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/
Heavy Love
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In your search for higher love
I may just slip right by you
With your eyes turned up above.
We may not compromise
I may not suit your taste tonight
My love
You might think that I'm all right
My love, my heavy love.
A noise, your phone is ringing
Or is that someone at your door
Inside your head I'm singing
Inside your heart I cry for more.
You may not hear me calling
You may not feel me bawling out
My love
But heavy rocks are falling
Heavy love is coming down
My love, my heavy love.
A noise, your phone is ringing
Or is that someone at your door
Inside your head I'm singing
Inside your heart I dig for more.
We may not compromise
I may not suit your taste tonight
My sweet love
But as the time goes by
You might think that I'm all right
My love, my heavy love.
My heavy love.
Neil Young's song Heavy Love is a song about a man who is struggling to connect with the one he loves. He recognizes that he may not be the perfect match for his partner's search for a higher love, but he hopes that with time she will see that his love is genuine and heavy. The first verse speaks to the uncertainty of love and how easily it can slip away if one's focus is always on the search for something better. The second verse speaks to the frustration and pain of not being heard or seen by the one you love. The line "inside your heart I cry for more" is a poignant reminder of how deep love can be and how much it hurts when it's not reciprocated.
Line by Line Meaning
I may not mystify you
I may not impress or enchant you
In your search for higher love
In your quest for a more meaningful love
I may just slip right by you
I may go unnoticed by you
With your eyes turned up above.
As you focus on something else
We may not compromise
We may not find common ground
I may not suit your taste tonight
I may not be what you're looking for right now
My love
My affection
But as the time goes by
As time passes
You might think that I'm all right
You may come to see me in a different light
My love, my heavy love.
My powerful, intense affection
A noise, your phone is ringing
A distraction from our conversation
Or is that someone at your door
Maybe someone is trying to get your attention
Inside your head I'm singing
You can't get me out of your mind
Inside your heart I cry for more.
I crave more love from you
You may not hear me calling
You may not perceive my desire for you
You may not feel me bawling out
You may not sense my emotional outpouring
My love
My passion
But heavy rocks are falling
Serious issues are happening
Heavy love is coming down
My intense love is overwhelming
My love, my heavy love.
My powerful, intense affection
We may not compromise
We may not find common ground
I may not suit your taste tonight
I may not be what you're looking for right now
My sweet love
My beloved
But as the time goes by
As time passes
You might think that I'm all right
You may come to see me in a different light
My love, my heavy love.
My powerful, intense affection
My heavy love.
My powerful affection
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Colin Williams
Neil Young at his very, VERY best.I never heard this deep cut before.
Andrew Goldbergs
Need more of this rock relief in such tough times economically, politically and morally. COMMIT TO IT NEIL and band!
Paul Blakey
Totally agree with you! Nice comment
Kanji WoooWooo
One of my favorite Neil Young deep cuts!
Marcos
Me too.... It is the best cut.
Henk Oosterhof
Neil young at his best.
James Morrison
Neil's my favorite music hero. I learned to play quite a lot of his songs.
Richie Williams
Just what my ears need Neil blistering out his guitar good old black skin up and let the good times roll . keep on Rockin thumbs up 👍
John Locke
20 years ago I almost paid 60 bucks for an import of this EP. So glad that he finally released it.
Paul Blakey
Just what we need to keep sane in this crazy world. Always a pleasure and great music to treasure!