Just a Song Before I Go
"Just a Song Before I Go" is a song by Crosby, Stills and Nash that appeared on the 1977 album CSN. It was also released as a single and reached number seven on the Billboard singles charts, becoming the band's highest charting hit. It is also one of the band's shortest songs, with a running time of only 2:14. In Canada, it peaked at number 10.
| "Just a Song Before I Go" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Crosby, Stills & Nash | ||||
| from the album CSN | ||||
| B-side | "Dark Star" | |||
| Released | June 17, 1977 | |||
| Genre | Folk rock, soft rock | |||
| Length | 2:14 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Graham Nash | |||
| Producer(s) | David Crosby Stephen Stills Graham Nash The Albert Brothers | |||
| Crosby, Stills & Nash singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The song was written by Graham Nash about leaving loved ones behind before going on a concert tour. It was written in Hawaii in about 20 minutes at the piano while Nash and Leslie Morris were staying with a friend, later revealed to be a rather "low-level drug dealer". Nash had a little while to get to the airport to head back to his home in LA. The dealer queried Nash something along the lines of "You're a big shot song writer, I bet you can't write a song just before you go." After Nash asking how much the dealer was betting, he responded $500.[1] In a February 25, 2016, interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Nash stated that he still has that $500. This song came in the nick of time, because an upcoming hurricane was about to wreak havoc on the island.
Billboard Magazine praised the "hypnotically soothing orchestration" and the vocal harmonies.[2]
Crosby, Stills and Nash arranged "Just a Song Before I Go" as a straight ballad, with mostly acoustic textures anchored by two electric guitar solos from Stephen Stills.
In 2008, drummer Russ Kunkel and the group Chateau Beach covered the song on their album "Rivage."[3]
Personnel
- David Crosby – vocals, acoustic guitar
- Stephen Stills – vocals, electric guitar
- Graham Nash – vocals, piano
Additional musicians
- Joe Vitale – electric piano
- Tim Drummond – bass
- Russ Kunkel – drums, percussion
Charts
| Chart (1977) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[4] | 59 |
| United States (Billboard Hot 100) | 7 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100 [5] | 8 |
| United States (Record World Singles)[6] | 12 |
Sources
- Zimmer, Dave and Diltz, Henry, Crosby, Stills & Nash: The Authorized Biography, Da Capo Press, 2000 ISBN 978-0-306-80974-3 p 190
- "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. May 28, 1977. p. 80. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
- "Rivage overview". Allmusic.com.
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 77. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-10-09. Retrieved 2016-09-28.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "RECORD WORLD MAGAZINE: 1942 to 1982". worldradiohistory.com. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
- Liner notes from the 1991 box set Crosby, Stills and Nash: CSN. The commentary on the songs's genesis is from David Crosby.