"Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" | ||||
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Single by Crosby, Stills & Nash | ||||
from the album Crosby, Stills & Nash | ||||
B-side | "Long Time Gone" | |||
Released | September 1969 | |||
Format | 7" 45 RPM | |||
Genre | Folk rock | |||
Length | 7:28 (album version) 4:35 (single edit) |
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Label | Atlantic | |||
Writer(s) | Stephen Stills | |||
Producer(s) |
David Crosby Graham Nash Stephen Stills |
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Crosby, Stills & Nash singles chronology | ||||
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"Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" is a suite of short songs written by Stephen Stills and performed by Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN). It appeared on the group's self-titled debut album in 1969 and was released as a single, hitting #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart. The song is ranked #418 on Rolling Stone′s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The title is a play on words for "Sweet Judy Blue Eyes". The song is a suite in the classical sense (i.e., an ordered set of musical pieces).
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 "Carry On".
CSN performed "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" at the and Live Aid festivals, and their performance at the former is featured in the film (1970).
The title "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" refers to Stephen Stills' former girlfriend, singer/songwriter Judy Collins, and the lyrics to most of the suite's sections consist of his thoughts about her and their imminent breakup. Collins is known for her piercing blue eyes. During a July 15, 2007 interview for the National Public Radio program Just Roll Tape, Stills revealed that Collins was present in the studio when the demo tapes were recorded. Collins had advised Stills "not to stay [at the studio] all night." Stills later commented that "the breakup was imminent...we were both too large for one house." Stills said that he liked parts of this demo version of "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" better than the released version.