Just A Song Before I Go

Graham Nash was on CBS This Morning and they ended the segment with this song. As I do a lot, I did a wiki search on the song. I've always thought it was about leaving a loved one behind and it indeed is. Where the song title comes from is more interesting. It seems Nash was waiting for a cab to take him to the airport along with his drug dealer of choice. The DD bet he couldn't write a song, in his words, just before you go. He did, he collected $500 and CSN had another hit song! As Paul Harvey would say, "and that's the rest of the story."

 

That’s really interesting. I have loved that song for a long time.

 

Another I read about ten years ago or so was Don't Stop Believing by Journey. The line, "just a small town boy, born and raised in south Detroit." Midwesterners know about "South Detroit" I'm sure, but not this Seattle boy. When writing the lyrics, Steve first tried for Chicago, but couldn't make it work. East, West and North didn't work but he liked South Detroit, not knowing that would actually be Canada.

 

Yep on Nash. And speaking of Journey, "Lights" was originally written for -- gasp, gasp -- Los Angeles.

 

How romantic!

 

Hey, "LA Woman" was the best love song ever written!!

 

Good song. Just never a huge fan. Just never got into them. Multi talented frontman though.

 

Jim had a presence, for sure. But I don't think Ray gets enough credit.

 

Manzerak was definitely the music behind the group. Beyond his lyrics, Morrison was seriously into poetry.

 

He wrote poetry that became lyrics.