom having long hair is a primary part of my recognizable identity, it resonates with me on a personal level. It's just so dramatic, with a searing lead guitar that snakes through the song, and impassioned vocals (there's a reason it made my theme dedicated to great Vocals). Although reflective of the hippy mindset, as we've seen with some of David Crosby's other songs, it's not preachy - its lyrics tap into a universal sense of humanity.
"I coulda said it was in my way. But I didn't, and I wonder why - I feel like letting my freak flag fly."
Saturday: Woodstock [Deja Vu, 1970]
Comments: One of the band's most mainstream hits, this is the first song this week not showcasing David Crosby. Sung by Stephen Stills, it was written by Joni Mitchell (while having a fling with Graham Nash) - who regrettably missed Woodstock, but, talented songwriter that she is, effectively captured its essence in song. Crosby Stills & Nash, on the other hand, were at Woodstock - it was their second live appearance together! Mitchell's version of the song appropriately radiates yearning, but CSNY's version goes full out with rock 'n' roll energy, featuring Neil Young prominently on guitar.
"Maybe it's the time of year. Yes, and maybe it's the time of man. I don't know who I am, but life is for learning."
Sunday: Ohio [released as a single, 1970]
Comments: We started with a protest song, and we'll finish with a protest song - this time written by Neil Young. Inspired by the Kent State shootings (in which four students were shot to death by the National Guard during an antiwar protest), it was intially released as a single, but later collected on the band's compilation So Far in 1974. In the liner notes to Neil Young's Decade compilation released in 1977, he recounts that Crosby was in tears after recording this take. Ever since reading that, I can't listen to this song without feeling that devastation intimately. Is this truly the cost of freedom?
"What if you knew her, and found her dead on the ground? How can you run when you know?"