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"Southern Cross"
"Southern Cross"
Single by Crosby, Stills & Nash
from the album Daylight Again
B-side	"Into the Darkness"
Released	September 1982
Recorded	1981
Genre	Folk rock; soft rock; yacht rock;
Length	4:41 (Album Version); 3:55 (Single Version);
Label	Atlantic
Songwriter(s)	Stephen Stills; Rick Curtis; Michael Curtis;
Producer(s)	Crosby, Stills and Nash
Crosby, Stills & Nash singles chronology
Audio
	"Southern Cross" on YouTube

"Southern Cross" is a song written by Stephen Stills, Rick Curtis, and Michael Curtis and performed by the rock band Crosby, Stills & Nash. It was featured on the band's Daylight Again album and was released as a single in September 1982. Stephen Stills sings lead throughout, with Graham Nash joining on the second verse. Because David Crosby did not reunite with Stills and Nash until the album was well underway, his vocals are not featured on the album version, although he did appear in the video and subsequently sang the song with the group in live performances. The single was a success on the charts, reaching No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks in late November^[1] and early December 1982.^[2] As of 2024, it was the group's final hit in the Billboard Top 40.

Composition and music

"Southern Cross" is based on the song "Seven League Boots" by Rick and Michael Curtis.^[3]^[4]^[5] Stills explained, "The Curtis Brothers brought a wonderful song called 'Seven League Boots,' but it drifted around too much. I rewrote a new set of words and added a different chorus, a story about a long boat trip I took after my divorce. It's about using the power of the universe to heal your wounds. Once again, I was given somebody's gem and cut and polished it."^[6]

The song title and lyrics reference the Crux constellation, known as the Southern Cross.

Billboard called the song a "midtempo minor-keyed saga very much in the tradition of [Stills'] earlier CSN and solo compositions."^[7]

Video

The video for the song, which got heavy play during the early years of the MTV and VH1 cable networks, featured Stephen Stills sailing a large boat (called Southern Cross), intercut with images of the band singing, including David Crosby although he did not sing on the song (see above).

Personnel

Stephen Stills – vocals, guitars
Graham Nash – vocals

Additional musicians

Timothy B. Schmit – vocals
Michael Stergis – guitars
Mike Finnigan – keyboards, backing vocals
Richard T. Bear – keyboards
George "Chocolate" Perry – bass
Joe Vitale – drums
Joe Lala – percussion

Cover versions

"Southern Cross" has also been covered by:

Jimmy Buffett, whose version first appeared on the Live album, Buffett Live: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays; the song became a staple at many of Buffett's concerts and corresponding live releases
British artist Dave Mason
Pat McGee, on his debut album From the Wood
Sludge metal band Weedeater, on their debut album ...And Justice for Y'all
Canadian singer Roch Voisine, on his cover compilation Americana 3

Locations

The song mentions a number of locations that one may visit on a sailing voyage from Southern California to the South Pacific, following the "Coconut Milk Run".^[8] In order of appearance in the song (and in reverse order of the narrating sailor's southwestward journey), they are: