"Marrakesh Express" is a song written by
Graham Nash
Graham William Nash (born 2 February 1942) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, photographer, and activist. He is known for his light tenor voice and for his contributions as a member of the Hollies and the supergroups Crosby, Stills ...
and performed by the band
Crosby, Stills and Nash
Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) were a folk rock supergroup made up of American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills and English singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young as a fourth member, ...
(CSN). It was first released in May 1969 on the self-titled album, ''
Crosby, Stills and Nash
Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) were a folk rock supergroup made up of American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills and English singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young as a fourth member, ...
'', and released on a 45-RPM single in July of the same year, with another CSN song, "
Helplessly Hoping
"Helplessly Hoping" is a 1969 song by the American folk rock group Crosby, Stills, and Nash written by Stephen Stills, and using both alliteration and wordplay in its lyrics. They recorded the song at Wally Heider's Studio 3, Hollywood in December ...
", as its backing side. The single reached No. 28 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 on August 23, 1969. It reached the same position on the Easy Listening chart. The song was best received in the UK and Canada, reaching in both nations.
Composition
"Marrakesh Express" was written and composed by
Graham Nash
Graham William Nash (born 2 February 1942) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, photographer, and activist. He is known for his light tenor voice and for his contributions as a member of the Hollies and the supergroups Crosby, Stills ...
during his final years as a member of the English rock band
The Hollies
The Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke (singer), Allan Clarke and Graham ...
, of which he was a member from its formation in 1962 till 1968. The band rejected the song as not commercial enough, but it found a home with Nash's new band
Crosby, Stills and Nash
Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) were a folk rock supergroup made up of American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills and English singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young as a fourth member, ...
.
[Zimmer, Dave. Crosby, Stills & Nash: The Authorized Biography. Da Capo Press, 2000.]
Nash recalled his inspiration for the song occurring during a Moroccan vacation he took in 1966. On the trip, Nash traveled by train from
Casablanca
Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...
to
Marrakesh
Marrakesh or Marrakech ( or ; ar, مراكش, murrākuš, ; ber, ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, translit=mṛṛakc}) is the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. It is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakes ...
. He began the journey in First Class, surrounded by people he found to be uninteresting—as he described it, they were all "ladies with blue hair." He decided the compartment was "completely fucking boring," so left his seat to explore the other train carriages, and was fascinated by what he saw.
The song mentions "ducks and pigs and chickens," which he saw on the train, and recalled the ride by commenting: "It's literally the song as it is—what happened to me."
Musical structure
The instrumentation of the song seeks to embody Nash's lyrics through an Eastern vibe and a "buoyant" flow carried by
Jim Gordon's drumming, to resemble a train ride.
Stephen Stills
Stephen Arthur Stills (born January 3, 1945) is an American musician, singer and songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. As both a solo act and member of two successful bands, Stills has com ...
was responsible for much of the creative musicianship, adding a distinctive, unique sounding riff played on two overdubbed electric guitars.
[ He also added ]Hammond B3 organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs ...
, piano and bass. The song was rounded out by Nash's acoustic guitar, and the group's trademark three-part vocal harmony on the choruses.
Marrakesh Express at Woodstock
The second public appearance of "Marrakesh Express" was at the Woodstock Music Festival
Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock. Billed as "an Aquari ...
. Between 3 am and 4 am on August 18, 1969, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young came together as a band for the second time in public and performed a set that included what Graham Nash called "a medley of our hit," referring to this song, the first single from their debut album.
Reception and current appeal
The song has gained attention throughout the years and has remained popular since its release in 1969. Throughout the decades of touring done by Crosby, Stills and Nash, and the sometimes Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) were a folk rock supergroup made up of American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills and English singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young as a fourth member, ...
, "Marrakesh Express" is the ninth most-played song by them, and has been performed over 450 times.
A Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young tribute band is named "Marrakesh Express: A Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young Experience."
The song has also gained negative attention, most notably by the Stooges' singer, Iggy Pop
James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of ...
. In a 2003 ''Rolling Stone'' article, Iggy Pop mentions the song in response to a discussion of the Stooges’ creation acting as a counter against the "hippie movement”. He exclaims, "I mean, 'Marrakesh Express?' It may be the worst song ever written."
Chart history
Cover versions
In 2012, the song was recorded by the band The Gypsy Queens
The Gypsy Queens is a French pop band formed in Nice by Didier Casnati. They play a large repertoire of multi-lingual covers, with a rich vocal style likened to bands such as The Beach Boys or The Beatles.
Although the band successfully release ...
for their eponymous album ''The Gypsy Queens
The Gypsy Queens is a French pop band formed in Nice by Didier Casnati. They play a large repertoire of multi-lingual covers, with a rich vocal style likened to bands such as The Beach Boys or The Beatles.
Although the band successfully release ...
,'' featuring Nash himself and produced by Larry Klein
Larry Klein (born March 17, 1956) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is based in Los Angeles.
He began his career as a bassist, playing with jazz artists Willie Bobo, Freddie Hubbard, Carmen McRae, Joe Henderson, Bobby ...
. It was recorded at Jim Henson Studios in Los Angeles, (Jim Henson Company
The Jim Henson Company (formerly known as Muppets, Inc., Henson Associates, Inc., and Jim Henson Productions, Inc.; commonly referred to as Henson) is an American entertainment company located in Los Angeles, California. The company is known for ...
). The Album reached #46 in the English charts.
Personnel
*David Crosby
David Van Cortlandt Crosby (born August 14, 1941) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash.
Crosby joined the Byrds in 1964. They got ...
–harmony vocals
*Stephen Stills
Stephen Arthur Stills (born January 3, 1945) is an American musician, singer and songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. As both a solo act and member of two successful bands, Stills has com ...
–harmony vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, percussion
*Graham Nash
Graham William Nash (born 2 February 1942) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, photographer, and activist. He is known for his light tenor voice and for his contributions as a member of the Hollies and the supergroups Crosby, Stills ...
–lead vocals, rhythm guitar
* Jim Gordon–drums
See also
*List of train songs
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
References
External links
Lyrics of this song
*
{{authority control
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young songs
Atlantic Records singles
Songs written by Graham Nash
Songs about trains
Songs about Morocco
1968 songs
1968 debut singles
Marrakesh
Songs about cities