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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Let's Impeach the President
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Misleading our country into war
Abusing all the power that we gave him
And shipping all our money out the door
Who's the man who hired all the criminals
The white house shadows who hide behind closed doors
And bend the facts to fit with their new story
Let's impeach the president for spyin'
On citizens inside their own homes
Breaking every law in the country
By tapping our computers and telephones
What is Al Queda blew up the levees
Would New Orleans have been safer that way?
Sheltered by our government's protection
Or was someone just not home that day?
Flip...
Flop...
Flip...
Flop...
Flip...
Let's impeach the president for hijacking
Our religion and using it to get elected
Dividing our country into colors
And still leaving black people neglected
Thank God he's crackin' down on steroids
Since he sold his old baseball team
There's lots of people lookin' at big trouble
But of course the president is clean
Thank God
Thank God
Thank God
Thank God...
Neil Young's song Let's Impeach the President is a political commentary on the actions of then-President George W. Bush. The song accuses Bush of lying to the American people and misleading the country into war, abusing his power, and mishandling the government's finances. Young also criticizes the administration for spying on citizens, violating their privacy by tapping their phones and computers. He also raises questions about the government's response to Hurricane Katrina, suggesting that the administration's negligence may have contributed to the disaster. Finally, he condemns the president for using religion as a tool to gain power and for perpetuating racial inequality in the United States.
Young's song expresses a deep frustration with the Bush administration's policies and actions, which he sees as a betrayal of the American people. By calling for the president's impeachment, Young is suggesting that the administration should be held accountable for its actions and that the American people have the power to demand change. Although the song is explicitly political, it also speaks to broader themes of justice, truth, and the responsibilities of those in power.
Line by Line Meaning
Let's impeach the president for lyin'
We should remove the president from office for lying to us
Misleading our country into war
He manipulated our country into going to war based on false information
Abusing all the power that we gave him
He has taken advantage of his position of power
And shipping all our money out the door
He has misused the funds of our country
Who's the man who hired all the criminals
Who allowed corrupt officials to serve in our government?
The white house shadows who hide behind closed doors
The people in power who operate in secrecy
And bend the facts to fit with their new story
They manipulate and twist facts to create a false narrative
Of why we have to send out men to war
Justifying military action with false reasons
Let's impeach the president for spyin'
We should remove the president from office for illegally spying on American citizens
On citizens inside their own homes
Watching and listening to people's private lives without permission
Breaking every law in the country
Violating the laws that protect citizens' privacy
By tapping our computers and telephones
Monitoring private technology without legal authority
What if Al Queda blew up the levees
What if terrorists destroyed a major American city?
Would New Orleans have been safer that way?
Would we be better off if the government did nothing to help?
Sheltered by our government's protection
Protected by the government's actions and support
Or was someone just not home that day?
Or did our leaders simply fail to act?
Let's impeach the president for hijacking
We should remove the president from office for manipulating religion for political gain
Our religion and using it to get elected
Using faith to win votes and influence power
Dividing our country into colors
Creating tension and conflict between people of different races
And still leaving black people neglected
Not doing enough to support and improve the lives of African Americans
Thank God he's crackin' down on steroids
Sarcastically commenting on the president's focus on trivial issues instead of important matters
Since he sold his old baseball team
He has an ulterior motive for his actions, based on personal gain
There's lots of people lookin' at big trouble
Many people are in serious legal trouble
But of course the president is clean
Sarcastically commenting on the president's supposed innocence and lack of corruption when many around him are being investigated
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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