The Neil Young song Graham Nash called “beautiful”
The decision to throw Neil Young into the mix of Crosby, Stills and Nash in order to turn them into Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young proved to be a moment of genius. Before his arrival, the band were already firing on all cylinders, but once the Canadian was thrown into the mix, they were elevated to a new level of artistry.
Although his arrival forced the group to adapt, they began a new era once Young was in tow and created their magnum opus Déjà Vu. Before joining CSNY, Young had previously played with Stephen Stills in Buffalo Springfield, but after their disbandment, he embarked on a solo career. Despite his hopes, immediate success evaded him, and the opportunity to join the group was irresistible.
At this stage, he was more focused on his solo career, but it was a necessary decision for the sake of his career. Creatively, they weren’t always on the same page, with Young attempting to take the group in a folkier direction than the rest would have liked. Nevertheless, he was right to make the judgment call, leading to the most prosperous chapter of the group’s story.
Upon his arrival, Graham Nash was blown away by Young’s contribution and his incessant need to create. He later reflected to Uncut: “It’s incredible how prolific he was. At this time, Neil would come to rehearsals with us as CSNY and then at the end of the day we’d go about our business and we didn’t know he was going into the studio to record a solo album.”
Nash added: “It’s been amazing to watch Neil become this great artist. When we were first together as CSNY we all realised how talented he was. I personally feel that Crosby, Stills & Nash and Crosby, Nash, Stills & Young are two completely different bands because of his talent and the difference that it makes.”
On a personal note, Nash has a particularly soft spot in his heart for ‘Only Love Can Break My Heart’, which appeared on Young’s third solo album, After The Gold Rush. The track was written about the breakdown of Nash’s relationship with singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell and moved the English musician upon hearing it for the first time.
When discussing ‘Only Love Can Break My Heart’, he said: “That song means a lot to me because Neil wrote it about me and Joni. It’s such a beautiful song. I knew it was about me the day Neil played it for me at Stephen’s house in Laurel Canyon. It’s a beautiful song and it was incredibly important for me to hear what Neil had said because he was dead right, it is only love that can break your heart. We are strong, mankind, but these love things can really trip you up. He was only 24 when he wrote that.”
Following the end of his relationship with Mitchell, Nash was heartbroken, but through song, Young conveyed everything going on in his head during a traumatic time. For somebody so young, he had the wisdom of an elder statesman, as he proved on ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’.
