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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Hippie Dream
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't listen to me
It ain't paradise
But it used to be
There was a time
When the river was wide
And the water came running down
To the rising tide
Were just a hippie dream
Just a hippie dream.
Don't bat an eye
Don't waste a word
Don't mention nothin'
That could go unheard
'Cause the tie-dye sails
Are the screamin' sheets
And the dusty trail
Leads to blood in the streets
And the wooden ships
Are a hippie dream
Capsized in excess
If you know what I mean.
Just because it's over for you
Don't mean it's over for me
It's a victory for the heart
Every time the music starts
So please don't kill the machine
Don't kill the machine
Don't kill the machine.
Another flower child goes to seed
In an ether-filled room of meat-hooks
It's so ugly
So ugly.
Neil Young's song "Hippie Dream" is a reflection of the loss of idealism and the dark side of the counterculture movement of the 60s and 70s. The song begins with the singer advising his listeners to take his advice but not to rely on him since he doesn't have all the answers. He goes on to say that life isn't perfect, but it used to be. There was a time when the river was wide, and the water came running down to the rising tide, but the wooden ships were only a hippie dream.
The second verse talks about the dangers of being too vocal about personal beliefs. The singer warns people not to waste their words or mention anything that could go unheard, because the tie-dye sails are the screaming sheets, and the dusty trail leads to blood in the streets. The wooden ships are a hippie dream, capsized in excess. The third verse encourages people not to give up on the things that make them happy. The singer declares that just because it's over for some people, it doesn't mean that it's over for him. Every time the music starts, it's a victory for the heart, so he pleads with others not to kill the machine.
The final lines of the song talk about the end of the hippie era, where another flower child goes to seed in an ethereal room of meat hooks. It's a somber reflection on the direction that the counterculture movement had taken and the drugs and violence that had infiltrated it, ultimately leading to its demise.
Line by Line Meaning
Take my advice
Listen to what I have to say
Don't listen to me
Don't believe me blindly
It ain't paradise
The world is not perfect
But it used to be
It was better before
There was a time
In the past
When the river was wide
The river was broader
And the water came running down
The water flowed fast
To the rising tide
Toward the increasing water level
But the wooden ships
The ships made of wood
Were just a hippie dream
They were a product of the hippie culture's imagination
Don't bat an eye
Don't be surprised
Don't waste a word
Don't say anything unnecessary
Don't mention nothin'
Don't talk about anything
That could go unheard
That might not be heard by everyone
'Cause the tie-dye sails
The colorful sails
Are the screamin' sheets
Are screaming and drawing attention
And the dusty trail
The path traveled by the hippies
Leads to blood in the streets
Results in violence and chaos
And the wooden ships
The imaginary ships
Are a hippie dream
Are a product of the hippie culture's imagination
Capsized in excess
Destroyed by excessive indulgence
If you know what I mean
If you understand what I'm saying
Just because it's over for you
Just because you're done with it
Don't mean it's over for me
Doesn't mean I'm also done with it
It's a victory for the heart
It's a win for the soul
Every time the music starts
Whenever the music begins
So please don't kill the machine
Don't destroy the system
Another flower child goes to seed
Another hippie becomes disillusioned
In an ether-filled room of meat-hooks
In a room full of drugs and danger
It's so ugly
It's not pretty
So ugly.
Very unappealing
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: NEIL YOUNG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind