And So Was the Turnpike from Boston to Stockbridge

When crankyjewishguy (CJG) has an idle moment, which is to say every few minutes, he often finds himself preoccupied with meaningless conundrums. For example, one of CJG's favorite musicians is James Taylor. CJG has been listening to J.T. almost every day since 1970. During the summer, CJG often has occasion to drive west on the Massachusetts Turnpike to the small town of Stockbridge in the Berkshires, about two hours away. Boston to Stockbridge on the turnpike. Now, chances are you are familiar with James Taylor's beautiful song, Sweet Baby James, written not for himself, as many think, but for his then newly born nephew, also named James. That song's most famous verse goes like this: “Now the first of December was covered with snow/And so was the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston/ Though the Berkshires seemed dream-like on account of that frosting/With ten miles behind me and ten thousand more to go.”

Since CJG has heard that song about three billion times over the past forty odd years, whenever he drives the turnpike from Boston to Stockbridge it doesn't sound right. So here's the conundrum CJG is doomed to contemplate without resolution until he drops dead: what if James Taylor had written “and so was the turnpike from Boston to Stockbridge?” Would “Boston to Stockbridge” have sounded mellifluous and “Stockbridge to Boston” awkward? When he finally gives up for the day on that particular question of no import whatsoever, CJG starts to wonder, what if, when they formed the band, they’d called themselves Nash, Stills and Crosby? It sounds so wrong now, but would it have ever sounded right, even if they’d picked the name from the beginning? Crosby, Stills and Nash rolls off the tongue so smoothly. But would the names in any other order ever have sounded right?

Nash, Stills & Crosby sitting in the
 wrong order unless Hebrew is your native tongue.

CJG is certain of one thing, however. The Captain and Tennille had it right. A reversal of the order would have doomed their career from the start.

One of their biggest hits was
"Muskrat Love." Still doesn't sound right.

P.S. Here's a photo of Crosby, Stills & Nash, out of order again (they never do seem to line up properly). The fourth guy in the picture is not Neil Young. It's CJG, and no, CJG is not kidding.

CS(CJG)N or, from left to right, NC(CJG)S