Music Friday: Supergroup CSNY Has ‘Fiery Gems for You’ in 1970's 'Our House'

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you classic hits with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, we take a deep dive into the origin story behind “Our House,” a song written by Graham Nash and inspired by his then-girlfriend, singer Joni Mitchell, as they shared a home (with two cats) in Laurel Canyon, CA, in 1970.

Featuring the intricate vocal harmonies of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the song recounts a simple day in the life of two rock and roll icons. After having breakfast at a deli in LA, Nash and Mitchell stopped at an antique store where they purchased a beautiful vase that had been displayed in the window. Then they headed back home on a cool, drizzly L.A. morning.

As they entered the front door, Nash told Mitchell, “You know what? I’ll light a fire. Why don’t you put some flowers in that vase that you just bought?"

Nash continued the story of this aha moment for Howard Stern's listeners in 2016: "Well, she was in the garden getting flowers. That meant she was not at her piano, but I was. ‘Our House’ was born about an hour and a half later.”

"I defy any musician out there to tell me when the muse of music is going to come visit. I don't think any of us know," Nash continued. "And songs come from the strangest places."

Lead vocalist Nash compares the rays of light streaming through the windows to brilliant gemstones. He sings, “Such a cozy room, the windows are illuminated by the evening sunshine through them, fiery gems for you, only for you.”

One of three Top-40 songs from the group’s 1970 Déjà Vu album, “Our House” reached #30 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and has since stood the test of time.”Our House” has been covered by numerous artists and continues to be a Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young fan favorite 51 years later.

In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked Déjà Vu #147 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. In addition to “Our House,” the album also charted two other iconic songs of the era, “Woodstock” and “Teach Your Children.”

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young was one of the greatest supergroups of all time. David Crosby had been with The Byrds. Nash was with The Hollies. Steven Stills and Neil Young were members of Buffalo Springfield. By virtue of their stellar collaborations and solo careers, the members of CSNY have each earned two inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

We hope you enjoy the video of CSNY’s performance of “Our House.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“Our House”
Written by Graham Nash. Performed by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

I’ll light the fire, you place the flowers in the vase that you bought today.
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.

Come to me now and rest your head for just five minutes, everything is good.
Such a cozy room, the windows are illuminated by the evening
sunshine through them, fiery gems for you, only for you.

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 la, la, la…

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

I’ll light the fire, while you place the flowers in the vase that you bought today.

Credit: Image by CMA-Creative Management Associates/Atlantic Records, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

High on an Irish Cliffside, This Couple Experiences a Proposal Like No Other

Buffeted by menacing winds high upon a cliffside in West Cork, Ireland, Blue Cassidy and his girlfriend, Maria Gilvanda, calmly played their roles as sweethearts enjoying a Champagne picnic at one of the most picturesque places on the planet.

Gilvanda had been convinced by her boyfriend that they were participating in a tourism video. What she didn't know is that the drone filming their perilous rendezvous just steps from a sheer vertical drop into the Atlantic Ocean was actually documenting a stunning, one-of-a-kind marriage proposal.

Photographer and expert drone operator Niall Duffy nearly pulled the plug on the ruse because the drone was having trouble navigating in high winds. At the last moment, he decided to go forward with the plan because Cassidy had already delayed the proposal more than six months due to COVID-19 restrictions in Ireland.

"I was right on the edge with it, to be honest," Duffy told CorkBeo. "I didn't think it would work and I said maybe we could call it off until we got better weather. But, he had already waited six months so we went ahead with it."

In the viral video, the viewer assumes the vantage point of the drone as it soars high above the couple, revealing the awesome, jagged vistas that make County Cork such a unique destination.

After circling the couple, the drone hovers directly above. Dangling from the drone is a cord with a very special package tied to the end. Cassidy stretches to reach the package, which contains a ring box. The drone's camera stays focused on the couple as Cassidy goes down on one knee and proposes to his startled, yet delighted, girlfriend, with a ring given to him by his mother.

Said Duffy, "The drone got there, the ring arrived, she said 'Yes,' and everybody's happy."

In the final seconds of the video, the drone zooms away from the precipice until the couple seems to vanish into the landscape. The couple is circled in the screen capture, below.

The couple has been overwhelmed by the enthusiastic comments and well wishes generated by the viral video.

Gilvanda told the Irish Examiner that part of the beauty of the responses has been the sense of hope the proposal has brought to many people.

"We were saying that we would like to make it a tradition every 10 years that we would go there and do a different video each year until our legs can't walk to the cliff," she said.

See the impressive video here…

Credits: Screen captures via www.irishmirror.ie.

Pink Diamond Horse Rears Up in Latest Release From The Perth Mint's 3D 'Jewelled' Series

An 18-karat rose gold horse pavé-set with 169 pink and purplish-pink Argyle diamonds seems to rise from the face of The Perth Mint’s latest 3D "Jewelled" coin.

Priced at $215,605 (AUD $279,000), The Jewelled Horse of 2021 represents the fourth in a series of highly collectible coins showcasing Asia’s revered mythical and mortal creatures. Across many cultures, the horse represents vitality, power and nobility.

The 2018 Jewelled Phoenix, 2019 Jewelled Dragon and 2020 Jewelled Tiger coins sold out within weeks of their release dates.

The rare gems that make up the body of the rearing horse include a mix of pink and purplish-pink diamonds from the now-depleted Argyle mine in Western Australia. Each of these diamonds has a color rating of fancy intense to fancy vivid.

The mine had been the world's main source of gem-quality pink diamonds, but was shuttered in November of 2020. Two golden-colored Argyle diamonds are used to represent the horse's eyes. The diamond total weight is 2.76 carats.

Measuring 61 mm (2.4 inches) across and struck from 10 ounces of 99.99% pure gold in proof quality, the coin’s reverse artistry portrays a branch of jasmine flowers and undulating countryside with nearby hills topped by pagodas. It includes the Chinese character for horse, which is derived from a pictogram of a standing horse with a flowing mane. The coin's reverse also incorporates the inscription JEWELLED HORSE and The Perth Mint’s traditional "P" mintmark.

The obverse features the Jody Clark effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the weight and fineness, the “2000 DOLLARS” monetary denomination, “AUSTRALIA,” the Queen’s name and the year 2021.

Recognizing the significance of the number eight in Asian cultures and its association with luck and prosperity, the limited quantity of eight Jewelled Horse coins were issued by The Perth Mint. Each is presented in a luxury, cabinet-style case with double-doors embellished with pink gold motifs and two additional Argyle pink diamonds. Inside, the illuminated coin continuously rotates 360 degrees.

Credits: Images courtesy of The Perth Mint.