Great album openers get the listeners to keep on listening. They can do this in any number of ways. Some openers set the tone by easing us in. Others jump right in and blow our minds from the very beginning. A great album opener isn’t an easy thing to create. More than a great song, it’s all about the sequence. Track 1 has to be the perfect starter. This month, I’m highlighting my favorites. #AlbumOpeningSongs
CSN&Y did many things exceptionally well. Chief among them was the harmony singing – sonic in their 3-part and 4-part varieties. This strength is on full display throughout the Deja Vu album, but I think the greatest harmony execution happens on “Carry On”, a song that almost wasn’t part of the album. Thankfully, Graham Nash told Stephen Stills that they still didn’t have an album opener as they neared the end of the recording sessions. Shortly after, “Carry On” was born.
With “Carry On”, you get two songs in one. because it’s the love child of two unfinished tracks that Stephen Stills fused together as CSN&Y searched for the right opening song to Deja Vu. The 2:10 mark comes at you out of nowhere, but has a live, jam band feel. it sounds more like a part 2 than a transition. Whether you agree with their strategy or not, you can’t deny “carry on” made for quite a potent entrance on an album known more for slow tempo classics. And the classic CSN&Y harmonies are epic on this one.
“The sky is clearing and the night has gone out. The sun, he come, the world is all full of love. Rejoice, rejoice, we have no choice but to carry on.”