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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Don't Take Your Love Away
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm askin' of you
There's just one thing,
baby, I'm askin' of you
Don't ever leave me, baby
No matter what you do
There's just one thing
I'm askin' of you.
Don't take your love away from me
Don't take your love away from me
'Cause if you ever leave me, baby
How wrong you would be
Don't take your love away from me.
When I make a promise,
you can bet that it's true
When I make a promise,
baby, you can bet that it's true
So put your chips down, baby
Empty your pockets, too
'Cause when I make a promise,
you can bet that it's true.
Don't take your love away from me
Don't take your love away from me
'Cause if you ever leave me, baby
How wrong you would be
Don't take your love away from me.
The lyrics to Neil Young's "Don't Take Your Love Away From Me" are a plea for love and commitment. The singer is asking his lover to never leave him, no matter what happens. He promises that when he makes a promise, it's true and that he's willing to put everything on the line for their relationship.
The repetition of the line "Don't take your love away from me" emphasizes the singer's fear of losing his lover. He acknowledges that if she were to leave, it would be a devastating loss, and he wants to do everything in his power to prevent that from happening. The line "How wrong you would be" is interesting because it suggests that the lover would be making a mistake by leaving, as if she doesn't fully understand the value of their relationship.
Overall, this song is about the fear of losing someone you love and the importance of commitment in relationships. The singer is putting everything on the line to keep his lover by his side and is hoping that she will do the same.
Line by Line Meaning
There's just one thing
I have a specific request
I'm askin' of you
I am asking for a favor
There's just one thing,
This is the only thing I need from you
baby, I'm askin' of you
I am asking you, my beloved
Don't ever leave me, baby
Please never abandon me
No matter what you do
Regardless of any situation
There's just one thing
This is still the only thing I need from you
I'm askin' of you.
I am still asking for your help
Don't take your love away from me
Please don't withhold your affection
Don't take your love away from me
Please keep your feelings for me strong
'Cause if you ever leave me, baby
Because if you ever abandon me, my love
How wrong you would be
It would be a mistake on your part
Don't take your love away from me.
So please don't take away your love from me.
When I make a promise,
Whenever I make a commitment
you can bet that it's true
You can trust that I will follow through
So put your chips down, baby
So have faith in me, my love
Empty your pockets, too
Put everything into it
'Cause when I make a promise,
Because I take my promises seriously
you can bet that it's true.
You can definitely rely on me.
Lyrics © Silver Fiddle, O/B/O CAPASSO, Peermusic Publishing, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Neil Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind