Rock Music
The song “Marrakesh Express” was written by Graham Nash towards the end of his time as a member of The Hollies. The inspiration, Nash claims, was from his 1966 Moroccan vacation, where he traveled by train from Casablanca to Marrakesh. He started out his trip with a First Class seat, but did not find the passengers to be interesting, so he went through the other carriages of the train for more adventures. The ducks, pigs, and chickens mentioned in the song were, he says, there on the train. The Hollies felt that the song was not commercial enough for them. No matter, anyway, as by 1968, Nash joined David Crosby, formerly of The Byrds, and Steven Stills (formerly of the Buffalo Springfield) to form their supergroup Crosby Stills and Nash. (Neil Young, who was also with Buffalo Springfield, joined them later in 1969. They first released it on their 1969 album Crosby, Stills & Nash. Then, they released it as a single, and “Marrakesh Express” went to #28 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and #17 in the U.K. in 1969. The first public performance of “Marrakesh Express” was at the Woodstock Music Festival at around 3:00 a.m. on August 18, 1969.
