Crosby, Stills & Nash - Suite: Judy Blue Eyes (1969)

According to singer/songwriter Judy Collins, she first met Stephen Stills at a party in 1967. She thought Stephen was “possibly the most attractive man” she had ever seen. And although the two became romantically linked for the next two years, it was clear to Stephen that breaking up was imminent when Judy had fallen in love with Stacy Keach, her co-star in a stage musical.

The deteriorating relationship led a devastated Stills to pen multiple songs about Collins, who was known for her piercing blue eyes; and the song heard below is a weaving of four of those pieces of work. The “Suite” in the title was a pun, half indicating that the song was a musical suite or, a collection of songs in the classical sense, and half referencing the meaning of its homophone, implying “sweet” Judy Blue Eyes.

Although the song didn’t convince Collins to remain with Stills, she admits that it did make her feel more regretful about her decision to leave him. And when the song climbed to number twenty-one in the United States, it certainly made it that much more difficult for her to avoid hearing it.



Crosby, Stills & Nash - Suite: Judy Blue Eyes (1969)

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Lyrics:

It's getting to the point where I'm no fun anymore
(I am sorry)
Sometimes it hurts so badly I must cry out loud
(I am lonely)
I am yours, you are mine, you are what you are
You make it hard

Remember what we've said and done and felt about each other
(Oh, babe, have mercy)
Don't let the past remind us of what we are not now
(I am not dreaming)
I am yours, you are mine, you are what you are
You make it hard

Tearing yourself away from me now, you are free
And I am crying
This does not mean I don't love you; I do; that's forever
Yes, and for always
I am yours, you are mine, you are what you are
You make it hard

Something inside is telling me that I've got your secret
(Are you still listening?)
Fear is the lock and laughter the key to your heart
(And I love you)
I am yours, you are mine, you are what you are
You make it hard

(And you make it) hard
(And you make it) hard
(And you make it) hard

Friday evening
Sunday in the afternoon
What have you got to lose?

Tuesday morning
Please be gone, I'm tired of you
What have you got to lose?

Can I tell it like it is?
(Help me, I'm sufferin')
Listen to me, baby
It's my heart that's a’sufferin'; it's a’dyin'
(Help me I'm dyin')
And that's what I have to lose (lose)

I've got an answer
I'm going to fly away
What have I got to lose?

Will you come see me
Thursdays and Saturdays?
(Hey, hey, hey)
What have you got to lose?

Chestnut-brown canary
Ruby-throated sparrow
Sing a song; don't be long
Thrill me to the marrow

Voices of the angels
Ring around the moonlight
Asking me, said she’s so free
How can you catch the sparrow?

Lacy lilting lyric
Losing love, lamenting
Change my life, make it right
Be my lady

¡Que linda! Me acuerdo a CubaHow pretty! She reminds me of Cuba
La reina de la Mar CaribeThe queen of the Caribbean Sea
Quiero sólo visitarle allíI only want to visit her there
¡Y que triste que no puedo vaya!And how sad that I can't go
O Va! O Va!Oh, go! Oh, go!

Paul Kantner and Jefferson Starship - Have You Seen the Stars Tonite? (1970)

Internal problems amongst the members of Jefferson Airplane began to boil over in 1970, starting with their drummer, Spencer Dryden, being unanimously voted out of the band. Members Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen launched a side project, Hot Tuna; Paul Kantner and the married Grace Slick began a love affair; and Marty Balin felt like a bit of an outcast because of his bandmates pairing up without him.

Since Jefferson Airplane had only released one single in 1970, Paul Kantner decided to work on a solo album with Grace Slick titled Blows Against the Empire. The entire album was conceptualized around a science-fiction theme and was released under the name “Paul Kantner and Jefferson Starship.” It’s important to note that this was not the same Jefferson Starship band that would be created in 1974 by Kantner. This was, if anything, a coincidental name that would provide the inspiration for Kantner’s Jefferson Starship four years later. It’s said that the name “Starship,” was inspired by many things: the evolution of Jefferson Airplane to something more grandiose, the star-filled lineup that accompanied Kantner and Slick on the album, and the fact that the characters within the album were seeking a starship to leave the planet Earth.

Speaking of the talent involved in the creation of the album, Blows Against the Empire featured not only the talents of Paul Kantner and Grace Slick, but also fellow Jefferson Airplane members Jack Casady and Joey Covington; the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia, Bill Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart; CSN’s David Crosby and Graham Nash; Quicksilver Messenger Service’s David Freiberg; The Electric Flag’s Harvey Brooks; and Jorma Kaukonen’s brother Peter Kaukonen.

The song heard below appeared as the eighth song on Blows Against the Empire. It was written by Paul Kantner and David Crosby. It features Paul Kantner, Grace Slick, Jerry Garcia (pedal steel guitar), Mickey Hart (percussion), and David Crosby (vocals, guitar). Although the song never charted, Blows Against the Empire itself was the first rock album to be nominated for the Hugo science fiction award. If you like this song, I highly recommend listening to the entire album.



Paul Kantner and Jefferson Starship - Have You Seen the Stars Tonite? (1970)

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Lyrics:

Have you seen the stars tonight?
Would you like to go up on ‘A’ Deck and look at them with me?
Have you seen the stars tonight?
Would you like to go up for a stroll and keep me company?

Do you know?
We could go
We are free
Any place you could think of
We could be

Have you seen the stars tonight?
Have you look at all the family of stars?

The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season) (1965)

As mentioned a few days ago, The Jet Set had come up with their band name from band member Jim McGuinn’s love of aeronautics. When they signed with Columbia Records on November 10, 1964 and desired a new name, they kept with the aerial motif and chose The Birds. Almost instantaneously, however, the band started spelling it as The “Byrds,” fashioning the misspelling after The Beatles’ misspelling of their name. The band wasted no time recording and releasing material. They released their debut album, Mr. Tambourine Man on June 21, 1965 and quickly followed it up with Turn! Turn! Turn! on December 6th of the same year. These were the peak years for the band and consequently the pinnacle of the folk rock movement. Unfortunately, the original lineup of McGuinn, Clark, Crosby, Clarke, and Hillman was not to last. By early 1966, Gene Clark parted ways with the group due to conflicts with band members and, probably more importantly, his fear of flying. In late 1967, David Crosby and Michael Clarke also departed from the band. And then in 1968, original member Chris Hillman parted ways. Although replacement members would continuously fill the empty slots, the only original member left by 1969 was Jim McGuinn (who by then had changed his first name to “Roger,” citing a rebirth due to his involvement in the Subud religion). It wouldn’t be until 1973 that all five original members reunited to create one final album. That album, titled Byrds, failed to become a commercial success and was the last album put out by the band to date.

Featured on their aforementioned Turn! Turn! Turn! album from late 1965, this song is often strongly associated with the 1960s. Originally, the song was written and performed by Pete Seeger in the late 1950s, who had adapted the lyrics from the Book of Eccelesiastes from the King James Version of the Bible. Since King Solomon is said to have written that book, it’s often noted that King Solomon (born in 1011 BC) wrote the words to a top charting pop song, The Byrds’ version in 1965.

Jim McGuinn was initially inspired to learn Pete Seeger’s version of the song when he was working with Judy Collins on her 1963 album, Judy Collins 3. Then, in July 1965 while he and The Byrds were touring the American Midwest, Jim’s future wife Dolores requested that he play the song on the bus. Having lived and breathed folk rock for his band's new sound, McGuinn naturally began to play an adapted folk rock version of the song.

Upon The Byrds’ initial release of the song as a single on October 29, 1965, the song went straight to number one. Its message of peace and tolerance struck a chord with the American public, who was witnessing the increased involvement of their country in Vietnam. The song continued the band’s international stardom and solidified them as one of the greatest folk rock bands of all time.



The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season) (1965)

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Lyrics:

To everything- turn, turn, turn
There is a season- turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under heaven

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

To everything- turn, turn, turn
There is a season- turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under heaven

A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together

To everything- turn, turn, turn
There is a season- turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under heaven

A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace
A time to refrain from embracing

To everything- turn, turn, turn
There is a season- turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under heaven

A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time for love, a time for hate
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late

The Beefeaters - Please Let Me Love You (1964)

As mentioned in yesterday's post, the roots of the iconic folk rock band, The Byrds, can be traced back to the solo folk days of its original members playing around coffeehouses in Los Angeles, California during the early '60s. When they first came together, Jim McGuinn, Gene Clark, and David Crosby chose the name The Jet Set. It was mentioned that David Crosby brought The Jet Set in to record at World Pacific Studios in Los Angeles, California. As mentioned, the band recorded a lot of demo material, but only one single, released under the name The Beefeaters. That single, “Please Let Me Love You” / “Don’t Be Long” was put out under the name “The Beefeaters” because the group wanted to cash in on the British Invasion and use a name that “sounded British.” The single, which was released on Elektra Records in October 1964, featured session musicians Ray Pohlman and Earl Palmer, members of the “Wrecking Crew” session musicians.

The song was released in October 1964, but failed to chart. It was written by Gene Clark, Jim McGuinn, and Harvey Gerst (a friend of McGuinn's from his early solo folk years). The song’s flip-side, “Don’t Be Long,” was later rewritten, rerecorded, and renamed “It Won’t Be Wrong” by the band (then going by the moniker The Byrds) for their Turn! Turn! Turn! album in 1965.



The Beefeaters - Please Let Me Love You (1964)

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Lyrics:

Please let me love you a while
Let me live in the warmth of your smile
Let them see you with me
Let them wish they could be
As lucky as me
To have you here
To hold you oh-so near
Oh yeah, oh yeah

Please let me love you today
Let me give you my heart right away
And we’ll walk in the sun
And we’ll tell everyone
Our new love has begun
Just you and me
Always
Oh yeah, oh yeah

And when I hold you, I feel- feel so high
And when I kiss you I could fly

Please let me love you a while
Let me live in the warmth of your smile
Let them see you with me
Let them wish they could be
As lucky as me
To have you here
To hold you oh-so near
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah

The Jet Set - The Only Girl I Adore [Demo] (1964)

Jim McGuinn had been performing acoustic versions of The Beatles’ songs in coffeehouses around Los Angeles, California when he was approached by Gene Clark to form a duo in the style of Peter & Gordon. After performing together around town for a while, according to Clark, one night he and McGuinn went into a stairway at The Folk Den (later renamed The Troubadour) to find some good acoustics for playing their guitars. As they began picking away and harmonizing, David Crosby approached them out of nowhere, “singing away” uninvited. The duo had now become a trio and they named themselves The Jet Set after McGuinn’s love for aeronautics.

Crosby’s admittance into the group proved valuable, as he had been recording demos at World Pacific Studios with Jim Dickson. Dickson heard Crosby’s new trio and was impressed enough to allot The Jet Set with their own studio recording time. Although they recorded dozens of demo songs, they only ever released one single, using an entirely different name (The Beefeaters). To put it simply, the band never released any singles under The Jet Set name. The song heard below, written by Jim McGuinn and Gene Clark, was recorded by the band at World Pacific Studios sometime during their studio time in mid- through November 1964. As an unreleased demo, the song had no impact on the music world.

The Jet Set soon expanded their lineup with drummer Michael Clarke and bassist Chris Hillman. On November 10, 1964 the band stopped recording at World Pacific Studios, as they had signed a record deal with Columbia Records under their newly adopted name, The Byrds. As a result of their immense popularity in the years to come, this song as well as all of the other demos by The Jet Set were released by The Byrds on an album titled Preflyte.



The Jet Set - The Only Girl I Adore [Demo] (1964)

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Lyrics:

Don’t you know-
What you are-
What you are, darling, to me?
You’re the first evening star
And the only star I see

You’re my life through the day
And you’re so much- so much more
Don’t you know
You’re the only girl I adore?
Yeah, yeah

Don’t you know-
What I could mean-
What I could mean, darling, to you?
I could be your everything
And the only love for you

And I could be the only one
To hold you ever more
Don’t you know
You’re the only girl I adore?
Yeah, yeah

So won’t you hold me?
You know how I feel
We’re right for each other
Our love- our love can be real
Can be real

I think you know
What I mean
What I’m trying, dear, to say
You’re the finest girl I’ve seen
And I want you right away

I think you know you’re the love
That I’ve been looking for
Don’t you know
You’re the only girl I adore?
Yeah, yeah
I adore
Yeah, yeah
I adore
Yeah, yeah
Oh

The Byrds - Goin' Back (1967)

Originally known as The Jet Set, this band was eventually inspired to use an unconventional spelling for their finalized name by The Beatles. From their cover songs, such as Pete Seeger’s “Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There is a Season)” and Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man,” to the tracks they penned themselves, they put together some of the most memorable songs to come out of the 1960s. Becoming one of the top selling acts for a brief period, they also saw their individual members go on to continue great things after the end of the band. David Crosby, for instance, went on to co-create Crosby, Stills & Nash, while nearly all of the other members had successful solo careers. An attempt to summarize the intricate history of this band, their music, and its members in this small space would more than likely not be possible. Their work has inspired countless other artists and their music continues to help define the 1960s.

This is the song that split The Byrds apart. Written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King in 1966, it was a bit slower and a slightly bit more country than what the band had normally been putting out. David Crosby didn’t like it at all. He disliked it even more after finding out that it was considered over “Triad,” a song he had written, for their upcoming album. With tensions getting high, Crosby was fired from the group and this song was released as a single (in 1967). It also later appeared on the band’s 1968 album The Notorious Byrd Brothers. The song has been recorded and released by man artists, including Dusty Springfield, Nils Lofgren, The Move, Diana Ross, Bon Jovi, Phil Collins, The Pretenders, and many others.



The Byrds - Goin' Back (1967)

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Lyrics:

I think I'm goin' back
To the things I learned so well in my youth
I think I'm returning to
Those days when I was young enough to know the truth
Now there are no games
To only pass the time
No more electric trains
No more trees to climb
But thinking young and growing older is no sin
And I can play the game of life to win

I can recall a time
When I wasn't ashamed to reach out to a friend
Now I think I've got
A lot more than just my toys to lend
Now there's more to do
Than watch my sailboat glide
But every day can be
A magic carpet ride
A little bit of courage is all we lack
So catch me if you can
I'm goin' back

Now there's more to do
Than watch my sailboat glide
But every day can be
A magic carpet ride
A little bit of courage is all we lack
So catch me if you can
I'm goin' back

David Crosby - Laughing (1971)

Born in 1941, this iconic guitarist, singer, and songwriter is a founding member of The Byrds as well as Crosby, Stills & Nash (and sometimes Young). Raised in Los Angeles, California, he dropped out of college and moved to New York’s Greenwich Village where he came under the tutelage of Fred Neil (who also happened to be mentoring Bob Dylan at the time). From 1964 until 1967, he found immense success with The Byrds and continued that success from 1968 until 1970 with CSN. The remainder of his career has flourished with solo recordings, his groups’ reunions, television acting, voice acting, and an unfortunate short stint in prison. As of today, he is still touring with Crosby, Stills & Nash and was recently seen at the Occupy Wall Street protest movement.

This song is the fourth track on his first solo album If I Could Only Remember My Name, released in 1971. The album featured Graham Nash, Joni Mitchell, and members of the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Santana. This song in particular features vocals by David Crosby, Graham Nash, and Joni Mitchell; the Grateful Dead’s Phil Lesh and Bill Kreutzmann played bass and drums, respectively; and the pedal steel guitar is played by none other than the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia.



David Crosby - Laughing (1971)

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Lyrics:

I thought I met a man
Who said he knew a man
Who knew what was going on

I was mistaken
Only another stranger
That I knew

And I thought that I had found light
To guide me through
My night and all this darkness

I was mistaken
Only reflections of a shadow
That I saw

And I thought, “I've seen someone
Who seemed at last
To know the truth”

I was mistaken
Only a child laughing
In the sun

In the sun

Crosby, Stills & Nash - Lady of the Island (1969)

This supergroup, abbreviated CSN, was composed of some of rocks greatest icons: David Crosby, previously of The Byrds; Stephen Stills, previously of Buffalo Springfield; and Graham Nash, previously of The Hollies. Later in their career they would occasionally be accompanied by Neil Young (previously of Buffalo Springfield, as well) and then referred to as CSNY.

This song comes from the group’s first album, Crosby, Stills and Nash. It was written by Graham Nash about Joni Mitchell, his love interest at the time. Quite interesting is that another song on the album, “Guinnevere,” was also written about Joni Mitchell, but by her other love interest in the group, David Crosby.



Crosby, Stills & Nash - Lady of the Island (1969)

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Lyrics:

Holding you close, undisturbed before the fire
The pressure in my chest when you breath in my ear
We both knew this would happen when you first appeared
My lady of the island

The browness of your body in the fire glow
Except the places where the sun refused to go
Our bodies were a perfect fit in afterglow
We lay; my lady of the island

Letting myself wander through the world inside your eyes
You know I'd like to stay here until every tear runs dry
Doo, doo, doo…
My lady of the island

Wrapped around each other in the peeping sun
Beams of sunshine light the stage; the red light's on
I never want to finish what I've just begun with you
My lady of the island
Doo, doo, doo…

The Byrds - My Back Pages (1967)

One of the most influential bands of the 1960s, they were able to merge folk rock with the sounds of the British Invasion. A combination of their incredible harmony singing and their unique jangly guitar made them one of the top bands from 1965 to 1966. They were also responsible for directly influencing The Beatles during their (arguably) best album, Rubber Soul. You can particularly hear the influence in the song “If I Needed Someone,” where the guitar riff is almost exactly the same as their “The Bells of Rhymney.”

This song, originally written and performed by Bob Dylan, tells of how Dylan was rejecting his earlier political idealism and was now going in a new direction. The Byrds version, released in 1967, would be the last Top 40 hit for them in the US.



The Byrds - My Back Pages (1967)

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Lyrics:

Crimson flames tied through my ears
Rollin' high and mighty trapped
Countless fire and flaming road
Using ideas as my maps
"We'll meet on edges, soon," said I
Proud 'neath heated brow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now

Half-wracked prejudice leaped forth
"Rip down all hate," I screamed
Lies that life is black and white
Spoke from my skull, I dreamed
Romantic flanks of musketeers
Foundationed deep, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now

In a soldier's stance, I aimed my hand
At the mongrel dogs who teach
Fearing not I'd become my enemy
In the instant that I preached
Sisters led by confusion boats
Mutiny from stern to bow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now

Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now

My guard stood hard when abstract threats
Too noble to neglect
Deceived me into thinking
I had something to protect
Good and bad, I defined these terms
Quite clear, no doubt, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now