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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Down Down Down
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Have to shut the whole system down
People tryin' to save this earth
From an ugly death
Have to shut the whole system down
People tryin' to live
Working in a world of meat factories
All around the planet
There's a blindness that just can't see
Have to shut the whole system down
They're all wearing climate change
As cool as they can be
Have to shut the whole system down
Shut it down, shut it down
Shut it down, shut it down
Have to shut the whole system down
That's the only way we can all be free
Have to shut the whole system down
Start again and build it for eternity
Have to shut the whole system down
What about the animals?
What about the birds and bees?
Have to shut the whole system down
What about the bookshelves?
What about the history?
Have to shut the whole system down
Shut it down, shut it down
Shut it down, shut it down
Shut it down, shut it down
Shut it down, shut it down
Have to shut the whole system down
When I look at the future
I see hope for you and me
Have to shut the whole system down
Working, working for eternity
Working now
Have to shut the whole system down
When I look to the future
I see hope for you and me
Have to shut the whole system down
Working for eternity
Gonna shut the whole system down
Got to shut the whole system down
Got to shut the whole system down
The lyrics of Neil Young's song Down Down Down are an exploration of forgiveness, regret, and the consequences of our actions. The opening lines suggest a woman waiting in a river, perhaps asking for forgiveness from someone who has wronged her. The second verse delves deeper into the theme of regret, with the singer suggesting that the answer to our problems often lies within us, but we only realize it too late.
In the bridge of the song, the tone shifts to a more confrontational one, with the singer calling out the other person for their actions and highlighting their own wisdom in the situation. The final verse brings us back to the woman in the river, and the singer suggests that if he could see her crying, he would tell her not to care, perhaps because he knows that the person she is waiting for does not deserve her forgiveness.
Overall, the song is a haunting meditation on the power of forgiveness and the dangers of failing to take responsibility for our actions. The imagery of the woman waiting in the river is both evocative and symbolic, suggesting that the act of forgiveness is a cleansing, transformative experience that can help to heal even the deepest wounds.
Line by Line Meaning
Come to see her in the river
Come visit her by the river.
She'll be there to wave to you.
She'll greet you with a wave.
In the hope that you'll forgive her,
She hopes you'll forgive her.
She will join you there...
She'll be with you by the river.
Find out that now was
Realize that the present was
the answer to answers,
the solution to questions
that you gave later.
that you answered later.
She did the things that
She did the same things that
we both did before now,
we both did in the past,
but who forgave her.
but who forgave her for those things.
Now you see how down you've fallen,
Now you realize how far you've fallen,
Now you hear your conscious call.
Now you hear your conscience calling you.
Thank yourself alone for stallin',
You can only thank yourself for holding back,
I'm not there to call...
I'm not there to see you fall further.
Call me a fool cause
You may call me a fool because
I need her, and see her,
I want her, and see her around,
but now you're down.
but now you've fallen.
Something inside you
There's something inside of you
will tell you I'm wise to
that will tell you I'm aware of
what you're spreadin' round.
what you're saying about me behind my back.
If I could stand to see her cryin',
If I could bear to see her cry,
I would tell her not to care.
I would advise her not to worry.
When she learns of all your lyin',
When she finds out about all your lies,
Would she join you there...
Would she still be with you by the river.
Find out that now was
Realize that the present was
the answer to answers,
the solution to questions
that you gave later.
that you answered later.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Neil Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind