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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Grey Riders
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the wind was howling
I was awaken by the sound
Of hoof beats pounding.
Outside the window, on the ground
My old hound dog was growling
Grey riders flew across my lawn
That voice was calling
And it cut through the night
Come on boys, let her go.
Up on a hill
They rode in one long column
They were freezing in the chill
Of the new day dawning.
Their hair long and grey
They had just one voice calling
Grey riders on the morning sky,
The sun made diamonds of their road-weary eyes.
That voice was calling
And it cut through the night
Come on boys, let her go.
Grey riders on the morning sky,
The sun made diamonds of their road-weary eyes.
That voice was calling
And it cut through the night
Come on boys, let her go.
The night was cold
And the rain came down
Outside the window, on the ground
My old hound dog was awoo...
I was awaken by the sound
Of hoof beats pounding.
Grey riders flew across my lawn
I looked again and they all were gone.
That voice was calling
And it cut through the night
Come on boys, let her go.
The song Grey Riders by Neil Young tells the story of the singer waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of hoof beats and seeing a group of grey riders riding past his window. The riders are described as having long hair and being road-weary. Their leader's voice cuts through the night, calling the riders to let something go. The song also speaks of the riders riding through the cold and the rain.
The theme of the song revolves around letting go of something, which could be an emotional burden or a physical object. The grey riders represent letting go of something from the past and moving forward. The singer sees the riders as a reminder of change and a fresh start, seeing them as "diamonds in their road-weary eyes".
The song could be interpreted in many ways depending on the listener's life experiences. It may speak to those who are struggling to let go of a past relationship, addiction, or memories. It tells the listener that it is possible to move forward and let go of the past.
Line by Line Meaning
The night was cold
It was a chilly evening.
And the wind was howling
The wind was making a loud, eerie noise.
I was awaken by the sound
I was woken up by a noise.
Of hoof beats pounding.
The sound was caused by the rhythmic pounding of hooves.
Outside the window, on the ground
I looked out of the window and noticed something on the ground.
My old hound dog was growling
My dog was making a low, aggressive noise.
Grey riders flew across my lawn
I saw some people on horseback riding across my lawn.
I looked again and they all were gone.
When I looked again, they had disappeared.
That voice was calling
A voice was speaking.
And it cut through the night
The voice was loud and clear enough to be heard clearly in the nighttime silence.
Come on boys, let her go.
The voice was urging the riders to continue their journey.
Up on a hill
The riders were on a hill.
They rode in one long column
The riders were arranged in a single line.
They were freezing in the chill
They were feeling very cold.
Of the new day dawning.
It was the beginning of a new day.
Their hair long and grey
The riders had long, grey hair.
They had just one voice calling
There was only one person speaking.
Grey riders on the morning sky,
The riders were visible against the morning sky.
The sun made diamonds of their road-weary eyes.
The sunlight reflected off the riders' tired eyes, making them appear like diamonds.
And the rain came down
It began to rain.
My old hound dog was awoo...
My dog started to howl.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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