Born in Cleveland, Ohio, and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, Neil was one of the songwriters who for a time worked out of New York City's famous Brill Building. He has often been called a pioneer of the folk rock & singer-songwriter musical genres; his most frequently cited disciples are Tim Buckley, Harry Nilsson, and the Jefferson Airplane, but his most prominent descendants have been Stephen Stills, James Taylor, Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell. In concert appearances, as well as the liner notes for his 2003 album, Meet Me In Margaritaville: The Ultimate Collection, Jimmy Buffett called Neil "one of my heroes." Some of Neil's early compositions were recorded by Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison; he played as a session guitarist on hits by Bobby Darin and Paul Anka. In 1968, Nilsson recorded a cover version of Neil's song "Everybody's Talkin'," which became a huge hit a year later when it was featured in the film Midnight Cowboy.
Neil was an accomplished professional musician atypically inclined to a very modest frugality. "Candy Man", his first of two Top-40-hit compositions, substantially introduced him to a sufficient income stream for life in his early 20's; he became increasingly disinclined to work if he did not feel like it. Consequently his two fully realized albums (see next paragraph) are remarkable for their singularly unpretentious authenticity. His combination of baritone vocal and 12-string guitar remains unusual, and his combo recordings provide his shimmering melodies with muscular grooves; but his exemplarity is that of resolving the apparent opposition between aesthetic integrity and commercial value almost entirely in favor of aesthetic integrity, which gives all of his recordings a unique historical resonance.
He had debts to previous singer-songwriters such as Woody Guthrie, Robert Johnson, Chuck Berry and Hank Williams (Senior); but his approach to melody was more in the manner of Cole Porter and to rhythm very much in the school of Ray Charles. His popularly acclaimed albums are "Bleecker & MacDougal" (also known as A Little Bit of Rain) without drums (1965) and "Fred Neil" (also known as Everybody's Talkin') in (1966), made during his residences in the Greenwich Village section of lower Manhattan in New York City and in Coconut Grove, Florida, respectively.
The reigning web expert in (October) 2005 has been Richie Unterberger. The Rick O'Barry interview at the dedicated website (fredneil.com) claims that a third fully realized album, Neil's "Stuff Sessions" of 1978, was never released by Columbia. The unreleased "Walk on the Water" album was recorded at Bayshore studios in Coconut Grove, with a second set of sessions taking place in NJ with the group Stuff.
After the mid 1970s he ceased to maintain a residence in Woodstock, New York, and spent his remaining decades enjoying life on the shores of southern Florida. His last public performance was in 1981 coffeehouse concert in Coconut Grove where he joined Buzzy Linhardt onstage.
Fred Neil died of natural causes in 2001.
December's Dream
Fred Neil Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Through the empty streets of morning
Who she′s with I cannot tell
His face fades with the others
In the endless spell of dreams I know so well
Though she walks with him no more with me
And I know she's where she wants to be
Her happiness is there for all to see
I can hear her voice still ringing
Through the empty songs I sing
And it seems that all the words I find
To say the things that crowd my mind
Only bring me closer
To the things I′d rather leave behind
Though I know the game's been played
And I know the mistakes I've made
I know I shouldn′t be afraid
To love, for love for any time at all
Is worth the price you pay to fall
In Fred Neil's song December's Dream, the singer is describing his longing for a past lover, whom he sees walking with someone else in the streets of the morning. Despite knowing that she is with someone else now and that she is happy, he still wishes that it was him making her happy. The lyrics are filled with bittersweet nostalgia and the pain of lost love. The singer can still hear her voice in the empty songs he sings, and he struggles to move on from his feelings for her.
The lyrics are evocative and poignant, capturing the universal experiences of love, loss, and regret. They speak to our innate desire to hold onto the past and the people who were once important to us. The imagery used throughout the song creates a vivid picture of the singer's emotions, from the empty streets of morning to the endless spell of dreams. The theme of love's worthiness despite its cost is also present, as the singer acknowledges that while love may come with heartache, it is still worth pursuing.
Line by Line Meaning
I can see her slowly walking
I witness her walking at a leisurely pace
Through the empty streets of morning
I observe her traversing the quiet streets of daybreak
Who she′s with I cannot tell
I'm unaware of her companion's identity
His face fades with the others
His face recedes into the background like many others'
In the endless spell of dreams I know so well
Within the unyielding grip of familiar dreams
Though she walks with him no more with me
Although she isn't walking with me like she once did
And I know she's where she wants to be
I'm aware that she's in a place she aspires to be
Her happiness is there for all to see
Her elation is palpable to everyone
But I find that I still wish it was for me
Despite this, I can't help contemplating a reality where she's with me
I can hear her voice still ringing
I can perceive the lingering echo of her voice
Through the empty songs I sing
While I'm performing hollow tunes
And it seems that all the words I find
It appears that each phrase I discover
To say the things that crowd my mind
To articulate the sentiments that overwhelm me
Only bring me closer
Draw me increasingly nearer
To the things I′d rather leave behind
Towards the things that I'd prefer to abandon
Though I know the game's been played
Even though I'm aware the game has been completed
And I know the mistakes I've made
And I am cognizant of the errors I've made
I know I shouldn′t be afraid
I realize I shouldn't be petrified
To love, for love for any time at all
To love, since love for any length of time
Is worth the price you pay to fall
Is worth the cost of plummeting
Writer(s): John Braheny
Contributed by Hannah I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Hew Wright
Sublime...there's something in the tone of his views which is matched by the rolling piano chords. The vibrato on the word he sings "behind" and "fall", so way down low just shivers my spine. There are few if any that can match Fred Neil in his pomp. And to think this is just the second song he ever wrote! [ ps - didn't the Stone Poneys ie Linda Ronstadt cover this? ]
Jeffrey Zamrin
His voice is clearer and stronger than ever on this one! What a great recording!
enrique polop blasco
Fred Neil. Gran músico y compositor. Con una de las voces más graves y hermosas que he escuchado nunca.
star cloud
I hear Tim Buckley more than ever before in here. Another beautiful Fred Neil gem.
PM's Far-Out Grooviness
written by John Braheny
Robert Ommundsen
buckley was my first thought-lovely
uhlijohn
What a talent Neil was! Too bad he was so reclusive! I bet the hit "Everybody's Talkin' At Me" gave him enough royalties to live a quiet, modest life....God bless the memory Fred Neil. Great baritone singing voice!
Suzy Harthcock
Thank you, at the sweetest with his voice, a pleasure to hear😎🐬💜🌸🌈🌴
ElComanchero
His voice at 1:55 <3
Elizabeth StJohn
YES!