‘Our House’ is a song written by British singer-songwriter Graham Nash and recorded by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young on their album Déjà Vu (1970). The single reached No. 30 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 20 on the Cash Box Top 100. The song, "an ode to countercultural domestic bliss", was written while Nash was living with Joni Mitchell. The song originated from a domestic event that took place while Graham Nash was living with Joni Mitchell (and her two cats) in her house in Laurel Canyon (Los Angeles), after they had gone out for breakfast and had bought an inexpensive vase on Ventura Boulevard. Nash wrote the song in an hour, on Mitchell's piano.
In October 2013, in an interview on NPR, Nash elaborated: “Well, it's an ordinary moment. What happened is that Joni [Mitchell] and I – I don't know whether you know anything about Los Angeles, but on Ventura Boulevard in the Valley, there's a very famous deli called Art's Deli. And we'd been to breakfast there. We're going to get into Joan's car, and we pass an antique store. And we're looking in the window, and she saw a very beautiful vase that she wanted to buy ... I persuaded her to buy this vase. It wasn't very expensive, and we took it home. It was a very grey, kind of sleety, drizzly L.A. morning. And we got to the house in Laurel Canyon, and I said – got through the front door and I said, you know what? I'll light a fire. Why don't you put some flowers in that vase that you just bought? Well, she was in the garden getting flowers. That meant she was not at her piano, but I was ... And an hour later 'Our House' was born, out of an incredibly ordinary moment that many, many people have experienced.”
In the same interview, Nash was asked about the vocal harmonies in the song: "It's me and David [Crosby] and Stephen [Stills] doing our best. That's all we ever do. You know, we're lucky enough to be able to do, you know, anything that we want to do, musically. And, you know, these two guys are incredible musicians. Crosby is one of the most unique musicians I know, and Stephen Stills has got this blues-based, South American kind of feeling to his music. And I'm this, you know, Henry VIII guy from England ... You know, it's not supposed to work, but it does, somehow".
‘Our House’ was the last single from the Déjà Vu album, their first with Neil Young in the group. It's a landmark album, so successful it kept up demand for the group even though they were largely inactive over the next few years. The first single was ‘Woodstock,’ about the festival where they made their mark. Next was the Graham Nash composition ‘Teach Your Children,’ which was climbing the charts when Neil Young came up with the song ‘Ohio’ in response to the Kent State Shootings. That song was rush released in June 1970 as a standalone single. After it faded from the charts, ‘Our House’ was released as a single, reaching its US chart peak of #30 in October.
The band didn't return to action until 1974 when they launched the first stadium tour in rock history. They couldn't muster an album, though, and the follow-up to Déjà Vu didn't appear until 1977 when they issued CSN, this time without Young.
Label – Atlantic
Songwriter – Graham Nash
Producers – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
SONG LYRICS
[Verse 1]I'll light the fire
You place the flowers in the vase
That you bought today
[Verse 2]
Staring at the fire
For hours and hours while I listen to you
Play your love songs all night long
For me, only for me
[Verse 3]
Come to me now
And rest your head for just five minutes
Everything is done
[Verse 4]
Such a cozy room
The windows are illuminated by the evening
Sunshine through them, fiery gems
For you, only for you
[Chorus]
Our house is a very, very, very fine house
With two cats in the yard
Life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy cause of you
And our
[Interlude]
La-la, la-la-la la la...
[Chorus]
Our house is a very, very, very fine house (fine house)
With two cats in the yard
Life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy cause of you
And our
[Verse 1]
I'll light the fire
While you place the flowers in the vase
That you bought today