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/
Don't Let It Bring You Down 03/20/99
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With the lorries rolling by,
Blue moon sinking from the weight of the load
And the building scrape the sky,
Cold wind ripping down the allay at dawn
And the morning paper flies,
Dead man lying by the side of the road
With the daylight in his eyes.
Don't let it bring you down
It's only castles burning,
Find someone who's turning
And you will come around.
Blind man running through the light of the night
With an answer in his hand,
Come on down to the river of sight
And you can really understand,
Red lights flashing through the window in the rain,
Can you hear the sirens moan?
White cane lying in a gutter in the lane,
If you're walking home alone.
Don't let it bring you down
It's only castles burning,
Just find someone who's turning
And you will come around.
Don't let it bring you down
It's only castles burning,
Just find someone who's turning
And you will come around.
Don't let it bring you down
It's only castles burning,
Just find someone who's turning
And you will come around.
The lyrics of Neil Young's "Don’t Let It Bring You Down" paint multiple vignettes of individuals facing difficult circumstances. The opening scene presents a dead man lying by the side of the road, while trucks pass by and the Blue Moon sinks. The description of the "building scrape[ing] the sky" gives a sense of urban bleakness and desolation. The following verse depicts a blind man running and holding an answer in his hand, encouraging the listener to "come on down to the river of sight." The final lines enjoin the listener to "find someone who's turning," implying that in order to overcome hardship and negativity, it is necessary to seek out those who bring positivity and hope.
Throughout the song, Young employs a powerful contradiction between vivid and often disturbing imagery and an uplifting refrain that urges the listener not to let these circumstances bring them down. The metaphor of "only castles burning" suggests the ephemeral nature of even the grandest and most imposing structures, as well as the importance of finding something more meaningful and enduring than material possessions or accomplishments. In essence, the song argues that while the world can be dark and cruel, there is always a glimmer of hope waiting for those who seek it out.
Line by Line Meaning
Old man lying by the side of the road
With the lorries rolling by,
A helpless, aged person lies by the street, while big vehicles keep rushing past him.
Blue moon sinking from the weight of the load
And the building scrape the sky,
The stress of the environment is causing depression, visible through the blue moon struggling under the load, and the towering buildings that seem oppressive.
Cold wind ripping down the allay at dawn
And the morning paper flies,
As a cold, gusty wind blows through the alleyway, the morning papers are blown away in the wind.
Dead man lying by the side of the road
With the daylight in his eyes.
A dead person lies by the street with his eyes wide open, staring into the daylight.
Don't let it bring you down
It's only castles burning,
Even if life appears to fall apart, remember that in the grand scheme of things, it's just a temporary situation.
Find someone who's turning
And you will come around.
Find somebody who has a positive attitude towards life, and they will help you overcome your obstacles.
Blind man running through the light of the night
With an answer in his hand,
A blind man runs through the bright lights at night, carrying an answer to a question that only he knows.
Come on down to the river of sight
And you can really understand,
If you come to a place of clarity, you can gain a true understanding of what's happening in your life.
Red lights flashing through the window in the rain,
Can you hear the sirens moan?
The flashing red lights of sirens are screaming through the windows, trying to make their mark amongst the sounds of the rain.
White cane lying in a gutter in the lane,
If you're walking home alone.
If you have to walk home by yourself, you may encounter a white cane discarded in the lane by somebody who is visually impaired.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind