Happy Anniversary: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Déjà Vu

44 years ago today, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young released Déjà Vu, an album which squarely targeted those who heard Crosby, Stills & Nash’s album and said, “You know, I hear the Byrds and I hear the Hollies, but…is there any way you could maybe turn up the Buffalo Springfield?”

Although perceived as a group effort, nine out of Déjà Vu’s 10 songs (the exception being “Woodstock”) were actually recorded as individual sessions, with the other members chiming in as agreed upon, but however it came together, it proved to be a smash. In addition to topping the chart in the US and hitting #5 in the UK, the album spawned two top-20 singles in the States: “Woodstock” (#11) and “Teach Your Children” (#16). While the equally familiar “Our House” only made it to #30, it has since gone on to be covered by everyone from Helen Reddy to Phantom Planet and has appeared in a Target commercial, so that kind of makes up for it.

Déjà Vu also features guest appearances by Jerry Garcia, who contributes some of his patented pedal steel guitar action to “Teach Your Children,” and John Sebastian, whose harmonica can be heard on the title track. By Stephen Stills’ estimation (in Crosby, Stills & Nash: The Authorized Biography), the album took about 800 hours to record, all told, but given that it’s earned a spot on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums list, we figure it was probably worth it.