The Crosby, Stills, and Nash song they said no one would understand: “Even did it in a different language to make sure”
Not every classic song is meant to have a linear storyline from back to front. As much as people like to talk about their emotions whenever they have a guitar in their hands, it’s sometimes more fun to take the listener on a journey by having more than a few wild left turns that no one saw coming. It didn’t take most people long to figure out the more political subjects in Crosby, Stills, and Nash songs, but Stephen Stills knew they intentionally misdirected everybody when writing one of their first masterpieces.
Then again, the group already had greatness thrust upon them before they had even played their first notes together. It’s hard enough trying to put together a supergroup. Still, now that everyone has a reputation for being the greatest in their field on their respective instruments, it gets a little bit tougher to impress people when they already know what everyone is capable of.
But dividing up the songs amongst everyone was probably the best choice they could hope for. Everyone had inspiration for pieces after working in Buffalo Springfield and The Hollies, and looking at ‘Marrakesh Express’, it was like Graham Nash was finally free to play anything he wanted regardless of whether The Hollies gave their seal of approval.
For any great rock band, though, it’s almost a rite of passage to make a medley of songs at some point. Most people extend their tunes into a jam, but before the likes of Yes and Rush made their progressive tunes with multiple sections that told a story, The Beatles had broken down the door for making songs that didn’t have to adhere to the typical verse-chorus structure that everyone else relied on.
While ‘Suite Judy Blue Eyes’ isn’t really in commercial territory, it’s still among the finest tunes that the group ever made. Although it was initially written as a straight-ahead love song, Stills thought he would intentionally try to misdirect everyone when they got to the final verses and started speaking different languages.
According to Stills, their vision was to change the subject matter entirely and go off on a new tangent, saying, “I had a hell of a time getting the music to fit. 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. Even did it in a different language to make sure that nobody could understand it.”
Even though the non-English went over most people’s heads, it didn’t matter as long as the harmonies were still soaring. Regardless of how many great moments are captured in tunes like ‘Teach Your Children’ and ‘Ohio’, this is the first time that they made their mark solely based on their music.
And given that most of their finest moments have been focused on serious subject matter, it’s nice to know that they at least still have a bit of lightheartedness about themselves. Because for as bold of a face that they put on for the masses, it’s sometimes better to remind them that they could have some fun when they wanted to.
