THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

417-Crosby, Stills & Nash-Marrakesh Express.

1969-Number 17 single.

Best Bit-At 0.49. Marrakesh is a city in Morocco. The Marakesh Express is the train Graham Nash took on a trip there from Casablanca in 1966. The lyrics tell the tale of the sights and sounds that he encountered on that trip.

Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) are often cited as the first ‘Supergroup.’ It was the coming together of three already highly respected, and successful musicians. David Crosby (1941-2023) (see also best songs 621) had been a founding member of the American ‘Folk Rock’ band The Byrds from 1964 until his dismissal in 1967, Stephen Stills had been a founding member of the American Rock group Buffalo Springfield, (see also best songs 559) who had split, and he was looking for a new band, and Graham Nash who had just left the English Pop band the Hollies, (see also best songs 369) due to musical differences. After the success of their self titled debut Album in 1969 the trio went on tour, hiring other musicians to play with them including the equally highly respected and successful, and also former Buffalo Springfield member Neil Young (see also best songs 602 and 559.) Young would become the bands fourth member, as they would then perform as ‘Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY.) In their different guises the quartet remained active until 2015, with all members releasing solo Albums, and working on various projects with others. Prior to the release of their second studio Album ‘Déjà Vu,’ in March 1970, and their first as ‘Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young,’ (CSNY) the now expanded group embarked on a four-leg, 39 date tour. Their first major public gig was on August 16th, 1969, at the ‘Auditorium Theatre’ in Chicago, with Joni Mitchell (see also best songs 637-558 and 299) as their opening act, Mitchell and Graham Nash were romantically involved at that time. They mentioned they were going to someplace called ‘Woodstock’ the next day, but that they had no idea where it was. Their one hour show at the Woodstock Festival in the early morning of August 18th, 1969, was said to be a baptism by fire. The crowd of industry friends looking on from offstage was intimidating and prompted Stephen Stills to say, ‘This is the second time we’ve ever played in front of people, man. We’re scared sh#tless.’

The discography of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young includes eight studio Albums released between 1969-1999, and 19 singles released within the same time period, there are also eight official compilation Albums, and five live Albums available. In America on Billboard, their second studio Album ‘Déjà Vu’ is their most successful, reaching Number 1 on the Billboard 200 Album chart, and selling in excess of seven million copies, while nine of their singles have made the Billboard Hot 100 top 40, with ‘Just a Song Before I Go,’ from 1977, peaking the highest at Number 7, and ‘Marrakesh Express’ reaching Number 28. In the UK, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s only top 40 hit is ‘Marrakesh Express,’ which made Number 17.

Graham William Nash, OBE, was born on February 2nd, 1942, in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, he was a co-founder of the Hollies, but left the band in 1968 due to musical differences. In 2010 he was appointed an ‘Officer of the Order of the British Empire’ (OBE) in that years ‘Birthday Honours List’ for services to music and to charity. As a member of the Hollies Graham Nash can be heard singing the lead vocals on ‘On a Carousel,’ (1967-UK Number 4 & Billboard Number 11) and ‘Carrie Anne,’ (1967-UK Number 3 & Billboard Number 9.) Graham Nash had written ‘Marrakesh Express’ in 1966 with the aim of it becoming a future Hollies song, but when it was rejected for not being commercial enough, Nash became frustrated, leading to him leaving the band. Nash has explained how the song came about. ‘In 1966 I was visiting Morocco on vacation to Marrakesh, and getting on a train, and having a first class ticket, and then realising that the first class compartment was completely fu#king boring, you know, ladies with blue hair in there, it wasn’t my scene at all. So I decide I’m going to go and see what the rest of the train is like, and the rest of the train was fascinating. Just like the songs says, there were ducks and pigs and chickens all over the place, and people lighting fires. It’s literally the song as it is, what happened to me.’

‘Marrakesh Express’ was the debut single by Crosby, Stills & Nash, and the first of two singles released from their self titled debut studio Album from May 1968. The song was written by Graham Nash, with the production credited to Crosby, Stills & Nash. The trio were joined by the top session drummer Jim Gordon (1945-2023) (see also best songs 846-795 and 639) on the track. Gordon was a veteran performer on hundreds of songs, who in 1970 co-founded the ‘Supergroup’ Derek and the Dominos. At the very start of the song you can hear David Crosby saying, ‘Whoopa, hey mesa, hooba huffa, hey meshy goosh goosh.’ Graham Nash has said, ‘It’s some Crosby gibberish that we moved from the beginning of ‘Guinnevere’ (track 3 on the debut Album) to the front of ‘Marrakesh Express.’

‘Looking at the world through the sunset in your eyes. Trying to make the train through clear Moroccan skies. Ducks and pigs and chickens call, animal carpet wall to wall. American ladies five foot tall in blue.’