Veteran songwriter says political engagement has always been central to his work, citing decades of protest songs with Crosby, Stills, Nash And Young
by Paul Cashmere
Graham Nash has issued a blunt and uncompromising statement condemning ICE and former US President Donald Trump, pushing back against critics who tell musicians to stay silent on political and social issues. In a post shared on Instagram, Nash framed his comments as a continuation of a lifetime spent writing and performing songs that directly confront power, injustice and violence.
Nash began by addressing the familiar criticism that artists should “stick to music”, suggesting that such comments ignore both his history and the history of the groups he helped define. As Nash pointed out, politics, environmental destruction, racism, war and generational responsibility have been central themes in the music of Crosby, Stills & Nash, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and their individual careers for more than five decades.
According to Nash, the idea that his political views are somehow a departure from his musical identity misunderstands the work entirely. He stressed that these themes are not occasional detours but have been present in his songwriting and stage banter at virtually every show he has performed for decades.
To underline the point, Nash listed a roll call of songs that he regards as explicitly political, including For What It’s Worth, Ohio, Almost Cut My Hair, Military Madness, What Are Their Names, Chicago, Immigration Man, Long Time Gone, Southern Man, Oh Camil, Prison Song, Find The Cost Of Freedom and Teach Your Children. Many of these recordings are foundational texts of late 1960s and early 1970s rock, songs that blurred the line between popular music and protest at a time of deep social upheaval.
The immediate catalyst for Nash’s post was his reaction to what he described as the killing of “yet another human being” by individuals he referred to as government sanctioned agents. In response, Nash directed a well deserved “F*ck ICE” and “F*ck Trump”, making clear that he views the agency’s actions as inseparable from political leadership and policy.
Few songs better illustrate that legacy than Ohio, which Nash referenced by name. Written by Neil Young in response to the Kent State shootings of May 4, 1970, Ohio was recorded and released with extraordinary speed by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The track captured the horror of four students being shot dead by the Ohio National Guard during protests against the Vietnam War, and it became one of the defining musical responses to the conflict.
Ohio was recorded live in just a handful of takes at Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles, with the group backed by Calvin Samuels and Johnny Barbata. Stephen Stills’ Find The Cost Of Freedom was recorded during the same session and released as the B-side. Atlantic Records rush-released the single while Teach Your Children was still climbing the charts, a move that reflected both urgency and risk.
The song’s impact was immediate and controversial. Some AM radio stations refused to play it, particularly in Ohio, while underground FM stations embraced it. The repeated refrain “four dead in Ohio” cut through the political noise with stark clarity, and David Crosby’s anguished vocalisations in the fadeout captured the emotional toll the event had taken on the band.
Over time, Ohio has come to be recognised as one of the most important protest songs in popular music. It has appeared on multiple compilations, including So Far, Decade and Greatest Hits, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2009. Its continued relevance underscores Nash’s argument that political engagement is not an optional extra for artists of his generation, it is embedded in the work itself.
Nash’s broader career reinforces that position. From his early success with The Hollies through to his songwriting with Crosby, Stills & Nash and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, he has consistently written about war, immigration, environmental damage and social justice. Songs like Military Madness and Immigration Man drew directly from his own experiences and political awakening after moving to the United States.
Beyond music, Nash has been active in causes ranging from anti-nuclear advocacy to environmental protection, co-founding Musicians United For Safe Energy and participating in benefit concerts and campaigns over several decades. His activism has never been neatly separated from his art, a fact he made clear in his statement.
By speaking out again, Nash is reaffirming a position he has occupied since the late 1960s, that music can document history, challenge authority and give voice to outrage. For an artist whose catalogue includes some of the most enduring protest songs ever written, silence has never been part of the job.
Here is the full statement from Graham Nash:
Anytime I dare to have an opinion, as a human being, about what is going on around me there’s always the inevitable comment where somebody tells me to “stick to music.”
Now, I’m getting older myself so maybe the people leaving those comments have trouble hearing. So do I! That’s the only reason I can think of that anyone would ever be shocked that myself, or anyone I’ve ever sung with, would talk about politics, the destruction of the environment, generational conflict, generational responsibility or the state of the world in an way.
CSN, CSNY and every individual or varying iteration of any of us singing, both before or after coming together as a group, has been singing about corruption, racism, environmental destruction, injustice, war, and so on for the last five decades. You clearly haven’t been listening.
I sing about, and TALK about all of this at every show I ever do. Have done for decades.
For What It’s Worth, Ohio, Almost Cut My Hair, Military Madness, What Are Their Names, Chicago, Immigration Man, Long Time Gone, Southern Man, Oh Camil, Prison Song, Find The Cost of Freedom, and yes, even Teach Your Children. Those are political songs.
So I’ll say it again… after just watching a bunch of thugs who call themselves “agents” kill yet another human being: F**K ICE. And since these muderers are part of a government sanctioned agency I’ll say this and don’t bother getting mad about it: F**K TRUMP too. – G
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