Having success on his own for a bit, he later joined the folk rock supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash as a fourth member in 1969, thus forming Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. He forged a successful and acclaimed solo career, releasing his first album in 1968. His career has since spanned over 40 years and 34 studio albums, with a continual and uncompromising exploration of musical styles; his musical vision is notably referred to by his autobiographical tune"The Loner". Music critics have often called him one of the best single artists of all time, and several tunes such as "Heart of Gold" and "Rockin' in the Free World" remain popular on rock radio.
According to the Don't Be Denied Songfacts, the 16-year-old Neil was raising chickens and selling the eggs, with plans to go to Ontario Agricultural College and be a farmer. Only his leisure activities foretold his future, when he would hide from his family problems in his room with his transistor radio playing local station CHUM. From this, Young experienced a growing admiration for rock n roll originators such as Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and, of course, Elvis Presley. In 1958, his father bought Neil his first music instrument, a plastic ukulele. His father would later recall, "He would close the door of his room... and we would hear plunk, pause while he moved his fingers to the next chord, plunk, pause while he moved again, plunk."
In Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Neil started his professional music career in the mid-60s with a number of bands in Canada, including the Squires and later the Mynah Birds, which also included fellow future Buffalo Springfield bassist Bruce Palmer and future funk star Rick James. When the Mynah Birds broke up, Young and Palmer headed to California to meet Stephen Stills, whom he had met in Thunder Bay, and the result was Buffalo Springfield. That band split up after releasing three critically acclaimed albums, particularly achieving international fame for their tune "For What It's Worth".
Showing his strengths as a cynical yet experimental songwriter in the group, he also sung prominently in some of the band's songs such as the biting satire of 'rock star' life "Mr. Soul". Neil soon started his solo career with the release of 'Neil Young' on November 12, 1968. The album did not do very well commercially, but it included several strong tracks, including "The Loner", said to be a portrait of Stephen Stills but also being deeply auto-biographical.
On May 14, 1969, he recruited members of Crazy Horse and made the critically acclaimed 'Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere'. This was a much more consistent album, being the first to introduce longstanding collaborators Crazy Horse and beingbuilt around the balanced interplay between the guitar playing of Young and the talented Danny Whitten. The album also featured two lengthy classics, "Down by the River" and "Cowgirl in the Sand". The critically acclaimed solo album "After the Gold Rush" came out in 1971, featuring such classic songs as "Southern Man'", "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" and "Don't Let it Bring You Down". Harvest followed in 1972 with the hit"Heart of Gold".
During this time he also enjoyed considerable success as a quarter of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
Neil's subsequent work has zig-zagged across genres - dabbling in country rock on "Old Ways"; electronics on "Trans"; hooking up with the Shocking Pinks in a homage to old-time Rock 'n' Roll on "Everybody's Rockin'"; creating a wall of feedback on the live Arc-Weld; and cementing his status as Godfather of Grunge when collaborating with Pearl Jam on Mirror Ball.
His idiosyncratic approach to genre even led to him being sued by his record company (Geffen) in the 80s for making "uncharacteristic" music.
Young has also dabbled in film, most recently on the album/concert series/dvd Greendale.
Young is often known by the nickname "Shakey." According to his biographer Jimmy McDonough, the name was given by his friends after noticing very unsteady results holding a camera for home movies.
Young founded Pono Music, whose mission was to bring a digital player, download store, and streaming service devoted to hi-res music. It was a commercial flop and was shut down in 2016. Young has stated that the labels would not agree that "All songs should cost the same, regardless of digital resolution."
The film Canadian Bacon includes the line "Canadians are always trying to figure out a lot of ways to ruin our lives. The metric system, for the love of God! Celsius! Neil Young!"
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After The Garden
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Runnin the government
Won't need no stinkin' WAR
Won't need no haircut
Won't need no shoe shine
After the garden is gone
After the garden is gone
After the garden is gone
What will people do?
After the garden is gone
What will people say?
After the garden
Won't need no strong man
Walkin' through the night
To live a weak man's day
Won't need no purple haze
Won't need no sunshine
After the garden is gone
After the garden is gone
After the garden is gone
Where will the people go?
After the garden is gone
What will people know?
After the garden
After the garden is gone
After the garden is gone
After the garden is gone
After the garden is gone
After the garden is gone
The song "After The Garden" by Neil Young emphasizes the importance of preserving the natural world and questioning the motivations of those in power. The lyrics suggest that if we do not take responsibility for protecting the environment, we will be left to deal with the consequences, even after those who caused the damage have passed away.
The song opens with Neil Young singing, "Won't need no shadow man running the government," suggesting that a time will come when those in power will no longer be necessary. He goes on to say, "Won't need no stinkin' WAR," implying that a peaceful society can exist without the need for conflict or violence. The repetition of the phrase "After the garden is gone" throughout the song underscores the idea that we must take action to protect the natural world or face a world without it.
The second half of the song asks, "What will people do? What will people say? Where will the people go? What will people know?" These questions are a call to action, urging us to consider the impact of our actions and the legacy we will leave behind. The song leaves the listener with a sense of urgency and responsibility to take action to protect the environment and our planet's natural resources.
Line by Line Meaning
Won't need no shadow man
We won't let any shadowy figures, such as corrupt politicians, control us and our government.
Runnin the government
These shadowy figures won't be able to run our government anymore.
Won't need no stinkin' WAR
We won't have to endure the horrors of war and the devastation it brings.
Won't need no haircut
We won't need to worry about superficial things, such as our physical appearance.
Won't need no shoe shine
We won't need to be concerned with keeping our shoes shiny and clean, another example of superficiality.
After the garden is gone
Once everything we know and cherish is lost and destroyed (symbolized by the 'garden'), things will be very different.
After the garden is gone
This line is repeated to emphasize the magnitude of the loss we'll experience.
After the garden is gone
It's repeated once again to drive home the point that nothing will ever be the same again.
What will people do?
We're left wondering what will happen to humanity in the aftermath of such a catastrophic event.
After the garden is gone
This line is repeated to remind us that we're still dealing with the aftermath of the destruction.
What will people say?
We also wonder how we'll find ways to communicate and what we'll discuss in a world so different from the one we knew.
After the garden
This line is shortened from the previous repetition, signaling that we're starting to move on but still in recovery.
Won't need no strong man
We won't need someone to dominate and abuse us, as we'll rebuild our society stronger and more just.
Walkin' through the night
To embrace this new society, we'll have to move forward through the darkness of unfamiliarity.
To live a weak man's day
We'll embrace the wisdom that despite apparent weakness displayed, there is still confidence in living to see another day.
Won't need no purple haze
We won't need to escape reality or indulge in vices; we'll face our issues and solve them head-on.
Won't need no sunshine
We won't be seeking a way to escape the darkness by hiding in the light, but instead commit to fixing what's wrong.
After the garden is gone
This line serves as a reminder that we can't forget what happened; we must be vigilant not to repeat the same mistakes.
After the garden is gone
Yet again, the repetition helps to emphasize this point.
After the garden is gone
One more time, we're reminded that we're not out of the woods yet even long after the event.
Where will the people go?
In a world so different from what we knew, it's a valid and pressing question to ask where people will find sanctuary and stability.
After the garden is gone
We're reminded yet again that the world we'll be living in is so different and dangerous.
What will people know?
We're left questioning how we'll find the knowledge to cope and thrive in this new world as everything we took for granted is gone.
After the garden
This shortened line signals that although time has passed, we're still grappling with the immense loss.
After the garden is gone
This final repetition drives home the idea that even when things change, a part of you still grieves the past.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: NEIL YOUNG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind