The article reflects on ‘Our House’ by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young as a musical portrait of Graham Nash’s relationship with Joni Mitchell. Written after the pair moved into Mitchell’s Los Angeles home, the song turns an ordinary domestic moment into an affectionate depiction of their intense but short-lived romance, helping explain why it has endured as one of Nash’s best-known compositions.

Nash wrote the song in 1969 after returning from breakfast with Mitchell, who had picked up flowers from a shop; its opening image was therefore based on a real event. Mitchell later described it as a “beautiful” song that captured the happiness of their home life, although their relationship ended around 1970 as both continued demanding musical careers.