Stephen Stills was born in Dallas, Texas on January 3, 1945 to a military family. Moving around as a child, he developed an interest in blues and folk music. He was also influenced by Latin music after spending his teenage years in Costa Rica and the Panama Canal Zone, where he graduated from high school.
Stills dropped out of the University of Florida to pursue a music career in the early 1960s. He played in a series of unsuccessful bands including the Continentals, which featured future The Eagles guitarist Don Felder. Stills eventually ended up in a nine-member vocal harmony group, the house act at the famous Cafe Au Go Go in NYC, called the Au Go Go Singers (Rick Geiger, Roy Michaels, Michael Scott, Jean Gurney, Kathy King, Nels Gustafson, Bob Harmelink, Richie Furay & Stills) where and when he met Richie Furay. This group also did some touring in the Catskills, and in the South, released one album in 1964, then broke up in 1965. Afterwards, Stills, along with four other former members of the Au Go Go Singers: Geiger, Michaels, Gurney & Scott, formed The Company, a folk/rock group. Immediately prior to performing in the Au Go Go Singers, Stills could be seen singing solo in Gerde's Folk City, a well-known coffee house in Greenwich Village. The Company embarked on a 6-week tour of Canada where Stills met a young guitarist named Neil Young. On the VH1 CSNY Legends special, Stills would say that at that time, Young was doing what he always wanted to do, "play folk music in a rock band." The Company broke up in New York within four months, opening up the way for Geiger to join a light opera company in Los Angeles; Michaels to link up with Jimi Hendrix, Gurney to go on to college while doing TV commercials, and Scott to tour with a retro-Highwaymen. Stills did session work and went to various auditions (including an unsuccessful one for The Monkees). In 1966 he convinced a reluctant former Au Go Go Singers, Richie Furay, then living in Massachusetts, to move with him to California.
Solo years
In the wake of CSNY's success, all four members recorded solo albums. In 1970, Stills released his self-titled debut, which featured guests Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, "Mama" Cass Elliot, and Ringo Starr (credited only as "Richie") as well as contributions from various members of the CSNY band. It provided Stills with the hit single "Love The One You're With" as well as the concert favorite "Black Queen." Stills followed this with Stephen Stills 2, which featured "Change Partners." Nash saw this song as a metaphor for the many relationships in CSNY, while Stills viewed the band as something much less bland and repetitive.
The next year, Stills teamed up with ex-Byrd Chris Hillman and several CSNY sidemen to form the band Manassas. During a Manassas tour in France, Stills met and married French singer-songwriter Veronique Sanson. Then he switched to Columbia Records, where he recorded two albums: Stills in 1975 and the punningly titled Illegal Stills in 1976. The former record found Stills in an uncharacteristically joyful mood; his marriage was going great, his son Chris had just been born, and he was happy living in Colorado. "To Mama From Christopher and the Old Man" was an exceptionally optimistic view of his new family.
In 1976, Stills attempted a reunion with Neil Young. At one point, Long May You Run was slated to be a CSNY record, but when Crosby and Nash left to fufill recording and touring obligations, according to both David and Graham the other pair wiped their vocals from the recordings, as Stills and Young decided to go on without their erstwhile partners as The Stills-Young Band. However, Young would leave midway through the resulting tour due to an apparent throat infection. Stills was contractually bound to finish the tour, which he did, but upon returning home, his wife announced she wanted a divorce and wished to move back to France. Stills reunited with Crosby and Nash shortly afterwards, thanks to the efforts of Nash's future wife Susan, who got Nash to forgive Stills for wiping the Crosby and Nash vocals from Long May You Run. This led to the semi-permanent CSN reunion of 1977, which has persisted even though all three have released solo records since then.
In 1997, Stills became the first person to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice in the same night for his work with CSN and the Buffalo Springfield.
2005 saw Stills release 'Man Alive'; his first solo offering in 14 years. Although not troubling the chart compilers, the record was critically well received and is regarded by many fans as his best since the mid seventies.
Stills was the inspiring influence for Ray LaMontagne who, after hearing one of his songs, decided to quit his job and focus on music.
Jesus Gave Love Away For Free
Stephen Stills Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tell her her love is waitin' in the rockie so near
And the mountains is high as his love it is strong
It's a fine place to be by his side she belong
And they both travelled far and they both travelled wide
But they travelled alone with no one to confide
Their love can't grow stronger though now it is deep
And we all know that people ain't made to live lonely
They need to be trusted and loved by one only
That one special one who can just let it be
And remember that Jesus gave love away for free
The song "Jesus Gave Love Away For Free" by Stephen Stills & Manassas is a nostalgic and romantic ballad about the search for love and connection in a vast and lonely world. The opening lines introduce a quest, urging the listener to seek out a dark-haired girl traveling in the American West and tell her that her love is waiting in the Rockies, where the mountains are as high as his love is strong. This image sets the scene for a story of two people who have been traveling alone and finally find each other in a beautiful, awe-inspiring setting.
The lyrics then shift to explore the notion that love cannot grow stronger unless it is shared and mutual. The two lovers have traveled far and wide, but until they find each other, their love remains deep but unfulfilled. The chorus reminds us that people are not made to live lonely lives but need to trust and be loved by one special person. This simple plea for connection is underscored by the final line, "and remember that Jesus gave love away for free."
The song's message is universal and timeless, encouraging listeners to seek out love and connection but also to remember that the greatest love of all is given freely and unconditionally. The poignant lyrics are matched by a lilting melody and gentle instrumentation that create a wistful and comforting mood.
Line by Line Meaning
If you're trav'lin' out west and you see a dark haired girl
If you happen to be travelling towards the west and you spot a girl with a dark hair color
Tell her her love is waitin' in the rockie so near
Inform her that her beloved is nearby, waiting for her in the Rocky Mountains
And the mountains is high as his love it is strong
The height of the mountains represents the intensity and strength of his love
It's a fine place to be by his side she belong
Being together with her beloved in such a beautiful place is where she truly belongs
And they both travelled far and they both travelled wide
Both the girl and her beloved have travelled long distances
But they travelled alone with no one to confide
However, they were all alone during their travel and had no one to share their thoughts and feelings with
Their love can't grow stronger though now it is deep
Despite having a profound love for each other, their bond cannot strengthen any further
They must trust in each other their soul for to keep
Their trust in each other is crucial in order to maintain their emotional and spiritual wellbeing
And we all know that people ain't made to live lonely
It's a common knowledge that human beings can't live in isolation
They need to be trusted and loved by one only
People crave the love and trust of a special someone
That one special one who can just let it be
The person who can accept them for who they are without trying to change them
And remember that Jesus gave love away for free
We should always recall that love has no price tag and it's something to be given freely, just like the way Jesus gave it away
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind