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/
Everything Is Broken
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Broken threads, broken springs,
Broken idols, broken heads,
People sleeping in broken beds.
Ain't no use jiving
Ain't no use joking
Everything is broken.
Broken bottles, broken plates,
Broken dishes, broken parts,
Streets are filled with broken hearts.
Broken words never meant to be spoken,
Everything is broken.
Bridge: Seem like every time you stop and turn around
Something else just hit the ground
Broken cutters, broken saws,
Broken buckles, broken laws,
Broken bodies, broken bones,
Broken voices on broken phones.
Take a deep breath, feel like you're chokin',
Everything is broken.
Bridge: Every time you leave and go off someplace
Things fall to pieces in my face
Broken hands on broken ploughs,
Broken treaties, broken vows,
Broken pipes, broken tools,
People bending broken rules.
Hound dog howling, bull frog croaking,
Everything is broken.
In Neil Young's song Everything is Broken, he delves into the theme of brokenness as a metaphor for a shattered society. The verses are filled with references to broken objects, such as "broken lines", "broken strings", "broken bottles", and "broken dishes". These inanimate objects are juxtaposed with images of a broken people - broken heads, broken hearts, broken bones, and even broken laws. The chorus emphasizes the futility of trying to make sense of a world where everything is broken, with the lines "Ain't no use jiving, ain't no use joking, everything is broken". The bridge further emphasizes the inevitability of brokenness, with the lines "Seem like every time you stop and turn around, something else just hit the ground" and "Every time you leave and go off someplace, things fall to pieces in my face".
The use of the term "broken" as a recurring motif in the song reinforces the idea of a society that has collapsed or is in the process of collapsing. It is presented as a pervasive reality that affects every aspect of life, from relationships to the physical world. The chorus suggests a sense of hopelessness and resignation, as if there is no way to fix the brokenness around us.
One interpretation of this song is that it is a commentary on societal decline, particularly in America during the 1980s when the song was written. Young may have been commenting on the political and economic turmoil of the time, with references to "broken treaties" and "broken rules". However, the song's themes of fragmentation and disillusionment are timeless and resonate with audiences today.
Line by Line Meaning
Broken lines, broken strings,
Broken threads, broken springs,
Broken idols, broken heads,
People sleeping in broken beds.
There are broken things everywhere, from lines to strings to idols, and even people's beds are broken. Everything is in disrepair and falling apart.
Ain't no use jiving
Ain't no use joking
Everything is broken.
There's no point in pretending everything is okay, because it's not. Everything is broken, and there's no escaping that fact.
Broken bottles, broken plates,
Broken switches, broken gates,
Broken dishes, broken parts,
Streets are filled with broken hearts.
From everyday objects like bottles and dishes to more important things like gates, everything seems to be broken. Even people's hearts are broken, as evidenced by the state of the streets.
Broken words never meant to be spoken,
Everything is broken.
Even words, which are supposed to be powerful and meaningful, are broken and ineffective. Nothing seems to be able to work properly or correctly.
Seem like every time you stop and turn around
Something else just hit the ground
Every time you try to stop and take a breath, something else falls apart. It's a never-ending cycle of destruction and chaos.
Broken cutters, broken saws,
Broken buckles, broken laws,
Broken bodies, broken bones,
Broken voices on broken phones.
From tools to laws to people's bodies, everything is broken. Even communication, represented by phones and voices, is ineffective and broken.
Take a deep breath, feel like you're chokin',
Everything is broken.
Even the act of breathing feels difficult, like everything is closing in and restricting. Everything is still broken and even taking a breath doesn't feel easy.
Every time you leave and go off someplace
Things fall to pieces in my face
No matter what happens or where you go, things still fall apart. Everything seems to crumble and break down without any explanation or reason.
Broken hands on broken ploughs,
Broken treaties, broken vows,
Broken pipes, broken tools,
People bending broken rules.
From farming equipment to important pledges, everything is broken. Even rules and regulations, meant to keep order, are broken and disregarded.
Hound dog howling, bull frog croaking,
Everything is broken.
Even the sounds of nature, represented by an animal's howl or croak, sound broken and off-kilter. Everything is still in disarray, no matter where you look.
Contributed by Molly N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
R. R. Rubin
I have been dealing with upgrades for my "devices" with Xfinity, Sprint aka now T-Mobile, AT&T and Apple for hours and hours, and these lyrics describe by conclusions"
~~~Broken lines, broken strings
Broken threads, broken springs
Broken idols, broken heads
People sleeping in broken beds
Ain’t no use jiving
Ain’t no use joking
Everything is broken
Broken bottles, broken plates
Broken switches, broken gates
Broken dishes, broken parts
Streets are filled with broken hearts
Broken words never meant to be spoken
Everything is broken
Seem like every time you stop and turn around
Something else just hit the ground
Broken cutters, broken saws
Broken buckles, broken laws
Broken bodies, broken bones
Broken voices on broken phones
Take a deep breath, feel like you’re choking
Everything is broken
Every time you leave and go off someplace
Things fall to pieces in my face
Broken hands on broken ploughs
Broken treaties, broken vows
Broken pipes, broken tools
People bending broken rules
Hound dog howling, bullfrog croaking
Everything is broken~~~
Steve Thomas
It was played the year the album came out, now those are fans.
Jude The Neil Young Girl
OMG! That description of this video is absolutely DIVINE!! I found myself yelling yah! Alright! OMG! out loud, as if I was right there and experiencing the show live! You nailed it, my wonderfully descriptive fellow CSNY FANatic! I loved your review! You have a gift for capturing the feeling of what's going down and relaying it to others with startling " you are there" accuracy. Do you write for a living? You should be! You'd be a natural reviewer! Anyway, THANK YOU, SOOOO MUCH! I do wish I could have been there for that amazing, magical show.....BUT...YOUR review was the next best thing, EVER!!! LOVE YOU!
Jude The Neil Young Girl
Oh, I see now that Don Leary wrote this. I am assuming that Don IS a professional writer/reviewer and rightly so. He really does have a gift for it! WOW! LOVE HIM!
Darren Krivit
One of my favorite Dylan tunes done by some of my favorite musicians 😎ragged and awesome
DANA WHITEHOUSE
Great Dylan cover. Nice one Neil and Tom !!
Amber Buck
Phenomenal!
Jimmy Newark
wHAT a GreAt tUNE . One of the best songs ever in my mind . eVeRy ThINg is bRoKeN . Neil Young was made to sing this one .
Kathy Trim
There's a CD called "This Ain't No Tribute". It contains Dylan's music done by different people. Pretty good CD.
Shannon Kringen
love hearing tom petty with neil young.
Free America
Me too and it's broken for sure except this music.