The album Nancy Wilson described as the “holy grail” for songwriters
Nancy Wilson always seemed destined to become a rock legend. From the moment she first experienced live music at an early Beatles concert to the bands she was surrounded by when her own group, Heart, was just starting out, it feels as though she was always in training to become a star. However, when it comes to songwriting, there’s one album she believes every writer should look to for inspiration.
It must be a tough call, given the quality of music Wilson has always been surrounded by. Not only was she part of Heart, but she also established herself as one of the most beloved guitar players in rock music. But she spent decades married to writer and famed journalist Cameron Crowe, with the two moving in incredibly powerful musical circles. So not only is Wilson up there with the best of them, but her whole career has seen her mixing with her peers, all sharing influences and inspirations at the absolute pinnacle of artistry.
She was also born in California, the true hot spot of the countercultural music world. Even though her family moved when she was young, her heart seemed to stay right there, and her music tastes and education grew from that centre point, with this record at the core.
“This album contains the Holy Grail sound of the singer-songwriter hippy counterculture in late ‘60s California,” she said, talking about Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s 1970 album, Déjà Vu. Widely regarded as the group’s magnum opus, it contains timeless tracks like ‘Woodstock’, ‘Teach Your Childen’ and ‘Our House’, granting them three number-one hits.
In 2021 the album was inducted into the Grammy’s Hall Of Fame, being considered as one of the most influential releases from the 1960s folk era. It was a blueprint for the band’s peers as a lesson in levelling up to merge the gentle twang of the genre with bolder rock and roll elements. “Steeped in the folky harmonies from the previous era, this blend of rock jams with hard-hitting acoustics and poetry made a new cultural imprint full of depth and meaning,” she said of the record, attempting to articulate its impact.
But still today, Wilson believes it is an album that should still be studied time and time again by music makers. “As a guitar player and songwriter, CSNY was a huge part of my growth,” she explained, giving thanks to the 1960s supergroup for helping shape her as an artist. With the band’s bold sonic adventuring and willingness to confront deeper emotions in the album’s lyrics, in comparison to their debut, it’s a prime lesson in both songwriting and songcraft as it borrows from beyond their earlier scope of influence.
While Heart’s music always sounded very different from the group’s, Nancy Wilson’s love of music seems to root her back to her birthplace, where the California sound that they set spurred her into her destiny.
