I'd Swear There Was Somebody Here

Album: If I Could Only Remember My Name (1971)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This wordless a cappella song is about the death of Christine Gail Hinton, who was Crosby's girlfriend, muse, and partner. She was killed in a car accident on September 30, 1969 while taking their cats to the vet. Crosby explained to Mojo Magazine January 2008 why he wrote about such a tragic subject: "I guess you can feel exposed but what else are you going to write about? If you are going to write and record material which moves people it needs to be pulled from real life. You don't really have a choice."
  • Crosby explained the song's origin story in the liner notes of the 1991 CSN boxed set. "I don't know where that came from. It was a hallucination. I've always been drawn to strange vocal works. I overdubbed six tracks a cappella, with echo. Later I was left with a persistent feeling it was about Christine Hinton, by girlfriend who was killed. I was very much in love with her, and she went away very suddenly. I was not equipped to deal with the loss. This piece was a sudden, improvised, overwhelming requiem."
  • Running just 1:19, "I'd Swear There Was Somebody Here" is the last track on David Crosby's first solo album, I'd Swear There Was Somebody Here. The song is made up entirely of his vocals.

    After releasing the Déjà Vu album in 1970, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young set to work on solo albums. They mixed and matched in various configurations, but didn't release another album with all four members until American Dream in 1988.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Gary Numan

Gary NumanSongwriter Interviews

An Electronic music pioneer with Asperger's Syndrome. This could be interesting.

Gilby Clarke

Gilby ClarkeSongwriter Interviews

The Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist in the early '90s, Gilby talks about the band's implosion and the side projects it spawned.

Jon Oliva of Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Jon Oliva of Trans-Siberian OrchestraSongwriter Interviews

Writing great prog metal isn't easy, especially when it's for 60 musicians.

Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum

Dave Pirner of Soul AsylumSongwriter Interviews

Dave explains how the video appropriated the meaning of "Runaway Train," and what he thought of getting parodied by Weird Al.

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"They're Playing My Song

The Prince-penned "Manic Monday" was the first song The Bangles heard coming from a car radio, but "Eternal Flame" is closest to Susanna's heart, perhaps because she sang it in "various states of undress."

Def Leppard Quiz

Def Leppard QuizMusic Quiz

Can you name Def Leppard's only #1 hit in America? Get rocked with this adrenalized quiz.