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!"
For recent news see: http://www.neilyoung.com/
Albuquerque
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is less than ninety miles away
And I got time to roll a number and rent a car
Oh, Albuquerque
I've been flyin' down the road
And I've been starvin' to be alone
And independent from the scene that I've known
So I'll stop when I can
Find some fried eggs and country ham
I'll find somewhere
Where they don't care who I am
Oh, Albuquerque
Albuquerque
The song "Albuquerque" by Neil Young is a classic rock tune that talks about the singer's desire for independence and the need to be alone. The lyrics starts with the mention of Santa Fe being less than 90 miles away and the singer having enough time to rent a car and roll a number, a reference to smoking marijuana. The mention of "Albuquerque" in the chorus could be interpreted as the singer's destination, or simply a word that rhymes well with "roll a number". As the song progresses, the singer talks about his desire for independence and the need to free himself from the scene that he has known.
The lyrics suggest that the singer is tired of being part of a certain crowd and wants to break free from it. He has been flying down the road, presumably trying to find his own path and be independent. The song ends with the singer talking about finding some fried eggs and country ham and a place where nobody cares who he is, suggesting that he is looking for anonymity and a sense of belonging in a new place like Albuquerque. The overall message of the song seems to be about finding oneself and breaking free from the past.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, they say that Santa Fe
People talk about Santa Fe often
Is less than ninety miles away
It's not too far from Albuquerque
And I got time to roll a number and rent a car
I have enough time to smoke some marijuana and rent a car
Oh, Albuquerque
Oh, how I long for Albuquerque
I've been flyin' down the road
I've been driving fast on the road
And I've been starvin' to be alone
I've been craving solitude
And independent from the scene that I've known
I want to break free from the familiar surroundings that I've known
Albuquerque
I can't wait to get to Albuquerque
So I'll stop when I can
I'll stop at the first opportunity
Find some fried eggs and country ham
I'll look for a place that serves breakfast food
I'll find somewhere
I'll search for a place
Where they don't care who I am
Where nobody knows me or recognizes me
Oh, Albuquerque
Oh, how much I want to be in Albuquerque
Albuquerque
I can't wait to arrive in Albuquerque
Lyrics © Silver Fiddle, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Neil Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind