Q
What was the first song CS&N played
together?
A Stills'
"You Don't Have To
Cry".
Q
Where did that happen?
A
There are at least three different stories about where CSN sang together for the first time.
Was it in Cass Elliot's, Joni Mitchell's or John Sebastian's living room...?
From Johnny Rogans book "The Complete Guide To The Music of CSN&Y
"
(see also Books section): "It was played during an impromptu singing session in
Laurel Canyon. Nash witnessed the starting vocal bleb and songwriting power of the
Crosby & Stills partnership. After listening to this song, he asked them to play the tune
once more, then added a high harmony much to the amazement of everyone present".
Graham Nash: "David
and I believe that it was in Joni Mitchell's living room that we first
sang together. Stephen and David wanted to show me a song that they had
worked on in two part harmony. The song was 'You Don't Have to Cry'
written by Stephen. They sang it once, I asked them to sing it again, they
sang it a second time, I asked for another performance. On the third
attempt I put my high harmony on and it sounded awesome. I knew in my
heart that this was something I wanted to do for the next few years. The
musical, social aspect of combining these three voices with the words that
we had come up with was very exciting to all three of us. We knew that we
could sing, that the sound was unique and that what we had to say was
worth saying. And here we are 30 years later still doing it with all the
energy of teen-agers!"
Dave Zimmer (from the 2007 Dave Zimmer interview on 4waysite.com):
"My theory is that it was Joni's Laurel Canyon house. I think they
probably hung out in Cass Elliot's kitchen and John Sebastian's living
room, and may have eventually blended voices there. But, from talking to
Croz, Nash, Stills and Joni … I think the first time was at Joni's
place, which she described to me once so colorfully as "a little
house, almost like a tree house."
Q
Does
it happen to be the house in Nash's song "Our House"?
A
Dave
Zimmer (from the 2007 Dave Zimmer interview on 4waysite.com): "Yes,
Dolf, Joni's house is the one celebrated in Graham's "Our
House." He once told me: "The time that Joni and I were living
together was really interesting, because I had left my band [The Hollies]
successfully, I had left my country [England] successfully, I had been
accepted here [Los Angeles, California], and I was feeling great. And Joni
was feeling great, too; she had started to realize who she was and the
fantastic work she was doing. She was painting and designing her second
album cover, doing that self-portrait. And I remember being totally in awe
of her. She'd go and make some supper and come down and we'd be eating,
then she'd all of a sudden space out, go to the piano ... to see her sit
down and write "Rainy Night House" and all those other things
was just mind blowing. ".
Q
How many songs did Crosby, Stills Nash
& Young really make and record together on "Déjà Vu"?
A
Neil Young: "Only three songs. The other songs were in fact, combinations of group
members; no group-products."
Q
Which songs?
A
Neil Young: "'Woodstock', 'Almost Cut My Hair' and
'Helpless': pure spontaneously
one-take songs."
Q
Is their any song
Crosby, Stills Nash & Young wrote together?
A
"Little Blind Fish". Later in 1997 Jeff Pevar wrote a new song for the CPR band with the
same title and lyrics.
Q
What does Stephen Stills sing in Spanish at the end of
"Suite:
Judy Blue Eyes"?
A1
Dolf van Stijgeren: "There are different translations. It's hard to translate, since
it is broken Spanish
and
difficult to
understand. This is the literal
translation":
-Que lindo sera traerla a Cuba
'How nice will it be taking her with me to Cuba'
-La reina de la mar Caribe
'The queen of the Caribbean Sea'
-Quiero sólo que se encamine allí
'The only thing I want is her to go there'
-Y que triste que no puedo, vaya
'And what a pity that I am not able, blast (or: damn)!'
A2 other
- unknown - source:
-Qué lindo será traerla a Cuba
Stills could be saying 'sería' ('it would be') as well, it's not clear...
'How nice it will (or 'would') be taking YOU to Cuba'
-La reina de la Mar Caribe
'The queen of the Caribbean Sea'
-Quiero sólo visitarla allí
He could be saying 'visitarle', but this is only a matter of grammatical
correction.
'The only thing I want is to visit you there'
-Y qué triste que no puedo, vaya
'And how sad that I can't, "damn"'.
Stills changes this last verse on certain releases of the song (the intro of 4 Way
Street or the Daylight Again video, for instance) and says: Y qué lástima (the right
stress is on the 'a' but he falls it on the 'i') que no puedo, vaya
'What a pity that I can't'
or:
-Y qué lástima que no puedo ir
'What a pity that I can't go'
Stills in the liner notes on the Box Set:
"The little kicker at the end about Cuba was just to liven it
up because it had gone on forever and I didn't want it to just fall apart.
I said, 'Now that we've sung all these lyrics about one thing, let's
change the subject entirely.' And we did. Even did it in a different
language just to make sure that nobody could understand it".
Q
What is Crosby babbling at the
beginning of "Marrakesh Express"?
A
It sounds like
"Whoopa, hey mesa, hooba huffa, hey meshy goosh goosh".
Graham
Nash: "It's some Crosby gibberish that we moved from the beginning
of Guinnevere to the front of Marrakesh Express".
Q
How do we know what the songs
are about?
A
Don Gooch: "'Wild Tales', for example, is based on a couple of real
stories, in particular
the milk man part was part of a story that someone Graham had met had related and it was
so bizarre he wrote the song around it. A lot of the other songs are based on his personal
experiences and may be too personal to divulge. Basically enjoy the music for what it is
and if you can relate to it from your own personal experiences, do so. As for Take the
Money, it is basically about managers in general (!) and people who don't give a damn
about anything but the money. Those people think that money is the "end", when
it should be a "means to an end". If you knew the horror stories behind that
tour you would have a complete understanding of the song but I am sure if you use your
imagination in your own life experiences, it will apply and become clear to you
also.
Most songs are based on personal experiences (good or bad) and while the exact experiences
is personal it also will apply in some form to each individuals experiences in the same
areas."
Read Johnny Rogans book "The Complete Guide To The Music of CSN&Y".
Q Is
Stills' "4+20" an autobiographical song?
A
Johnny Rogan: "According to Stephen Stills, the song concerns an 84-year-old man who
started and ended his life with nothing. How Stills manages to make 4 plus 20 equal 84 is
a mathematical mystery."
Q
Is there a
splice in Stills' "4+20" ?
A
Stephen Barncard: "Take it from someone who has touched and mixed the 8 track master
tape; it is NOT an edit. They happen one after the other on the tape. Maybe there's a
mouth noise but there is no splice."
Q
What is "Long May You Run"
About?
A
It's about Neil's hearse car, Mort. He has told the story many times. The song was first
played at the May 74 Bottom End show. This is before the 74 CSNY reunion and well before
the Long May You Run album with Stills. as for as the Beach Boy reference, it is the type
of car(long hearse) that is similar to the "woody"
station wagons a lot of
surfers and "Beach Boys"had. Just a thought on how he hopes his car has gone on
to better things since he junked it.
Q
What happened to the Crosby & Nash harmonies on "Long
May You Run"
A
When Stills
& Young were in the studio recording their album, Neil thought they should call in
Crosby & Nash for additional harmonies. Unfortunately, after a few days in the studio,
they started fighting and Stills & Young wiped C& N's harmonies off the
master.
But Neil kept the alternative copies and put it on Decade.
Q
The song "Wooden Ships" starts with the sentence "If you smile at me, 'cause that is something everybody, everywhere does in the same language". Where does that come from?
A
The opening line of the song is considered by many fans as being one for the ages.
David Crosby: "Written in the main cabin of my boat the Mayan. I had the music already. Paul Kantner wrote two verses, Stephen wrote one, and I added the bits at both ends.
I borrowed the first part off a little Baptist church sign in Florida that said 'If you smile at me I will understand, because that is something everybody everywhere does in the same language'. It's a weird science fiction story, but one that could happen tomorrow. 'Silver people on the shoreline' are guys in radiation suits. We imagined ourselves as the few survivors, escaping on a boat to create a new
civilization".
Those lyrics are still printed today on T-shirts at Crosby Stills and Nash and Young concerts and
e-stores.
Q
But, wasn't "Wooden Ships"
written by Crosby and Stills only?
A
No.
Paul Kantner could not be credited on the original release of Crosby, Stills & Nash due to legal issues, but he is credited on the 2006 re-release. The song was also released by Jefferson Airplane the same year on the album
"Volunteers". Both versions are considered to be original versions of the song.
Q
In which songs do CSNY sing about
CSNY?
A
A
lot of gossip:
-
GN, "Into The
Darkness": Nash sings about Crosby's behavior during the early
80's.
-
NY, "Only Love Can Break Your
Heart": Young sings about Nash after his relation
with Joni Mitchell ended. If my memory serves me well, Young quotes Crosby.
-
DC, "Cowboy
Movie": It was about CSNY including a part about Rita Coolidge. Something about her leaving Croz and going with
Nash. Didn't Croz say, to paraphrase, that all Nash had to do was wiggle his finger and the
ladies came running?
-
GN, "Wasted On The
Way": obviously about CSN.
-
GN, "Mutiny": is about the
Bluebird, the Farmer and the Boat on the Bay.
-
NY, "Stringman": about
Stills.
-
NY, "Thrashers": he writes off CSN?
-
GN&DC, "Taken At All": Nash speculating about the CSNY situation up to that
point. There's some real power on that boxed set version, compared to the one
Crosby & Nash did afterward. Considering this song and Wasted On the
Way, it's obvious that Graham was hurt possibly more than anyone else about
CSNY's failure to get it together again.
-
SS, "You Are Alive": by Stephen for Graham and his
wife.
-
SS, "Got It
Made": may have been written by Stephen partially for David.
-
NY, "Hippie Dream": about
"Wooden Ships".
-
NY, "The Loner over Stills": according to Stills it is about Neil Young...
-
GN, "Frozen Smiles": Nash about Stills (Graham Nash: "That's my song for Stephen. I love Stephen, but I have the courage to tell him when he's screwing up. As my friends have the courage to tell
me.")
-
GN, "Cowboy Of Dreams": about Young and
Crosby ("where the byrd used to be...")
-
GN, "Glass And
Steel": about Crosby ("the life of a Rock and Roll refugee").
-
GN, "Skychild": ("David said I'd be in trouble if I dared to take a look...").
-
NY, "Buffalo Springfield Again": obviously about SS and NY.
-
NY, "The Old Homestead": song from Hawks and Doves about his relationship with CSN, Elliott Roberts,
Hamlet Ertegun and others. Lots of references to riders, birds, horses, shadows.
-
GN, "Glass &
Steel": about Crosby.
-
NY, "Get Back To The
Country": from Old Ways ("When I was a younger man/Got
lucky with a rock n' roll band/Struck gold in Hollywood/All the time I knew
I would/Get back to the country/Back where it all began")
-
SS, "Change
Partners": Stills was saying about "Change Partners" it's literally about changing dance partners and the ways of the South through
his eyes when he lived there. But Nash like to refer to it as the CSN theme song.
-
GN, "Wounded
Bird": (Graham Nash: "It was written about Stephen when
he was going through changes about his relationship with Judy Collins.")
Q
Who is Graham Nash referring to in "Chicago" when he sings
'Don't ask Jack to help you, 'cause he'll turn the
other ear'?
A Graham Nash: "The 'Jack' in my song
Chicago is Jack Kennedy. Jack is a term used by many English people as a kind of generic
word. Although Kennedy had been dead for years, his spirit lives on."
In the context of the song, "Jack" could refer to those people
for whom the Chicago issue is not "their problem"; the song infers , of
course,
that no matter how far removed from a problem "Jack" might think
he/she is, it
is always one's responsibility to stand up, be counted and do one's level best to resolve
the issue : hence the refrain "We can change the world" ?
Q
How was "Wind on the Water" mixed?
A Stephen Barncard: "We (Don Gooch and
Stephen Barncard) worked right up to the summer tour deadline on "Wind On The
Water". In fact, we had to mix a couple of items with approval over the telephone by
Graham and David, who were on the road by that time. The a capella "Critical
Mass" was originally an unused piece from "If I Could Only Remember My
Name", and we later added Graham's parts, but after they left we had to do an update
with a better mix on the harmonies, and I held up the phone to the speakers so
Graham, who
was in the Midwest somewhere, could approve the mix. This goes to show you how acute David
& Graham's musicality is and also the trust that had been created among
us."
Q
Who wrote "Kids and Dogs"?
A David Crosby: "I think T Ross is
wrong, I wrote Kids and Dogs all by myself."
Q
What
is Crosby's "Orleans" about?
A The title of the song actually is LE CARILLON DE VENDÔME or LES CLOCHES DE VENDÔME and it still is in France a short children's song that kids learn in primary school. It dates back to the 15th century and is the oldest known French song.
You can find much more information in the Behind the Songs section.
Q
What is a
mondegreen?
A A mondegreen is the mishearing
(usually accidental) of a phrase as a homophone or near-homophone in such
a way that it acquires a new meaning. There are very funny mondegreens in
the new Songs section ( > Mondegreens). One example:
"Like looking into a mirror and seeing a Polish car"
Real Lyrics: Like looking into a mirror and seeing a police car
Q
David Crosby sings about a pentagram in
"Guinnevere", but what is a
pentagram?
A A pentagram is a five-sided star used for casting magic spells and commonly
connected with Satanism, deservedly so or not. Seems back in the 60's everybody who was
"hip" at one time or another dabbled into such occult/New Age
nonsense, on top
of a tab or two of acid, just because it seemed the fashionable thing to do. It was a
groovy time until Manson and his bunch went bad vibes ironically around the same time as
Woodstock. Altamont was a totally different scene, more reflecting those certain dark
aspects of the 60's that a lot of people have selected memory about, choosing instead to
bask themselves in paisley and flowers, peace and love.
Q
Who are the
tin soldiers in the song "Ohio"?
A "Tin soldiers"
refers to the use of the National Guard at Kent State. Many veterans who served full time
referred to the National Guard as weekend warriors as they pretended to be soldiers on a
part time basis. Many were just civilians playing soldier (hence "tin soldier")
trying to avoid doing active military service during the Vietnam War.
You can find much more information in the Behind the Songs section.
Q
What's
the story behind the two "Carry On" versions?
A The "Carry On"
version on the CSN "Replay" album does indeed edit out the organ
interlude, Stills wah-wah guitar lines and the "Questions" verses
heard on the second half of the song on "Déjà vu". In 1980,
Stills decided he wanted to record a new "outro" for "Carry On"
and cut it at Rudy Records in Hollywood, featuring Bill Meeker on drums and
inspiring some fresh Stills guitar work. The "Replay" album (not
available on CD) also features a remixed version of "I Give, You Give
Blind" without the strings that are on the version of the song on the 1977
"CSN" album.
Q
Was
the song "Triad" really the reason they threw David Crosby out of The
Byrds?
A Late October 1967 McGuinn and
Hillman sensationally sack Crosby on the grounds that he has become too
dictatorial in pursuing his musical preferences. When Crosby announces
"Triad", he says it IS supposedly one of the reasons they threw him
out of the Byrds because it is a song of "lust and perversion". Nowadays Crosby admits it was
probably not the (only) reason.
Q
Where
can I find the words of the 4 Way Street version of "49 Bye Byes"?
A Try this.
Q
Where
can I find CSNY lyrics, chords and/or tablatures?
A In the section
Songs
and if you cannot find it there, try
freesheetmusic.net.
Q
Did
David Bowie cover Neil Young?
A Yes he did.
On
his record "Heathen",
David
Bowie covers Neil Young's
"I've Been Waiting for You".
This song can be found on Neil's first solo record from 1968, called
"Neil Young".
