Crosby & Nash is a duo formed by David Crosby and Graham Nash during a Cros… Read Full Bio ↴Crosby & Nash is a duo formed by David Crosby and Graham Nash during a Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young hiatus.

After the success of Déjà Vu, all four members of CSNY released solo albums. Crosby released If I Could Only Remember My Name, while Nash released Songs for Beginners. In the autumn of 1971 the best friends toured together as an acoustic duo to favorable reviews; consequently, in 1972 the two decided to record an album together and the result was Graham Nash David Crosby. The album reached #4 on the American Billboard charts and ensured that the twosome were still a viable draw without the more successful and prolific Stills and Young. Further work together was precluded by the CSNY reunion of 1973-1974, Nash's solo effort Wild Tales, Byrds' reunion album, and Crosby's ongoing collaboration with early electronica artist and Grateful Dead associate Ned Lagin.

Deciding to continue working together, the two signed a contract with ABC Records and began recording what would become Wind on the Water. However, Stills and Young invited the duo to recording session for their duo album Long May You Run. Crosby & Nash were forced to leave the recording session because they had a duo album due for ABC Records and Stills and Young wiped their vocals from Long May You Run instead releasing it as The Stills-Young Band. Crosby & Nash said that they wouldn't work with either Stills or Young again.

Crosby & Nash ended up releasing three albums for ABC. Wind on the Water came out in 1975 and was followed the next year by Whistling Down the Wire and Crosby-Nash Live in 1977. All three albums featured a backing band called The Mighty Jitters featuring: Russ Kunkel (drums), Tim Drummond (bass), Craig Doerge (keyboards), Danny Kortchmar (guitar), and David Lindley (guitar/violin). Famed session bassist Leland Sklar alternated with Drummond in the studio. All of these musicians were among the most in demand in Los Angeles at the time, and the line-up of Kunkel, Doerge, Kortchmar, and Sklar had previously recorded as The Section. Depending upon avaliability of the various members, the twosome would either tour as a full blown electric-based aggregation or in a semi-acoustic format with Doerge and Lindley. When CSN reunited on a more or less permanent basis in 1977, Doerge would follow the group to Miami for the CSN sessions, contributing to several songs and collaborating on the song "Shadow Captain" with Crosby. Crosby and Doerge would continue to collaborate regularly until the early 1990s.

In addition to their album work, Crosby & Nash were the harmony vocalists of choice for a number of prominent singer-songwriters and AOR rock performers in the mid to late 1970s. Among their most recognizable session work is Joni Mitchell's "Free Man in Paris" and the James Taylor hit "Mexico". They also appeared on albums by Dave Mason, J.D. Souther, Elton John, Art Garfunkel, Gary Wright, Carole King (who sat in with them at various concerts), the Section and latest on David Gilmour's 2006-album On An Island.

In 1979 they reconvened to record a new album for Capitol Records, but sessions were dampened by Crosby's increased dependence upon freebase cocaine; this was eventually released as Nash's Earth & Sky without any songs from Crosby. The CSN album Live It Up was also supposed to be a Crosby & Nash record, but Atlantic Records refused to release anything that didn't feature the full CSN trio.

In 2004, Crosby & Nash released their first studio record since 1976 with the double-album Crosby & Nash. The album featured Crosby & Nash backed mostly by members of Crosby's solo band CPR. A single CD version was released in 2006 when CSNY began its "Freedom of Speech '06" tour.

Spotlight
Crosby & Nash Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

How come you ask me what I'm doing here
With my guitar in hand
I'm at the microphone stand
I think the reason should be very clear
You see the spotlight it's for a good night
Something happens to you

And the same thing happens to me

So if I sing about the places you've been to
You can see them once again through me
But it's only me

So if you catch me handing you a line
Please forgive me ah but let me be
I've got to do it almost all the time
It fills a big hole in my young soul
Something happens to you

And the same thing happens to me

You can see them once again through me
But it's only me

Overall Meaning

The song "Spotlight" by Crosby & Nash is about the experience of being on stage, under the bright lights and in front of an audience. The singer is playing his guitar on stage and explains that he's there to feel the rush of the spotlight. He knows that the audience is there to see a good show, and so is he. When he sings about the experiences and places that the audience has been to, they can relive those moments through him. He's not trying to insincerely flatter the audience or to persuade them to like him, but rather to share a genuine experience with them.

The chorus of the song repeats the line "something happens to you, and the same thing happens to me," which emphasizes the emotional connection that the singer feels with the audience when he's on stage. He's not just performing for them, but he's also feeling something special inside that connects him to them. There's a sense of vulnerability and authenticity to the song that makes it stand out from other songs about performing.

Overall, "Spotlight" is a heartfelt ode to the power of performing, and the emotional connection between performers and audiences. It captures the essence of what it feels like to be on stage, and why being in the spotlight is so important to the performers who seek it out.

Line by Line Meaning

How come you ask me what I'm doing here
Why are you questioning my presence here?

With my guitar in hand
I have my guitar with me.

I'm at the microphone stand
I am standing at the microphone.

I think the reason should be very clear
I believe it's obvious why I'm here.

You see the spotlight it's for a good night
The spotlight creates a positive atmosphere.

Something happens to you
Emotions are evoked within you.

And the same thing happens to me
I am also impacted by the emotions.

So if I sing about the places you've been to
I'll sing about the locations you've visited.

You can see them once again through me
My performance will bring those locations back to life.

But it's only me
It's just my interpretation.

So if you catch me handing you a line
If you feel like I'm being insincere in my performance.