The overlooked song David Crosby called his “best vocals ever”
It may seem strange today, but when you look at the classic rock veterans of now, remember that in their prime, they were the most relevant and exciting pop stars in the world. What Charli XCX is today, Debbie Harry was first. Kendrick Lamar builds on a foundation laid by Gil Scott-Heron. But more than anyone, take any of the scruffy, guitar-toting troubadours—from Morgan Wallen to Noah Kahan—and you’ll find someone who owes an enormous debt to one David Crosby.
Crosby was one of the first musicians to embody the counterculture of the 1960s while still being one of the most successful musicians on the planet. First as a member of country-rock godheads The Byrds and then as a member of one of the first true supergroups, Crosby, Stills & Nash. Both of these acts weren’t just critically and commercially successful; they were making important, influential music of the day, which goes somewhat under the radar today.
Perhaps it should. After all, it’s vitally important for music to move with the times; no one stays on top forever, and Crosby’s pedigree kept him making music at the highest level all the way up until his death in 2023. In a world where so many of the old guard keep on hogging the spotlight and the riches at the expense of young up-and-comers, it’s more important than ever to accept an elder statesman’s slot with dignity.
Besides, Crosby himself was never too fussed about pop stardom. He was all about the music, and one can tell this by how enthused he was about the music he was creating right up to the end of his life. After all, that should be the true challenge of a musician after their prime commercial years, should it not? You’ve got your fanbase, you don’t have to sell a bunch of records to remain important, you should just work on your craft and try to satisfy yourself.
During an interview that Jeff Gemmill conducted for his website The Old Grey Cat in 1997, Crosby demonstrated exactly what I’m talking about when asked about his work with his then-new group CPR. Gemmill asked about the material they’ve been working on, and Crosby responded, “There’s a fantastic one that James had written called ‘One For Every Moment’. It’s an incredible love song that happens to have this very up, Latin flavor. There’s one called ‘That House’ that I wrote the words for; Jeff, James and I wrote the music. It might be one of my best set of words ever. It might be one of my best vocals ever, too, I think.”
A man whose harmonising ability made him a household name for decades talking up a song as “one of [his] best vocals ever” is saying a hell of a lot. At a time when so many bands are spiralling, trying to recapture former glory or follow a trend in a failed attempt at chart success, the legacy of David Crosby is more important than ever. Just make work that you can be proud of, and the success will speak for itself.
