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.
War Games
Stephen Stills Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can you man your thought control, sir?
Will you give the last command
Or lie to a good soldier
I'm a doubter
I'm a fool
Let me be
[Chorus]
I am not so sure
What you want me for
Either your machine
Is a fool, or me
Now there is no time to wait
No time to think it over
Take the path, believe the math
You'll tell me when it's over
I'm a fighter
I've a question
Won't you answer me?
I have earned the right to know
And tell you what I see
[Chorus]
The lyrics of Stephen Stills's song War Games seem to be a reflection on the destructive nature of war and mankind's inherent instinct to fight. The song addresses the question of whether or not a commander can control his own instincts and issue the order to go to war with a clear conscience. Stills asks if the commander will give the last command, or lie to a good soldier, highlighting the moral dilemma that they face. The chorus expresses the singer's doubts about whether he and his fellow soldiers are being used as tools in an unthinking machine, or if the machine is the one that is foolish.
Stills goes on to describe the urgency of the situation, saying that there is no time to wait or think it over. He encourages the commander to take the path and believe the math, implying that the decision to go to war should be based on reason rather than emotion or instinct. In a moment of vulnerability, Stills admits that he is a doubter and a fool, but asks to be allowed to be all that he is. The final lines of the song express the singer's desire for answers and to be allowed to share what he sees.
Overall, the lyrics of War Games paint a picture of the moral confusion and emotional turmoil that can arise during times of war. The song questions the motives and actions of those in power and encourages listeners to think critically about the decisions made in their name.
Line by Line Meaning
Can you stop your instincts
Can you override your natural tendencies?
Can you man your thought control, sir?
Can you control your own thoughts, even in the face of authority?
Will you give the last command
Are you willing to take responsibility for the potentially deadly consequences of your decisions?
Or lie to a good soldier
Or will you deceive someone who is risking their life for your cause?
I'm a doubter
I am skeptical and questioning of things around me.
I'm a fool
I may be naive and gullible.
Let me be
Allow me to form my own opinions and make my own choices.
[Chorus]
Refrain
I am not so sure
I am uncertain and hesitant.
What you want me for
Why do you need my involvement in this?
Either your machine
Either the system is flawed,
Is a fool, or me
Or I am being taken advantage of.
Now there is no time to wait
The situation is urgent and requires immediate action.
No time to think it over
There is no opportunity for deliberation or reflection.
Take the path, believe the math
Follow the logical course of action based on the available information.
You'll tell me when it's over
Someone else is ultimately in control, and I will only find out the results when it's too late to change anything.
I'm a fighter
I am determined and willing to fight for what I believe.
I've a question
I have an important query that requires an answer.
Won't you answer me?
I am pleading for someone to give me the truth and not withhold relevant information.
I have earned the right to know
My personal investment and experiences give me the authority to demand transparency.
And tell you what I see
I am able to provide valuable insights and perspectives based on my unique vantage point.
[Chorus]
Refrain
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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twstr12@gmail.com
That is some wild-looking guitar Nash is playing!
emilio roe serquiña gapit
i miss this era...
starm1950
Very good sounds nashy on first hearing....
dimwit
Sounds exactly like the studio version 🙄