Top 10 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Songs

When putting this list together, we faced the question of whether to write a Top 10 Crosby, Stills & Nash Songs list or compose a Top 10 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Songs list. The debate arose because Crosby, Stills & Nash recorded eight studio albums as a trio and only three as a quartet with Neil Young. However, it is Neil Young. In the end, it became clear that we had to compose two separate articles looking at both groups because, when Young was added to the equation, there was a substantial difference in the band’s sound.

The first Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young studio album was Déjà Vu, released in 1970. The quartet did not record another studio album together for eighteen years. In 1988, the group released American Dream. The four musicians then went their separate ways again before releasing their third and final studio album as a quartet, Looking Forward, in 1999.

Although their studio output as a quartet was limited to three albums, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young also released compilations and several live records. Their most famous live album, 4 Way Street, followed Déjà Vu in 1971. Their appearance at Woodstock also became one of the defining moments in the group’s history.

This list focuses exclusively on recordings released under the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young name. It does not include songs issued only on Crosby, Stills & Nash albums or on the members’ solo records.

# 10 – Driving Thunder

Opening our Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Songs list is the lesser-known track “Driving Thunder.” The song appeared on the 1988 album American Dream. Stephen Stills and Neil Young wrote the song, and Stills handled the lead vocal.

When American Dream was first released, it did not fare well critically. Even members of the band later expressed dissatisfaction with portions of the record, especially when it was compared with their earlier work. Still, it was important to include one song from the album to represent what these four musicians sounded like together during the late 1980s.

# 9 – Slowpoke

Eleven years after Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young released American Dream, the four legends returned with their third and final studio album, Looking Forward. It is remarkable that nearly thirty years separated the group’s first studio album in 1970 from its last in 1999.

“Slowpoke” was written by Neil Young and released on the final Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young studio album. Much of the recording carries the unmistakable character of a Neil Young composition, but the harmonies on the chorus bring it firmly into the classic Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young tradition.

# 8 – Teach Your Children

“Teach Your Children” was written by Graham Nash and first released on the 1970 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young album Déjà Vu. Contrary to a frequently repeated misconception, it did not appear on the 1969 Crosby, Stills & Nash debut.

Jerry Garcia played the memorable pedal steel guitar part. Although the recording appeared on an album credited to the quartet, Neil Young did not perform on this particular track. The album was largely assembled song by song, and not every member appeared on every recording.

# 7 – Almost Cut My Hair

Now it is time for the classics. David Crosby fans may argue that “Almost Cut My Hair” was his defining contribution to Déjà Vu. It stands as one of the great counterculture songs of the early 1970s, capturing the conflict between personal freedom and the pressure to conform while the Vietnam War continued.

Regarding the studio performance, David Crosby handled the vocals, while Stephen Stills and Neil Young supplied guitars, Graham Nash played organ, Greg Reeves played bass, and Dallas Taylor played drums.

# 6 – Carry On

“Carry On” opened the Déjà Vu album. Stephen Stills wrote the song, and the legendary Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young harmonies arrive almost immediately after his opening guitar figure.

Credit must also go to the musicians who supported the group throughout the album. Greg Reeves played bass on much of Déjà Vu, while Dallas Taylor handled most of the drums and percussion. Like several songs on the album, “Carry On” did not feature all four named members in the final studio performance.

# 5 – Déjà Vu

The album Déjà Vu plays almost like a greatest-hits record. Nearly every track could have landed on this Top 10 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Songs list. We wanted to give some representation to the later albums, which meant leaving several major songs from the debut quartet album outside the final ten.

The title track, “Déjà Vu,” was written by David Crosby, who also performed the lead vocal. Its shifting rhythm, layered harmonies, and unusual atmosphere made it one of the album’s most distinctive recordings.

# 4 – Our House

Following “Déjà Vu” on the second side of the album was Graham Nash’s brilliant “Our House.” Nash wrote the song during his relationship with Joni Mitchell, transforming a quiet domestic moment into one of the best-known recordings in the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young catalog.

“Our House” was released as a single and reached number thirty on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was later covered by Helen Reddy and Sheena Easton.

It remains fascinating that Graham Nash, David Crosby, Neil Young, and Stephen Stills possessed such different individual voices. When those voices came together in harmony, however, the result was breathtaking.

# 3 – Helpless

The outstanding “Helpless,” which appeared as the fourth track on the first side of Déjà Vu, was written and sung by Neil Young. Once again, the harmonies on the chorus were mesmerizing.

Few bands could harmonize like Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The Beach Boys, the Eagles, the Four Seasons, and many of the great 1950s doo-wop groups created extraordinary vocal arrangements. However, no one sounded exactly like Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

# 2 – Ohio

Déjà Vu was the only Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young studio album released during the 1970s. In 1974, Atlantic Records issued the compilation So Far, combining material from the trio’s first album with recordings made under the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young name.

“Ohio” had originally been released as a standalone single in June 1970, backed with Stephen Stills’s “Find the Cost of Freedom.” A live version appeared on 4 Way Street, while the studio recording first appeared on a CSNY album on the So Far compilation.

Neil Young wrote “Ohio” in response to the killing of four students by the Ohio National Guard at Kent State University on May 4, 1970. It remains one of the angriest and most immediate protest songs ever released during the classic rock era.

# 1 – Woodstock

Joni Mitchell‘s legendary song “Woodstock” was a perfect fit for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Mitchell’s original version was intimate and reflective, while the quartet transformed the composition into an electrified rock anthem driven by Stephen Stills’s arrangement and Neil Young’s guitar.

The Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young version appeared on Déjà Vu and became the recording most closely associated with the festival, even though Joni Mitchell had not attended Woodstock herself. This is one of those tracks that defines the meaning of classic rock.

Check out more Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young articles on ClassicRockHistory.com. Read our Top 10 Crosby, Stills & Nash Songs, Complete List Of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Albums, Top 10 Neil Young Songs, and 10 Essential David Crosby Songs.

 

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