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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Give Me Strength
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's not as bad
As some things I have seen
The picture painted here
Is not a dream
The only reality
Is the way it seems
The sadder you fall
The laughter in your eyes
Is never all
Give me strength to move along
Give me strength
To leave my sweetheart
I'm riding down this wet road
In my old car
The moon is almost full
Except for stars
The party ended
Long before the night
She made me feel alive
And that's all right
The happier you fly
The sadder you fall
The laughter in your eyes
Is never all
Give me strength to move along
Give me strength
To leave while she's gone
The happier you fly
The sadder you fall
The laughter in your eyes
Is never all
Give me strength to move along
Give me strength to move along
Give me strength to move along
In "Give Me Strength," Neil Young portrays a lonely man who is contemplating leaving his lover. He begins the song by acknowledging his loneliness, explaining that it’s not as bad as what he has seen, but it is still there. The picture painted here is not a dream, but instead, it is the only reality that he knows. As he sings about how the happier you fly, the sadder you fall, he is acknowledging that the joy in life is often punctuated with pain. The laughter in our eyes is never all, and we need the strength to move along when we have to.
As the song continues, Neil Young sings about how he is driving down a wet road in his old car while the moon is almost full except for stars. The party ended long before the night, and his lover made him feel alive. He knows that leaving her will be difficult, but he needs the strength to move along.
In this song, Neil Young is invoking a sense of longing and melancholy that many people experience. The reality of life is that it's not all happy; it is often filled with ups and downs, good times and bad times. However, the only constant in life is the strength that we draw within ourselves to move forward, and that is what Neil Young is calling for in "Give Me Strength."
Line by Line Meaning
A lonely man I know myself to be
I am aware that I am lonely and have no one to share my thoughts and emotions with.
It's not as bad
However, it is not as bad as some of the things that I have witnessed.
As some things I have seen
I have experienced some horrific events in my life.
The picture painted here
The situation that I am currently in.
Is not a dream
This is not an imaginary situation.
The only reality
The true situation and circumstances.
Is the way it seems
This is how things truly are.
The happier you fly
The happier someone is, the greater the risk of falling into sadness.
The sadder you fall
The deeper the sadness when you eventually fall from that euphoric state.
The laughter in your eyes
Even when someone appears happy on the outside, there may still be an underlying sadness.
Is never all
There is always more beneath the surface that cannot be seen.
Give me strength to move along
I require the mental and emotional strength to move forward from this situation.
Give me strength
I am pleading for help and support to overcome the difficulties I am facing.
To leave my sweetheart
I need to separate myself from someone I am in a romantic relationship with.
I'm riding down this wet road
I am driving down a rainy and dark road, which symbolizes the despair and sadness I am feeling.
In my old car
I am using a worn-out vehicle to show that I am in a deteriorating situation.
The moon is almost full
The moon almost completely illuminating the sky represents a sense of completion and closure, which I am yearning for.
Except for stars
However, the absence of stars dimming the sky signifies that a part of myself is yet to be fulfilled.
The party ended
Something that brought me happiness has now come to an end.
Long before the night
This happiness was short-lived, and the darkness in my mind has returned prematurely.
She made me feel alive
The person I was in a relationship with brought light and happiness into my life.
And that's all right
Despite the relationship ending, I am content that I felt alive and was genuinely happy at some point in my life.
Give me strength to move along
I still require the mental and emotional support to move forward from this situation.
To leave while she's gone
Separating myself from this person is difficult, but it is necessary during this time of emotional turmoil.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Neil Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind