Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian singer, guitaris… Read Full Bio ↴Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian singer, guitarist, songwriter, and social activist who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation, particularly as Neil Young & Crazy Horse. Young was born in Toronto, but he moved to the family home of Winnipeg as a child, which is where his music career began. Young began performing as a solo artist in Canada in 1960, before moving to California in 1966, where he co-founded the band Buffalo Springfield along with Stephen Stills and Richie Furay.

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/

Bad Fog of Loneliness
Neil Young Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Bad fog of loneliness
Put a cloud
On my single-mindedness
I dream of sweet caress
From you

What makes tomorrow guess
What makes me take from me

And put aside the rest
I dream of sweet caress
From you.

So long woman I am gone
So much pain to go through
Come back maybe I was wrong

Bad fog of loneliness
Put a cloud
On my single-mindedness

I dream of sweet caress
From you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Neil Young's song Bad Fog of Loneliness can be interpreted as being about a person struggling with loneliness and longing for a connection with someone else. The "bad fog" represents the feeling of being trapped and unable to escape the loneliness, clouding their thoughts and causing them to lose focus on their goals. The line "put a cloud on my single-mindedness" implies that the person's loneliness is affecting their ability to concentrate and pursue their ambitions.

The lyrics also express a desire for physical and emotional intimacy, with the person dreaming of a "sweet caress" from someone they long for. However, there is also a sense of uncertainty and confusion, as indicated by the line "what makes tomorrow guess." The person is unsure of what the future holds and why they are struggling with loneliness.

Overall, the song is a poignant expression of the pain and frustration of loneliness, and the longing for human connection that is so central to the human experience.

Line by Line Meaning

Bad fog of loneliness
The intense feeling of loneliness is like a thick and dense fog.

Put a cloud
It clouds and obscures everything in the present moment.

On my single-mindedness
It makes it difficult to focus or think clearly, leading to a state of single-mindedness where thoughts and emotions are centered on the feeling of loneliness.

I dream of sweet caress
In the midst of loneliness, the artist imagines the feeling of tender affection and warmth from someone they desire.

From you.
The person the artist is longing for is you.

What makes tomorrow guess
Uncertainty about the future makes it hard to know what will happen next.

What makes me take from me,
The singer doesn't understand why they feel compelled to act in certain ways, especially when it causes harm to themselves.

And put aside the rest
The artist ignores other aspects of their life, such as their relationships and responsibilities, to prioritize their own desires.

So long woman I am gone
The artist is saying goodbye to a woman and leaving, possibly because of the loneliness they feel.

So much pain to go through
The artist is aware of the amount of pain they'll have to endure as a result of leaving the woman and being alone again.

Come back maybe I was wrong
Despite leaving, there's a chance the singer may realize they were mistaken and hope that the woman will come back to them.

Bad fog of loneliness
The feeling of loneliness still persists even though the woman is gone.

Put a cloud
The feeling of loneliness continues to cloud the singer's thoughts and emotions.

On my single-mindedness
It's difficult for the singer to break free from the cycle of loneliness and single-mindedness.

I dream of sweet caress
Despite the loneliness, the singer still dreams of affection and tenderness from the woman they desire.

From you.
The person the artist desires and dreams of is still you.

Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Neil Young

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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