Just a Song Before I Go
{{Infobox song
| name = Just a Song Before I Go
| cover = Just a Song Before I Go cover.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Crosby, Stills & Nash
| album = CSN
| B-side = Dark Star
| released = June 17, 1977
| format =
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = {{hlist|Folk rock|soft rock}}
| length = 2:14
| label = Atlantic
| writer = Graham Nash
| producer = David Crosby
Stephen Stills
Graham Nash
The Albert Brothers
| prev_title = Our House
| prev_year = 1970
| next_title = Fair Game
| next_year = 1977
}}
"Just a Song Before I Go" is a song by Crosby, Stills & Nash that appeared on the 1977 album CSN. It was also released as a single and reached number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two consecutive weeks ending August 27 and September 3, 1977,[https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1977-09-03 The Hot 100, Week of September 3, 1977 – Billboard.] Retrieved September 30, 2021 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.[https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.5425a&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.5425a.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.5425a RPM Top 100 Singles: September 3, 1977]
Background
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 Los Angeles. 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.[https://books.google.com/books?id=6RiAAzx-6iYC&dq=%22just+a+song+before+i+go%22&pg=PA195 Zimmer, Dave and Diltz, Henry, Crosby, Stills & Nash: The Authorized Biography], Da Capo Press, 2000 {{ISBN|978-0-306-80974-3}} p 190 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 praised the "hypnotically soothing orchestration" and the vocal harmonies.{{cite news|title=Top Single Picks|newspaper=Billboard|accessdate=2020-07-12|page=80|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/70s/1977/Billboard%201977-05-28.pdf|date=May 28, 1977}} Cash Box said that "an unmistakable vocal blend and Stephen Stills' smooth electric guitar licks are here" and called the melody "gentle."{{cite news|title=CashBox Singles Reviews|date=May 21, 1977|page=26|newspaper=Cash Box|accessdate=2021-12-26|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1977/CB-1977-05-21.pdf}} Record World called it "a quiet, melodic song with a dreamy air."{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=May 21, 1977|accessdate=2023-02-16|title=Hits of the Week|page=1|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/77/Record-World-1977-05-21.pdf}}
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.
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
=Weekly charts=
=Year-end charts=
| class="wikitable sortable"
!Chart (1977) !Position |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100{{cite web |url=http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1977.htm |title=Top 100 Hits of 1977/Top 100 Songs of 1977 |website=Musicoutfitters.com |access-date=22 January 2024}}
|align="center"|47 |
Cover versions
- In 2008, drummer Russ Kunkel and the group Chateau Beach covered the song on their album "Rivage."{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1426744|pure_url=yes}}|title=Rivage overview|work=Allmusic.com}}
References
{{Reflist}}
Other sources
- Liner notes from the 1991 box set Crosby, Stills and Nash: CSN. The commentary on the songs's genesis is from David Crosby.
{{Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young songs