Nash was born in Blackpool, England, during World War II. His mother was evacuated from the Nashes' hometown of Salford (now in Greater Manchester ), where Graham grew up. In the early 1960s he was a leading member of The Hollies, one of the UK's most successful pop groups ever. Although recognised as a key member of the group, he seldom sang lead vocals, although he did write many of the band's songs, most often in collaboration with Allan Clarke. Best known in the US for their 1965 hit "Bus Stop", the Hollies also scored with "Look Through Any Window" in 1965, "Stop, Stop, Stop" in 1966, "Carrianne", and "On a Carousel " in 1967, among others. Nash was pivotal in the forging of a sound and lyrics showing an obvious hippie influence on The Hollies' album Butterfly, a collection that brought differing opinions on the band's musical direction to the fore.
In 1968, after a visit to the US during which he met David Crosby in Laurel Canyon and began recreational drug use, Nash left The Hollies at the height of their fame to form a new group with Crosby and Stephen Stills. A threesome at first, Crosby, Stills & Nash later became a foursome with Neil Young: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY). With them, Nash went on to even greater worldwide success. Nash, nicknamed "Willy" by his band mates in CSNY, has been described as the glue that keeps their often fragile alliances together. A mark of this is the loyalty and support Nash showed to his best friend, Crosby, during Crosby's well-documented period of drug addiction ending in the mid 1980s. Nash's solo career has often been shelved in favour of reunions on stage and in the studio with either Crosby and Stills or Crosby, Stills and Young. His own solo work shows a love of melody and ballads. His solo recordings have experimented with jazz and electronic percussion but tend not to stray too far from a pop format with well-defined hook lines.
Nash became very politically active after moving to California to join with David Crosby and Stephen Stills, as reflected such in Nash songs as "Military Madness" and "Chicago (We Can Change the World)". His song "Immigration Man", Crosby and Nash's biggest hit as a duo (see below), arose from a tiff he had with a US Customs official while trying to enter the country. Nash became an American citizen on August 14, 1978.
Starting in 1972, Nash teamed with Crosby, the two continuing as a successful recording and performing duo until the more or less permanent reformation with Stills for the CSN album of 1977. The pair reunited for another Crosby & Nash studio album in 2004, and a legitimate release of music from a 1970s Crosby-Nash tour as on a widely circulated bootleg appeared in 1998.
In 1979, Nash co-founded Musicians United for Safe Energy.
In 2005, Nash collaborated with Norwegian musicians a-ha on the songs "Over the Treetops" (penned by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy) and "Cosy Prisons" (penned by Magne Furuholmen) for the Analogue recording.
In 2006, Nash worked with David Gilmour and David Crosby on the title track of David Gilmour's third solo album, On an Island. In March of 2006, the album was released and quickly reached #1 on the UK charts. Nash and Crosby subsequently toured the UK with Gilmour, singing backup on "On an Island", "The Blue", "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", and "Find the Cost of Freedom".
Nash is part of the No Nukes group which is against the expansion of nuclear power. In 2007 the group recorded a music video of a new version of the Buffalo Springfield song "For What It's Worth".
Graham Nash has been putting the finishing touches on a 65-song career-retrospective box set, Reflection, due in February 2008.
Nash became an early collector of photographs beginning in the 1970s. The sale of his collection in 1990 by Sotheby's became an important milestone in establishing the market for fine-art photography. Proceeds of the sale funded charitable causes and provide the means for Nash to co-found Nash Editions, a digital fine-arts printmaking firm that used some of the most advanced scanning and printing equipment in early days. The company continues to operate today. Starting with an IRIS printer, a device initially designed for color-proofing for commercial printing, Nash experimented in the late 1980s with creating large-scale digital photos. Using image management software written by Nash and Holbert, a hand-built scanner, and an IRIS Graphics IRIS 3047 printer, they developed methods to adapt the printer's output to the fine-arts printing of black-and-white photographs on archival-paper substrates. In August 2005, Nash and colleague Mac Holbert donated that IRIS 3047 printer to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.
Nash has also exhibited a collection of his photographs at the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego and elsewhere. In 2004, he released a catalog of his photography as a book entitled Eye to Eye.
Michael
Graham Nash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then all I knew of you was gone
Except your music that I know will never die
Going on and on
Going on and on
In my life you were such a shining star
Burning bright for all to hear
Playing loud and clear
Playing loud and clear
Michael, flame on
Michael, bright eye
Michael, shine through
Michael, goodbye
The song "Michael" by Graham Nash is a tribute to the late Jimi Hendrix, who was one of the most influential musicians of the 60s. The song describes the impact of Hendrix's music on Nash and how it continues to live on even after his death. The opening line "I saw you there like a fire in the sky" refers to the explosive energy and stage presence that Hendrix exuded during his performances. The next line, "Then all I knew of you was gone" alludes to Hendrix's premature death and how it left a void in the music world. However, even though Hendrix is no longer alive, his music will always be remembered and cherished by his fans.
The chorus of the song repeats the name Michael, which was Hendrix's middle name, and encourages him to continue to shine on even in death. The line "And in the distance is the sound of your guitar" highlights the lasting impact of Hendrix's music and how it continues to reverberate throughout time. Nash's lyrics pay homage to Hendrix's ability to connect with his audience on a deeper level through his music and his charismatic personality. As a fellow musician, Nash recognizes the power of Hendrix's talent and how it inspired him and many others.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw you there like a fire in the sky
When I first saw you, you were like a beautiful and mesmerizing sight, just like a fire in the sky that catches one's attention.
Then all I knew of you was gone
However, shortly after your beautiful encounter, I didn't get to know much about you except the music that you left behind.
Except your music that I know will never die
But, I am grateful that the music you created will always be alive and continue to evoke emotions in listeners, even after you're gone.
Going on and on
The music that you made will forever go on and on, bringing people together as it did before.
In my life you were such a shining star
For me, you were a superstar who shone so bright that your music was hard to ignore.
Burning bright for all to hear
Your music stood out and was heard by many as it burned bright, like a star in the sky.
And in the distance is the sound of your guitar
Even though you're not with us anymore, your music still lives on and can be heard in the sounds of your guitar strumming in the distance.
Playing loud and clear
The sound of your guitar is clear and it still resonates with people, even if it's been a while since you last played it.
Michael, flame on
Michael, may your flame continue to burn brightly, lighting the way for others who may be inspired by your music.
Michael, bright eye
Michael, you had a bright and sharp eye for music that allowed you to make beautiful creations that we cherish even now.
Michael, shine through
May your music continue to shine through and brighten up the world as it has been doing for many years.
Michael, goodbye
Rest in peace, Michael, and thank you for the timeless music that you left behind as your legacy.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: NASH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind