The 1971 song David Crosby tried to give to George Harrison: “Changed my life”
David Crosby was an imperial songwriter of the highest calibre. He was not only a part of one of the greatest supergroups of all time alongside Stephen Stills, Graham Nash and Neil Young.
But after their magnificently prolific period together, each artist came out of the experience as a selection of the best songwriters in the game.
For a period, everybody wanted a piece of the band following their time together, and each solo career went in four very different but highly successful directions. David Crosby’s debut solo album, If Only I Could Remember My Name, which was released in 1971, is established as his most commercially successful record to date and one that certified Crosby as being more than just a former member of CSNY or The Byrds – he was his own creative entity.
However, one of the most adored tracks from the record – which remains one of the quintessential Crosby songs almost 50 years on – wasn’t even supposed to be his song at all. Instead, Crosby had intended to gift the creation to the former Beatle George Harrison.
Despite that independence, one of the album’s standout moments came from a song that wasn’t originally meant for him at all. ‘Laughing’, now widely regarded as one of Crosby’s defining compositions, began life with a very different destination in mind, highlighting both his generosity as a songwriter and the fluid creative exchanges that defined the era.
Crosby had intended to pass the track on to George Harrison, a musician he deeply admired following the seismic impact of The Beatles. Although the collaboration never materialised, the song ultimately found a home on Crosby’s own record, where it has since endured as a deeply personal and spiritually resonant piece within his catalogue.
Crosby, who recently passed away at the age of 81, was active on social media until the very end, a method he used to engage with his fans at every available moment. Welcoming questions and urging engagement, Crosby was asked: “Was there any particular inspiration for ‘Laughing’? It’s a beautiful song and has helped me very much for 50 years”. Crosby, responding to the message, revealed that the song was actually written for his old Liverpudlian friend.
While it remains unknown why the track fell through and why Harrison never ended up accepting, the opportunity to write for a former Beatle would have been a dream come true for Crosby, who confessed in 2014 to MusicRadar that “seeing The Beatles made something else click. It changed my life. They changed my life. Let’s be very specific about that”.
Detailing further, Crosby added: “Watching The Beatles on Ed Sullivan was wonderful. I was shocked… in such a good way. Of course, none of us had seen that kind of reaction from kids before, not for anybody. I think most people were amazed at the reaction, the screams and the hysteria. How could you not be?” Crosby continued.
“I was amazed, too, but more so by the sheer musicality of it and The Beatles’ ability to project what a confident, joyful and beautiful band they were. I’d never seen anything like them before – or since. But, you know, it’s always about the music. Those guys could really play and sing. They had the goods. And they really had the songs,” the former Byrds man concluded.
A definitive rock and roll story of ‘what could have been’ in the highest order. For now, stream the original below.
