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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Bad News
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He's walking three feet off the ground
He's ordering another round
Bound by his own ideas
Lost, doesn't know where she is found
Bad news is fighting mad
He went and lost the biggest prize he ever had
When he smiles under golden lights and lamps
Taking daylight fights again and again
Bad news is come to town
He's walking three feet off the ground
He's ordering another round
Bound by his own ideas
Lost, doesn't know where she is gone
Bad news is fighting mad
He went and lost the biggest prize he ever had
But a prizefighter can't be sad
When he smiles under golden lights and lamps
Taking daylight fights again and again
Bad news is come to town
At its surface, Bad News by Neil Young tells the story of a personification of bad news coming to town and causing chaos. The first verse describes Bad News as almost gleeful in its destruction, walking with an unusual confidence and ordering rounds of drinks. The lyrics also hint that Bad News is confused and lost, unsure of its true purpose or direction. The second verse shifts to describe Bad News as more combative, having lost something very valuable yet still maintaining an outward expression of contentment. The final verse repeats the chorus, cementing the idea that Bad News has indeed arrived and won't be leaving anytime soon.
However, beyond the literal interpretation of the lyrics, Bad News is a commentary on the cyclical nature of life's ups and downs. The golden lights and daylight fights, taken by the prizefighter who must continue fighting even after a major defeat, reflect the reality that we all face - that even in the midst of our lowest moments, we must keep going, keep fighting, keep struggling. The idea of being lost and bound by one's own ideas, too, speaks to the difficulty of breaking out of our own mental constraints and finding clarity in uncertain times.
Overall, Bad News is a poignant and insightful song about the human experience, both its triumphs and its setbacks, and the ways we push through those challenges to keep moving forward.
Line by Line Meaning
Bad news is come to town
There is bad news that has arrived in town.
He's walking three feet off the ground
The person who brings the bad news is extremely happy and full of themselves.
He's ordering another round
The person who brings the bad news is celebrating and buying drinks for everyone.
Bound by his own ideas
This person is restricted by their own beliefs and cannot see beyond them.
Lost, doesn't know where she is found
This person is misplaced and cannot find their way back home.
Bad news is fighting mad
The bad news is extremely angry.
He went and lost the biggest prize he ever had
Something very important to the bad news has been lost.
But a prizefighter can't be sad
The character compares their situation to a fighter who has lost but cannot be sad because they must keep fighting.
When he smiles under golden lights and lamps
The character may have lost the prize, but they still have to perform and put on a show.
Taking daylight fights again and again
Despite being knocked down, the character will always get back up and continue fighting.
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