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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Greensleeves
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
By treating me discourteously
'Cause I have loved you oh so long
Delighting in your company
Greensleeves was all my joy
Greensleeves was my delight
Greensleeves was my heart of gold
And blue but my lady Greensleeves
As they stood beneath the ocean's roar
Greensleeves was my desire
Blue, but my lady Greensleeves
The lyrics of Neil Young's version of Greensleeves are actually a variation of a traditional English folk song. The song speaks of unrequited love and heartbreak.
The first stanza paints a picture of a love gone awry with the singer lamenting the treatment he's receiving from his lover. He feels wronged because of the discourtesy that has been shown to him. Despite this, he still loves his significant other and has done so for an extended period of time. He's enjoyed the time they've spent together.
The chorus reveals that Greensleeves - a reference to the lady in question - was the subject of the singer's adoration. She was everything to him, and he cherished her. The third verse leads to a recognition of how much Greensleeves meant to him, as the singer reminisces about how she clad herself only in the titular cloth. They stood together in a tumultuous setting - beneath the ocean's roar - a testament to their love. However, despite those significant events, Greensleeves remained the singer's only desire, but the woman herself remained distant.
Line by Line Meaning
Alas my love you do me wrong
I am disappointed in you, my love
By treating me discourteously
By not showing me the respect I deserve
'Cause I have loved you oh so long
I have loved you for a very long time
Delighting in your company
I have enjoyed being with you
Greensleeves was all my joy
The song Greensleeves brought me great happiness
Greensleeves was my delight
I found joy in Greensleeves
Greensleeves was my heart of gold
Greensleeves meant everything to me
And blue but my lady Greensleeves
But my woman Greensleeves was also sad
Greensleeves were all she wore
She only wore Greensleeves
As they stood beneath the ocean's roar
As they stood together amidst loud ocean waves
Greensleeves was my desire
I longed for Greensleeves
Blue, but my lady Greensleeves
My woman Greensleeves was also sad
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Neil Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind