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.
Not Fade Away
Stephen Stills Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come home and bring your love to me
My love for you has got to be real
All of these years and how I feel
I've been lovin' you night and day
My love is real not fade away
Can't you see that there's a good reason
Stompin', shoutin' and carryin' on
Just you and me baby we could have more fun
All we need is a sunny day
Love a love not fade away
Love a love not fade away
My love is real not fade away
Love a love not fade away
My love is real not fade away
Nobody else could be your man
I'm still walkin' so I know I can
My love is bigger than a Cadillac
Tried to chauffeur but you drove me back
Got to be with you when night turns to day
My love is real not fade away
My love is real not fade away
My love is real not fade away
My love is real not fade away
(Love a love not fade away)
At first glance, Stephen Stills's song "Not Fade Away" may seem like a simple love song about a man asking his lover to come home and confessing his undying love for her. However, upon closer analysis, the lyrics reveal a deeper meaning. The song begins with the singer telling the woman to bring her love home to him, suggesting that perhaps they have been apart for some time. He then declares that his love for her has to be real, which may imply that there have been previous issues with trust or faithfulness in their relationship.
The next lines of the song reveal the singer's steadfast devotion to his lover. He has been loving her night and day and his love is "real not fade away." This phrase, "real not fade away," is repeated throughout the song and becomes its central theme. It suggests that the singer's love is not fleeting or temporary but genuine and enduring. The line "Can't you see that there's a good reason for being together just to be pleasin'" further emphasizes the notion that their love is not based on superficial attraction but on a deeper connection.
The final lines of the song suggest that the couple has had some ups and downs in their relationship, but the singer is still convinced that he is the one for her. His love is "bigger than a Cadillac" and even though he may have tried to leave her, he has always found his way back to her. The song ends with the repetition of the phrase "My love is real not fade away," which serves as a powerful affirmation of the singer's commitment to his lover.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm gonna tell you how it's gonna be
I am going to let you know what I am expecting from you.
Come home and bring your love to me
I want you to come home and give me your love.
My love for you has got to be real
My love for you needs to be genuine and true.
All of these years and how I feel
After all these years, my feelings for you have not changed.
I've been lovin' you night and day
I have been loving you endlessly.
My love is real not fade away
My love for you is not going away or disappearing.
Can't you see that there's a good reason
There is a valid reason for us to be together.
For bein' together just to be pleasin'
We should be together not just for the pleasure, but for the sake of the relationship.
Stompin', shoutin' and carryin' on
We should have a lively and exciting relationship.
Just you and me baby we could have more fun
We could have a lot more fun if we are together.
All we need is a sunny day
All we need is a happy and positive outlook on life.
Love a love not fade away
Our love should not fade away but remain strong.
Nobody else could be your man
No one else could be the man for you.
I'm still walkin' so I know I can
I am still here and not giving up on us.
My love is bigger than a Cadillac
My love for you is immense and authentic.
Tried to chauffeur but you drove me back
I tried to take control, but you rejected me.
Got to be with you when night turns to day
I have to be with you all day and night.
My love is real not fade away
My love for you will not fade away.
My love is real not fade away
My love for you is authentic and unchanging.
My love is real not fade away
My love for you will not fade away.
My love is real not fade away
My love for you will not fade away.
Love a love not fade away
Our love for each other should remain strong.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Charles Hardin, Norman Petty
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind