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/
Goin' Home
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Making his last stand,
With the Indians all around,
And his gun in his hand.
Such a wind was blowing that day,
Through the battleground,
I could feel it in my hair,
Weaving through the buildings,
Cutting though the streets,
Slicing through the culture,
Piling on the weeks.
Going home, I'm going home.
Going home, I'm going home.
Going home.
Dropping in on you my friend,
Is just like old times,
Said the fool who signed the paper,
To assorted slimes.
It's hard to get blood from a stone
But for you I'll give it a try,
To provide your accomodations,
And leave you satisfied.
You'd think it was easy,
To give your life away,
To not have to live up to,
The promises you made.
Going home, I'm going home.
Going home, I'm going home.
Going home.
Elusively she cut the phone,
Moved from cell to cell,
Really looking remarkable,
And obviously doing well.
She made a turn on a wooden bridge,
Into the battleground,
With a thousand warriors on the ridge,
She tried to turn her radio down.
Battle drums were pounding,
All around her car,
She saw her clothes were changing,
Into sky and stars.
Going home, I'm going home.
Going home, I'm going home.
Going home, I'm going home.
Going home, I'm going home.
Going home.
The song "Goin' Home" by Neil Young has a story-like quality to it, with vivid descriptions of different scenes and emotions. The first stanza references the historical event of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand. Young describes the setting, with the wind blowing through the battleground and a sense of tension and danger as the Indians surround Custer. He then abruptly shifts to a modern-day scene, referencing downtown and the culture of city life. The image of weaving through buildings and slicing through the streets adds to the sense of movement and urgency in the song.
The second stanza features a conversation between friends, with one person dropping in to visit another like old times. The singer references a foolish decision to sign a paper for "assorted slimes," likely a reference to signing a contract or deal that has negative consequences. He then offers to provide accommodations, although it is difficult to get blood from a stone, implying that the person he is speaking to may be reluctant to accept help.
The final stanza features a surreal image, with a woman driving on a wooden bridge and encountering a thousand warriors on the ridge, whose battle drums are pounding. As she tries to turn her radio down, her clothes begin to change into "sky and stars." This could represent a metaphorical or mystical transformation as she navigates difficult circumstances. Overall, the song evokes a sense of journey and transition, with themes of history, modernity, and personal struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
On the hill where Custer was,
On the same hill where Custer fought his last battle.
Making his last stand,
Where he made his final fight.
With the Indians all around,
With the Native Americans surrounding him.
And his gun in his hand.
While holding his weapon.
Such a wind was blowing that day,
The wind was very strong on that particular day.
Through the battleground,
Blowing through the field of battle.
I could feel it in my hair,
The wind was strong enough to be felt in the singer's hair.
As I turned towards downtown.
While the artist was facing the city center.
Weaving through the buildings,
Moving through the city streets surrounded by skyscrapers.
Cutting though the streets,
Driving through the busy streets of the city.
Slicing through the culture,
Navigating through the different lifestyles, traditions and customs of the city.
Piling on the weeks.
Spending time in the city and doing various activities.
Going home, I'm going home.
Expressing the desire to return home.
Dropping in on you my friend,
Visiting a friend unexpectedly.
Is just like old times,
Feels like the good old days.
Said the fool who signed the paper,
Referring to a foolish person who made a previous agreement.
To assorted slimes.
A reference to shady and untrustworthy characters.
It's hard to get blood from a stone
Saying it's near impossible to receive something from someone who doesn't have it.
But for you I'll give it a try,
For the sake of the friend, they will attempt the impossible.
To provide your accomodations,
To take care of their friend's living arrangements.
And leave you satisfied.
To ensure their friend is pleased with the arrangements.
You'd think it was easy,
It appears to be a simple task.
To give your life away,
Seemingly giving up one's life for another.
To not have to live up to,
To avoid fulfilling certain obligations.
The promises you made.
Those commitments that were made before.
Elusively she cut the phone,
She ended the phone call in a sneaky or mysterious manner.
Moved from cell to cell,
Changing locations frequently, possibly on the run.
Really looking remarkable,
Appearing stunning or impressive in some way.
And obviously doing well.
Seeming to be in a good place in life.
She made a turn on a wooden bridge,
Taking a turn while driving over a wooden bridge.
Into the battleground,
Entering into an area of contention.
With a thousand warriors on the ridge,
Being surrounded by many enemies in an elevated area.
She tried to turn her radio down.
Attempting to mute the background noise.
Battle drums were pounding,
The sound of war drums were resonating.
All around her car,
Everywhere you could hear the drumming.
She saw her clothes were changing,
Noticing her apparel was transforming.
Into sky and stars.
Taking on the appearance of celestial bodies.
Going home, I'm going home.
The repeated declaration of wanting to return home.
Going home, I'm going home.
Reinforcing the desire to go back to their place of origin.
Going home, I'm going home.
Completing the emphasis on wanting to go back home.
Going home, I'm going home.
Final repetition of wanting to return home.
Going home.
The singer is headed home.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANTOINE DOMINO, ALVIN E YOUNG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Keith Gillis
This is the first time this will be written, so I take credit. If you have been to a live Neil and Crazy Horse concert, then you know the following: It is as if your head is pierced into Neil's chest, and you hear his heart beating and his soul screaming into yours. That, my friend, is what a Neil and Crazy Horse concert is like!!!!!!!!!
Erik Gislason
Beautifully written ‼️
acmemasteri
They played this August 2013...
This is wonderful.
Allan Sørensen
Neil Young is playing this song like his fighting for his dear life. So much passion and so much power it's touching.
Dharma Beach Bum
This performance, this song, simply just blows me away. Neil & Crazy Horse are awesome.
John Crowe
This is spot on neil young and crazy horse! I've watched this video so much over the last almost 20 years it's been on the internet. I just can't watch it enough! So powerful, so loud! So crazy horse! Long live the horse!
Richie Rock
Any time you see Neil play a guitar solo, it looks like he's thinking "let's twat this thing and see what happens".
Fortunately, it always sounds fucking great.
Troy Spencer
Unbelievable version of a unbelievable song. Neil is the man. I was lucky enough to see him in concert twice in the last six months. An experience to last a lifetime, and my 11 year old son got to see Neil for his first concert ever. Awesome
WyldStallyynn
There might be guitarists with more technical chops, but few play with as much passion or creativity as Neil. Love live the godfather of grunge!
Eric Elde
There's moments when everything locks in just right on a performance, random to hit it so perfect, and they fucking nailed it here, glad it was filmed.....