In 1977, Crosby, Stills & Nash released "Just A Song Before I Go" as the lead single from their third studio album, and it went on to become the trio's highest-charting hit, reaching No. 5. The song's success is notable because it was reportedly composed by Graham Nash in just 15 minutes, written on the spur of the moment rather than through the band's usual writing process, which makes its commercial impact somewhat unexpected in retrospect.

According to Nash and bandmate David Crosby, the track originated as a bet: a friend driving Nash to the airport in Hawaii wagered $500 that he could not write a song before leaving, and Nash took him up on the challenge. Nash has said he still kept the $500 he won, later joking with a friend that had he known the song would become CSN's biggest hit, he might have put more effort into it.