David Crosby’s favourite Stephen Stills song is a forgotten 1972 masterpiece
The partnership between David Crosby and Stephen Stills was a volatile one at times, but the pair clearly had a lot of respect for each other and their songwriting abilities.
Earning their stripes in The Byrds and Buffalo Springfield, respectively, the pair are surely two of the most recognisable musicians of the 1960s counterculture movement. After forming the supergroup Crosby, Stills and Nash with Graham Nash of The Hollies, the pair cemented their position as some of the most notable musicians of the period.
Their relationship was built on a shared musical language as much as personal chemistry. Even during periods of disagreement, Crosby and Stills continued to recognise each other’s contributions, acknowledging that the creative spark between them had helped define one of the most influential folk-rock groups of the era.
Over the years, David Crosby gained a reputation for his outspoken views on politics, including voicing support for a conspiracy theory regarding the assassination of JFK whilst onstage with The Byrds.
As a result of his eagerness to always speak his mind, there were often rifts between him and other members of Crosby, Stills and Nash. Famously, Crosby fell out of favour with Neil Young, who joined the supergroup in 1969, when he referred to Young’s partner as a “purely poisonous predator”.
As with any four people who have spent most of their lives crammed on a tour bus together, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young fell out a lot. After Crosby’s comments about Young’s girlfriend, Neil made the announcement that the band would never tour again. Although there had been constant arguments over the years, often as a result of Crosby’s comments, that seemed to be the final straw.
Despite their bickering, Stills and Young paid tribute to their former bandmate after his death earlier this year. Stills organised a benefit concert in memory of Crosby, inviting Young to play through some of their classic hits together. Speaking to The Independent about the loss of his friend, Stills commented, “There’s part of me that misses him dreadfully, and there’s part of me that thinks he got out of here just in time if you look at the world”.
The mutual respect between bandmates was always clear, even when they were at each other’s throats or in a period of not talking to each other. Back in 2022, Stephen Stills shared a video of the supergroup performing ‘So Begins the Task’ back in 1969. After being tagged in the comments, David Crosby – who was infamous for his use of social media – jumped on the thread to reveal that the track is “probably [his] favourite Stills song”.
The exchange offered a rare glimpse of Crosby’s softer side. While he was renowned for his blunt opinions and willingness to criticise friends and peers alike, he was equally capable of publicly celebrating songwriting he genuinely admired, regardless of any past disagreements.
Although he has sadly now passed away, the legacy David Crosby leaves on rock music, along with his CSNY counterparts, is untold. While he may have caused the occasional rift between his bandmates, his respect for their respective songwriting abilities always shone through, and his admiration for ‘So Begins the Task’ is indicative of that.
For all the personal conflicts that surrounded Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, moments like these demonstrate why their legacy continues to endure. Relationships may have fractured, reunions may have proved fleeting, but the respect they held for one another’s musical gifts survived far longer than any argument, remaining embedded in the songs they created together and the ones they continued to admire.
