‘Suite: Judy Blue Eyes’: The crucial CSN song that inspired Graham Nash
In the late 1960s, inspiration was everywhere. The counterculture had taken hold, and for the first time, people felt that the future truly belonged to them. Every aspect of life, from fashion to technology, surged forward. Supplemented by the looming existential threat of the Cold War, young people rejected the idea of settling into a monotonous, lifelong career. One man who stood at the heart of this cultural upheaval was Graham Nash.
Having first risen to prominence as the guitarist and vocalist for The Hollies, one of the most successful bands of the era-defining British invasion, known for producing a string of iconic hits, Nash has enjoyed a remarkable career. However, Nash began to outgrow the group, seeking to expand their musical horizons with more ambitious compositions. By 1967, as the psychedelic movement took hold, this creative restlessness became impossible for him to ignore.
Nash finally quit The Hollies in December 1968. Following heightened tension with the group, who chose to record an album comprised only of Bob Dylan covers instead of his innovative ‘Marrakesh Express’, and a dinner party that July in Laurel Canyon, where he vocally linked up with former Byrd David Crosby and ex-Buffalo Springfield leader Stephen Stills, Nash’s road diverged from his old band’s. He wanted change and creative satisfaction, and it was on the way.
After singing Stills’ ‘You Don’t Have to Cry’ with his American counterparts, Nash knew he had found his true calling. The trio was astonished by the power of their harmonies and burst into laughter at how perfectly their voices blended. Two days after quitting The Hollies, Nash flew to Los Angeles, and Crosby, Stills and Nash was born. In those early days, they were turned down by George Harrison and Apple Records, but the trio sensed they were onto something special and refused to give up. Eventually, Ahmet Ertegün and Atlantic Records recognised their potential and signed them, providing them with their rightful home.
During this early period, each member was on creative heat, unchained by their old outfits and excited by the prospect of working together. One of the band’s earliest songs was ‘Suite: Judy Blue Eyes’, a pioneering number written in the EEEEBE tuning with four distinct sections. This masterpiece was even what they played to Harrison and Apple, but it is still a mystery why they passed up on it.
When speaking to Rolling Stone in 2018, Nash listed ‘Suite: Judy Blue Eyes’ among the songs that inspired him as a young songwriter. He said: “I know you’re not supposed to do your own music, but this song is so important to me. When Stephen [Stills] first played me that song, I wondered what planet he was from. It was four distinct musical movements. It was seven-and-a-half minutes long. It took us 11 hours to record.”
After such an arduous recording process, Crosby and Nash thought the song sounded great, but typically, Stills wasn’t so sure of it. They then took another 11 hours to re-record the entire composition, from start to finish. Then, when they got to the end of that one, Stills said maddeningly: “Nah, the other one’s better.”
Nash was confident in the song’s power regardless of version: “That song was such an incredible vehicle for the sound that we created with our four voices. It was perfect.” For each member, that song provided a fresh start and a route into the music they’d always wanted to make.
