Judy Blue Eyes
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"Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" is a song written by
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 ...
and performed by
Crosby, Stills & 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 appeared on the group's self-titled debut album in 1969 and was released as a single, reaching number 21 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 pop singles chart. In Canada, "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" peaked at number 11. The song imitates the form of a
classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
suite Suite may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Suite (music), a set of musical pieces considered as one composition ** Suite (Bach), a list of suites composed by J. S. Bach ** Suite (Cassadó), a mid-1920s composition by Gaspar Cassadó ** ''Suite' ...
as an ordered set of musical pieces.


Background

The title "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" (a
play on words Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, phone ...
for "Sweet Judy Blue Eyes") refers to
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 ...
' former girlfriend, singer/songwriter
Judy Collins Judith Marjorie Collins (born May 1, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and musician with a career spanning seven decades. An Academy Award-nominated documentary director and a Grammy Award-winning recording artist, she is known for her ec ...
, and the lyrics to most of the suite's sections consist of his thoughts about her and their imminent breakup. During a July 15, 2007 interview for the
National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...
program ''
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'', Stills revealed that Collins was present in the studio when the demo tapes were recorded and had advised him, "Don't stay in here
n the studio N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...
all night now." Stills also commented that the breakup with Collins "was imminent. ... We were just a little too big for one house." Stills said that he liked parts of this demo version of "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" better than the released version; the song and other demos of early Crosby, Stills and Nash songs were released commercially on the album '' Just Roll Tape''. Collins and Stills had met in 1967 and dated for two years. In 1969, she was appearing in the New York Shakespeare Festival musical production of ''
Peer Gynt ''Peer Gynt'' (, ) is a five- act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen published in 1876. Written in Norwegian, it is one of the most widely performed Norwegian plays. Ibsen believed ''Per Gynt'', the Norwegian fairy tale on wh ...
'' and had fallen in love with her co-star Stacy Keach, eventually leaving Stills for him. Stills was devastated by the possible breakup and wrote the song as a response to his sadness. In a 2000 interview, Collins gave her impressions of when she first heard the song: Collins elaborated in a 2017 interview:


Composition

The recording features an acoustic guitar tuned to EEEEBE (" Bruce Palmer Modal Tuning") vs. the standard EADGBE tuning. This style of tuning would later be used for the '' Déjà Vu'' songs "4+20" and "
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". "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" has four distinct sections. The timings below are for the full album version. The shortened version released as a single cut the second and fourth verses from the first section, the third and fourth verses from the second section, and the final verse and preceding break from the third section, and shortened the guitar break between the second and the third sections. The final section is the only part that stayed fully intact on the single. The first section is a traditional pop song with four verses, featuring a chorus of "I am yours, you are mine, you are what you are." Running at approximately 2:56, the lead vocal is performed by Stills, with Crosby and Nash providing harmonies. The second section is performed in half time relative to the first section, and features four verses of three-part harmony from the band, with Stills performing a brief vocal solo between the second and third. This section runs from 2:56 to 4:43. This is followed by Stills acoustic guitar solo, connecting the two sections. The third section is more upbeat and features poetic lyrics ("chestnut brown canary, ruby-throated sparrow"), lasting from 4:43 to 6:25. Each of the three phrases is initially sung by Stills, with Nash then joining, and finally Crosby rounding out the harmonies. Connecting the phrases are instrumental breaks performed by Stills on acoustic guitar. The final section (the
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) is sung in Spanish, with "doo-doo-doo-da-doo" backing vocals, starting at 6:34 until the song concludes. Stills has said that he intentionally made the final stanzas unexpected and difficult, even using a foreign language for the lyrics, "just to make sure nobody would understand it" (not even Spanish speaking people). The final section has been parodied many times, notably in
Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...
's compositions "
Billy the Mountain "Billy the Mountain" is a Frank Zappa song first made available on the album ''Just Another Band from L.A.'' in 1972. The original recording, which took more than a half-hour to perform, was from a live tour performance on August 7, 1971, in Los ...
" and "Magdalena" on
The Mothers of Invention The Mothers of Invention (also known as The Mothers) was an American rock band from California. Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Originally an R&B band ...
's album ''
Just Another Band From L.A. ''Just Another Band from L.A.'' is a live album by The Mothers, released in 1972. It was recorded live on August 7, 1971, in Pauley Pavilion on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles. A notable inclusion on this album is "Billy the Mountain", Frank Za ...
''
"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specifi ...
performs a takeoff of it ("Mission Statement") on his 2014 album '' Mandatory Fun''; instead of Spanish, the lyrics are corporate buzzwords strung together in such a way as to be ultimately nonsensical. It is also sampled in the
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song "
Armada Latina "Armada Latina'" ( en, Latino Army) is the fourth single from Cypress Hill's studio album, '' Rise Up''. It features Cuban rapper Pitbull and Puerto Rican singer Marc Anthony. It was released on March 2, 2010. The song samples the fourth porti ...
".


Live performances

The final section of the song is included on the CSNY live album ''
4 Way Street ''4 Way Street'' is the third album by Crosby, Stills & Nash, their second as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and their first live album. It was originally released as Atlantic Records SD-2-902, shipping as a gold record and peaking at No. 1 on the ...
''. It fades in on the opening of side one of the album. CSN also performed "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" as their opening song at the
Woodstock 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, New York, Woodstock. ...
and
Live Aid Live Aid was a multi-venue benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, as well as a music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 fami ...
festivals, and their performance at the former is featured in the film ''
Woodstock 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, New York, Woodstock. ...
'' (1970).


Critical reception

Writing for ''
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'' in 1969,
Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...
suggested that while "Stills has become such a sophisticated guitarist that many of his lines lack any straight-on rhythmic compulsion", his "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" is "a structural triumph which could never have been brought off by a more Dionysiac spirit." "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" was named the 51st greatest song ever in a 2000 list by
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. In 2004, ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' magazine ranked it number 418 in the
500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...
. It was also included in the
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's "500 Songs That Shaped Rock & Roll". "I love the intricacies of the harmonies and Stills's guitar work," remarked Slipknot front-man
Corey Taylor Corey Todd Taylor (born December 8, 1973) is an American musician, songwriter and actor. He is the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Slipknot (band), Slipknot, in which he is designated #8, as well as the lead vocalist and guitarist for the ...
. "This is a favourite."


Personnel

* David Crosby – 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 ...
– lead and harmony vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, bass, Hammond B-3 organ, percussion * Graham Nash – harmony vocals * Dallas Taylor – drums and percussion


Charts


References

{{Authority control 1969 singles Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young songs Songs written by Stephen Stills Atlantic Records singles Suites (music) 1969 songs