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Credit: Far Out \/ Omroepvereniging VARA \/ DonJCR21<\/p>\n
October 27th, 2026 \u00b7 8:30pm GMT <\/p>\n
It was just over 57 years ago that Crosby, Stills and Nash\u2019s infamous \u2018Suite: Judy Blue Eyes\u2019, one of the trio\u2019s most successful and highly lauded compositions, was among a few songs which arose from Stephen Stills<\/a>\u2019 short-lived love affair with Judy Collins.<\/p>\n Collins was regarded as one of the brightest up-and-coming folk songwriters of the 1960s, signing with Elektra Records at the start of the decade, and releasing seven albums up to 1967, including the one that brought her to the front of the popular music scene: 1966\u2019s In My Life. <\/p>\n Fast forward to 1968, and she was going into the studio for her seventh album, Who Knows Where the Time Goes, where she met a young Stills, then best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield<\/a> and most recently forming a trio named Crosby, Stills and Nash with David Crosby of The Byrds and Graham Nash of The Hollies.<\/p>\n Stills had also worked as a session musician in Southern California, leading him to do a session for Collins\u2019 latest work, where sparks between the two quickly flared. \u201cHe came on to play on this live session of mine for a week or so, and we had an affair,\u201d she recalled. The recording went flawlessly, Stills bringing a more modern sound to her work, and even bringing in a song that would become one of her greatest recordings: a cover of Ian Tyson\u2019s \u2018Someday Soon\u2019.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t long, however, that the romance had turned into friendship, much to Stills\u2019 disappointment. Collins described their relationship as \u201cfireworks\u201d and that it was \u201cmuch too frantic for my speed at the time.\u201d What happens when you put a musician as talented and developed as Stills through a short-lived romance and eventual heartbreak, one might ask. The answer is great music.<\/p>\n Crosby, Stills and Nash\u2019s self-titled debut album won the Grammy for \u2018Best New Artist\u2019 in 1970, with Stills\u2019 compositions \u2018Suite: Judy Blue Eyes\u2019 and \u2018Helplessly Hoping\u2019 garnering a rapturous amount of praise<\/a> for their sweet melodies, touching and honest lyricism, and exceptional acoustic guitar pieces.<\/p>\n Collins recalled the first time Stills came to her hotel room to play her the songs: \u201cAfterwards, we both cried, and then I said, \u2018Oh, Stephen, it\u2019s such a beautiful song. But it\u2019s not winning me back.\u2019\u201d If a song as soft and sweet as \u2018Helplessly Hoping\u2019, with soothing backing melodies by Nash and Crosby, isn\u2019t winning someone back, then nothing ever will. <\/p>\n Further reading: From The Vault<\/p>\n Though the song \u2018Suite: Judy Blue Eyes\u2019 even named her in the title, she claimed she didn\u2019t feel exposed: \u201cI\u2019ve always understood that people have to write about their lives. Most of all, I felt the song was flattering and heartbreaking- for both of us. Neither one of us walked away from that relationship relieved. We were feeling like, \u2018Whoa, what happened?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Even through this heartbreaking experience, the two remained good friends, and even released an album together in 2017, named Everybody Knows, which was followed by a tour where the two played through each one of their hits throughout the decades after their romantic encounter. \u201cWe\u2019ve both had big careers,\u201d Collins recalled before their tour, \u201cWe both have a lot to talk about\u201d. <\/p>\n Their story is a perfect example of how to turn heartbreak into something new and even more exciting, transforming regrets and feelings of loss into\u00a0art which has inspired so many fans over the years<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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