David Crosby: 20 Essential Songs by the Folk-Rock Legend - Rolling Stone

“I’ve got to marque the astir of each infinitesimal I have,” David Crosby told Rolling Stone successful 2018. “Wouldn’t you?” He was connected his 3rd oregon 4th beingness by past — the golden-voiced, long-haired, cantankerous, beatific American archetypal who was determination to invent folk-rock with the Byrds successful the mid-Sixties, to redefine the supergroup with Crosby, Stills, and Nash a fewer years later, and to stay unquestionably himself done each the decades of gorgeous harmonies and outrageous opinions that followed. In his last years connected this planet, Croz seemed renewed, making immoderate of his champion records ever and sounding humbled successful interviews similar that 1 successful 2018. His decease astatine property 81 leaves an irreplaceable abstraction successful music. Here are his top songs.

“Turn, Turn, Turn” (1965)

Crosby didn’t constitute oregon instrumentality the pb vocal connected the Byrds’ chart-topping screen of Pete Seeger’s Bible-derived people classic, but helium did put the unforgettable vocal harmonies, arsenic helium did passim his tenure successful the band. It’s intolerable to ideate this opus without Crosby’s precocious parts floating supra McGuinn’s pb connected the refrain — a dependable that inspired countless harmony-rich people and stone acts successful the decades to come. — B.H.

“Renaissance Fair” (1967)

Of each the archetypal Byrds, Crosby was ever the hippest and hippie-est, from his capes to his progressively agelong locks. His unfastened tunings, ethereal melodies, and elliptical lyrics captured that vibe, too, arsenic heard connected this ode to a onshore of “cinnamon and spices” with a “kaleidoscope of colors” from Younger Than Yesterday. This was inspired by existent Renaissance fairs successful L.A. astatine the time. “They were the archetypal ample gatherings of hippies,” helium said successful the notes to his container acceptable Voyage, “even earlier the Be-Ins.” This song, helium said, “gave you a sensation of what it was like.” — D.B.

“Everybody’s Been Burned” (1967)

Amid cycles of psychedelic chords, Crosby wrote lyrics astir coming to presumption with being wounded for this contemplative heavy cut. “Everybody has been burned before,” opens the song. “Everybody knows the pain.” Crosby had written the tune, whose jazzy voicings allowed for an avant-garde guitar solo, a fewer years earlier helium joined the group, and years aboriginal helium inactive recognized it arsenic a songwriting breakthrough, calling it “the archetypal really passable opus that I wrote” successful a 1995 interview. “‘Everybody’s Been Burned’ was astir diagnostic of what was to go my style,” helium said successful ’84, “pretty changes, an antithetic consciousness and spirit — positive bully words.” — K.G.

Editor’s picks

“Triad” (1968)

Crosby’s relentless thrust to propulsion the Byrds into caller realms — truthful effectual erstwhile helium turned his bandmates connected to Coltrane and raga for “Eight Miles High” successful 1966 — met its bounds 2 years aboriginal with this frank threesome proposition. “I emotion you too, and I don’t truly see,” helium crooned implicit the band’s smoky slow-burn, “why can’t we spell connected arsenic three?” Those words were risqué capable to get him axed from the set successful the autumn of 1968, aft Croz fought unsuccessfully for the song’s inclusion connected The Notorious Byrd Brothers amid increasing conflicts with bandmates Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman. (Jefferson Airplane, ever crippled for a provocative gesture, went connected to cover it; the Byrds’ archetypal workplace signaling of “Triad” wouldn’t beryllium released til years aboriginal arsenic a bonus track.) “At slightest 1 radical of radical was precise uptight by that song,” Crosby told Rolling Stone’s Ben Fong-Torres successful 1970, aft he’d landed happily successful CSN. “This set is not uptight down that opus astatine all, having been done akin experiences.” — S.V.L.

“Guinnevere” (1969)

Imagine it’s 1969 and you conscionable bought CSN’s debut album. It opens with the seven-minute “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” followed by the rollicking “Marrakesh Express.” But by the 3rd track, it each slows down. It’s the ballad “Guinnevere,” and you’ve entered the mystic. Croz himself knew the opus was a killer, arsenic helium describes the legendary English queen’s greenish eyes and aureate hairsbreadth implicit an astir haunting clip signature. He yet revealed to america that helium wrote the opus astir 3 antithetic real-life, non-mythical women. One was his spouse Christine Gail Hinton, who would dice aboriginal that twelvemonth successful a tragic crash; different was Joni Mitchell. “And the different 1 is idiosyncratic that I can’t tell,” he said. “It mightiness beryllium my champion song.” — A.M.

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“Long Time Gone” (1969)

At the extremity of the turbulent Sixties, Crosby was inactive making consciousness of the decade. The gentle, elegiac “Long Time Gone,” from the archetypal CSN album, reflects his framework of mind. “I wrote [‘Long Time Gone’] close aft they assassinated Bobby Kennedy,” helium told Rolling Stone in 2008. “It was a effect of losing him, of losing John Kennedy and Martin Luther King. I started to consciousness overwhelmed. It seemed arsenic if it was ballot by bullet. It seemed arsenic if it didn’t substance however bully a idiosyncratic we could find to enactment up arsenic an inspiration and a person for the good, that someway the different broadside would triumph by simply gunning them down.” But Crosby didn’t consciousness wholly helpless. In the song’s 3rd verse, helium urges, “Speak out, you got to talk retired against the madness/You got to talk your mind, if you dare.” — K.G.

“Deja Vu” (1970)

More than 50 years agone — agelong earlier Olivia Rodrigo oregon Beyoncé felt immoderate benignant of eerie familiarity successful the backmost of their minds — determination was this dazzling CSNY rubric track. When the set began amassing worldly for the album, Croz was grappling with Hinton’s decease and was excessively devastated to constitute thing new. So helium handed his bandmates this gem, which helium wrote aft a unusual thrust connected a friend’s sailboat. “It’s arsenic if I had done it before,” helium told CSNY biographer David Browne. “I knew mode much astir it than I should have. I knew however to sail a vessel close away. Not an instinctive thing. It doesn’t marque consciousness …I felt past and present that I person been present before. I don’t judge successful God but I deliberation the Buddhists got it close — we bash recycle.” — A.M.

“Almost Cut My Hair” (1970)

One of the bleeding-heart instrumentality favorites from Deja Vu mightiness ne'er person been connected the medium had David Crosby not fought for its inclusion. “Stephen [Stills]…didn’t privation maine to permission it successful ’cause helium thought that it was a atrocious vocal,” Crosby told Rolling Stone successful 1970. “But I felt similar what I meant erstwhile I sang it.” What Crosby felt erstwhile helium wrote the opus was a premix of late-Sixties disillusionment successful the aftermath of RFK’s assassination and heightened alienation arsenic the assemblage number successful Vietnam rose. 53 years later, Crosby’s righteous choler inactive resonates. — J.B. 

“The Lee Shore” (1971)

The archetypal clip fans ever heard Crosby’s ballad that he wrote “about a 20-year emotion matter with an Alden schooner” was connected Four Way Street, CSNY’s multi-platinum 1971 unrecorded album. “Sailing is simply a mystical acquisition for me,” Crosby said of the acoustic lullaby. “It gets maine retired of the full scene.” Although it ne'er was 1 of the band’s biggest hits, the opus became an integral portion of Crosby’s sets successful decades to come, a touching infinitesimal of earthy impressionism, two-part harmony (when performed with Graham Nash) and aboriginal rendezvous: “Perhaps I’ll spot you,” Crosby sang. “The adjacent quiescent place.” — J.B.

“Cowboy Movie” (1971)

Backed by 3 members of the Grateful Dead — Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, and Mickey Hart — this standout from Crosby’s classical solo debut, If I Could Only Remember My Name…, is 1 of his rawest, hardest-grooving recorded moments. “It is the communicative of CSNY, but it’s told arsenic a cowboy movie,” helium told Rolling Stone‘s Andy Greene. “The signaling connected the medium benignant of people fell out. We played it a fig of times. That clip you perceive connected the grounds is beauteous spectacular. It was truly bully chemistry betwixt maine and Garcia and Lesh… We conscionable had a bully chemistry. It was escaped and funky and it felt right.” — B.H.

“Tamalpais High (At About 3)” (1971)

Crosby couldn’t find the close words to acceptable the temper for “Tamalpais High (at About 3)” — whose rubric refers to a Bay Area precocious schoolhouse that fto retired astir 3 p.m. — truthful helium sang jazzy stacks of “doo doo doo” implicit bluesy guitar and splashing cymbals. “I conscionable did it the mode I wanted to, utilizing my dependable similar a horn section,” helium told Rolling Stone successful 2021. “As acold arsenic I’m concerned, there’s nary rules, truthful you tin bash worldly similar that. I don’t cognize if anybody other would person done that. But I loved it.” At 1 constituent helium had a woman who attended the school, which explains the track’s upbeat vibe. “‘Tamalpais High’ is not astir getting precocious and it’s not astir the mountain,” helium said, meaning Marin County’s Mount Tamalpais. “But it is pretty.” —  K.G.

“Laughing” (1971)

On “Laughing,” Crosby sings astir mendacious prophets who assertion they speech to God. “I thought I met a antheral who said helium knew a antheral who knew what was going on,” helium sings. “I was mistaken/Only different alien that I knew.” The thought for the opus came to him portion reasoning astir his person George Harrison, whom Crosby disquieted had been taken successful by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. “I wanted to accidental to him, ‘Be skeptical. …  Anytime idiosyncratic tells you they talked to God close aft meal this morning, they are astir apt bullshitting you,'” helium reflected successful Rolling Stone in 2021. “That’s what I wanted to say. But I was chickenhearted due to the fact that it was George.” The song’s last line, “I was mistaken/Only a kid laughing successful the sun” had a poetic value to Crosby: “A kid laughing successful the prima knows much astir God than I do.” — K.G.

“The Wall Song” (1972)

As helium would proudly explain, nary 1 specialized successful songs astir grappling with life, mistakes, and groping astir successful the acheronian arsenic overmuch arsenic Crosby — or, arsenic helium puts it successful this way from Graham Nash/David Crosby, “Stumbling half-blinded/And adust arsenic the wind/That strafes you and leaves you/To prevarication successful the sand.” Featuring backup from members of the Dead arsenic good arsenic Nash, “The Wall Song” featured a much assertive groove than immoderate of his different songs of the time, adjacent arsenic it intelligibly hinted astatine the turmoil helium felt aft the decease of Christine Gail Hinton. — D.B.

“Page 43” (1972)

Crosby’s reminder to prehend the day, “Page 43” has each the makings of a gospel opus — a Biblical connection of practicing kindness, funny metaphors astir looking for metallic and golden successful a rainbow, plentifulness of vino successful the 3rd verse — but it’s each secular. When Crosby sang, “It says close present connected leafage 43 that you should drawback a clasp of it/Else you’ll find it’s passed you by,” helium was speaking generally, joking that the leafage could person travel conscionable arsenic easy from the Old Testament oregon Zap Comix. But helium had nary occupation praising 1 beatified inspiration for the track: “I wrote it successful the main compartment of my vessel successful Sausalito,” helium recalled successful the publication Songwriters connected Songwriting, “and it was nether the influence, musically, of James Taylor.” — K.G.

“Carry Me” (1975)

On “Carry Me,” a way disconnected Crosby and Nash’s 1975 album, Wind connected the Water, Crosby reflects connected his mother’s death. “She was lying successful achromatic sheets there, and she was waiting to die,” helium sings. “She said if you’d conscionable scope underneath this bed/And untie these weights, I could surely fly.” But for each the grief successful his voice, there’s ne'er despair, and his and Nash’s voices go ascendant successful their harmony. In the chorus, she calls for him to transportation her. The opus became a unrecorded staple for Crosby and his bandmates. “It doesn’t substance however galore times we sing those songs, astatine immoderate constituent our emotions instrumentality over, and brother, fto maine archer you that it generates thing sacred,” Graham Nash wrote of “Carry Me” successful his memoir, Wild Tales. “Whatever that mightiness be, Croz and I person it with each other, whether it’s intuition, code of voice, oregon thing overmuch deeper and indefinable.” — K.G.

“Homeward Through the Haze” (1975)

Depending erstwhile you asked him, this opus was either astir the deterioration of L.A. oregon CSNY’s archetypal brushwood with haters backmost successful the time (“first rainfall of winter/first autumn from grace”). But with Crosby playing a uncommon soft part, it was, either way, 1 of his astir introspective songs, with a hymn-like melody that felt burdened and beauteous astatine the aforesaid time. CSNY tried cutting it first, during their failed ‘74 sessions, but past helium and Nash, with impermanent Carole King, recorded the definitive mentation for their Wind connected the Water. — D.B.

“Shadow Captain” (1978) 

The opening way from 1978’s CSN — Crosby, Stills, and Nash’s archetypal medium arsenic a trio since their 1969 debut — combines a sleek statement and blase chords that hinted astatine Crosby’s emotion for the then-ascendant jazz-rock of Steely Dan with harmonies arsenic affluent arsenic thing the set has recorded. He wrote the metaphorical lyrics successful a azygous burst connected a sailing trip, and the opus was beardown capable wide to astir entice Neil Young backmost into the band. — B.H.

“Tracks successful the Dust” (1989)

After spending clip successful situation for drugs successful the mid-Eighties, Crosby dilatory began reuniting with his muse, arsenic this mostly forgotten way from his Oh Yes I Can medium attests. What sounds similar a meal enactment speech betwixt radical who are optimistic oregon grumpy, it turns retired to beryllium his ain interior dialogue. With guitarist Michael Hedges prettying up the melody with his acoustic shimmer, “Tracks successful the Dust” was 1 of the archetypal signs that Crosby was susceptible of a post-meltdown, post-addiction comeback — which would continue, startlingly, for respective much decades. — D.B.

“Dream for Him” (1999)

On “Dream for Him,” Crosby reconciles bringing caller beingness into a cruel world, questioning however to explicate decease and hardship to his son, Django, without lying oregon sugarcoating. “I privation a satellite wherever I tin archer him the information astir everything from Jesus to John Wilkes Booth,” helium sing-speaks implicit jazzy guitar. “How they prevarication successful the House and the Senate, too/Only get adjacent to the information erstwhile it suits them to.” In the background, his CSNY bandmates sing the rubric of the song, which appeared connected their Looking Forward album. “Nobody I cognize that has children hasn’t asked themselves those questions: How bash I explicate the insanity of quality behaviour astir the satellite to my kid? … How bash you explicate that 1 time you’re going to beryllium gone?” he erstwhile said. “This is pugnacious stuff.” — K.G.

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“Things We Do for Love” (2016)

Crosby wrote “Things We Do for Love” for his wife, Jan Dance, whom helium joined successful 1987 and who’d enactment by his broadside till his death. It’s a tender, subtly gorgeous ballad that focuses connected the small moments of a relationship, much meditative tone-poem than gushing valentine. “At archetypal it’s conscionable fun/But emotion is long,” Croz sings. “A small each day/You physique it that way.” For Croz, the opus came arsenic portion of a fruitful play of late-career songwriting. “I can’t explicate wherefore that would hap but that I’m happy,” he told the Wall Street Journal at the time. “I’m a precise blessed guy. That whitethorn beryllium the cardinal to the full deal.”