Triad (David Crosby song)
1967 song written by David Crosby, performed by The Byrds and others
"Triad" is a song written by the American singer-songwriter David Crosby in 1967 about a ménage à trois. It was recorded by the Byrds that year, while Crosby was a member of the band, but their version went unreleased at the time and was not issued until twenty years later. Jefferson Airplane released a version of the song in 1968 on their Crown of Creation album and a live version performed by Crosby was included on Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's 4 Way Street in 1971.
Composition and recording
"Triad" was written while Crosby was a member of the rock band the Byrds, who were at that time recording their fifth studio album, The Notorious Byrd Brothers. The song's lyrics concern a ménage à trois and were largely inspired by the sexual freedom that Crosby enjoyed at his home in Beverly Glen in Los Angeles. Byrds biographer Johnny Rogan has described the song's subject matter as being perfectly in keeping with the "free love" hippie philosophies of the day. The song also alludes to author Robert A. Heinlein's science fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land, with references to "sister lovers" and "water brothers".
Although the Byrds did record "Triad" and performed it live during a September 1967 engagement at the Whisky a Go Go, it was not included on The Notorious Byrd Brothers album. According to Crosby, bandmates Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman felt that its subject matter was too controversial, with McGuinn allegedly deriding the song as a "freak-out orgy tune". However, this has since been denied by Hillman, who has stated, "I don't think it was a moral decision.
The public source identifies “Triad (David Crosby song)” as 1967 song written by David Crosby, performed by The Byrds and others. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Triad, David and Crosby.
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Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Nov 25, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q7839874. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1967, 1968 and 1971.
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