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/
Living With War
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm living with war in my heart everyday
I'm living with war right now
And when the dawn breaks
I see my fellow man
And on the flat-screen
We kill and we're killed again
I pray for peace
Try to remember peace (visualize)
I join the multitudes
I raise my hand in peace
I never bow to the laws
Of the thought police
I take a holy vow
To never kill again
To never kill again
I'm living with war in my heart
I'm living with war in my heart and my mind
I'm living with war right now
Don't take no tidal wave
Don't take no mass grave
Don't take no smokin' gun
To show how the west was won
But when the curtain falls
I pray for peace
Try to remember peace (visualize)
In the crowded streets
In the big hotels
In the mosques
And the doors of the old museum
I take a holy vow
To never kill again
Try to remember peace
The rocket's red glare
Bombs bursting in air
Give proof through the night
That our flag is still there
I'm living with war everyday
I'm living with war in my heart everyday
I'm living with war right now
I'm living with war right now
I'm living with war in my heart everyday
I'm living with war right now
Living With War is a song that captures the emotionally charged thoughts and feelings of someone living in a world dominated by violence and conflict. The lyrics capture the dichotomy of war where on one hand we pray for peace, and on the other, contribute to the endless cycle of violence.
The song expresses a deep sense of loss and helplessness in the face of an endless war. The lyrics depict the brutality of the conflict as being all-pervading, from the flat-screen TV to the streets and hotels. At the same time, the chorus reminds us of the personal struggle that the singer is going through, as he is "living with war in my heart and my mind."
The song ends with a rousing call to arms, as the singer takes a vow to never kill again. It is a call for all of us to try and remember the cause of peace, and to work towards it, even in the face of overwhelming adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm living with war everyday
I experience war on a daily basis
I'm living with war in my heart everyday
I carry the pain of war within me every day
I'm living with war right now
The war is happening in the present moment
And when the dawn breaks
At the start of the day
I see my fellow man
I observe those around me
And on the flat-screen
On the television
We kill and we're killed again
The cycle of violence continues
And when the night falls
At the end of the day
I pray for peace
I hope for an end to the conflict
Try to remember peace (visualize)
I try to visualize a peaceful world
I join the multitudes
I am part of the masses
I raise my hand in peace
I am peaceful in my actions
I never bow to the laws
I do not follow oppressive rules
Of the thought police
I do not adhere to the ideologies of those in power
I take a holy vow
I make a sacred commitment
To never kill again
I promise to never take another life
To never kill again
I maintain my commitment to non-violence
I'm living with war in my heart
The pain and trauma of war is with me emotionally
I'm living with war in my heart and my mind
The effects of war are present in both my emotions and thoughts
Don't take no tidal wave
Do not allow a disaster to happen
Don't take no mass grave
Do not allow for mass casualties
Don't take no smokin' gun
Do not wait for proof of violence
To show how the west was won
To glorify the conquest of the West
But when the curtain falls
At the end of the show
I pray for peace
I still hope for an end to the conflict
Try to remember peace (visualize)
I envision a world without war
In the crowded streets
In densely populated areas
In the big hotels
Even in luxurious establishments
In the mosques
In the Muslim places of worship
And the doors of the old museum
In the historical buildings
I take a holy vow
I make a sacred commitment
To never kill again
I promise to maintain non-violence
Try to remember peace
I still strive for a peaceful world
The rocket's red glare
The explosion of war
Bombs bursting in air
The destruction from explosions
Give proof through the night
Demonstrate the presence of war throughout the night
That our flag is still there
A reminder of the nation we are fighting for
I'm living with war everyday
The conflict is ongoing
I'm living with war in my heart everyday
The pain and trauma persist within me
I'm living with war right now
The war is still happening in the present moment
I'm living with war right now
The effects of the war are currently present
I'm living with war in my heart everyday
The trauma and consequences remain with me continuously
I'm living with war right now
The conflict is a present reality
Lyrics © Silver Fiddle, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: NEIL YOUNG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Reginaldo Andrade
I'm living with war everyday
I'm living with war in my heart everyday
I'm living with war right now
And when the dawn breaks I see my fellow man
And on the flat-screen we kill and we're killed again
And when the night falls, I pray for peace
Try to remember peace (visualize)
I join the multitudes
I raise my hand in peace
I never bow to the laws of the thought police
I take a holy vow
To never kill again
To never kill again
I'm living with war in my heart
I'm living with war in my heart in my mind
I'm living with war right now
Don't take no tidal wave
Don't take no mass grave
Don't take no smokin' gun
To show how the west was won
But when the curtain falls, I pray for peace
Try to remember peace (visualize)
In the crowded streets
In the big hotels
In the mosques and the doors of the old museum
I take a holy vow
To never kill again
Try to remember peace
The rocket's red glare
Bombs bursting in air
Give proof through the night,
That our flag is still there
I'm living with war everyday
I'm living with war in my heart everyday
I'm living with wat right now
neilyoungchannel
Hi, this is Neil. Link to the NYA info-card for this song with press, documents, manuscripts, photos, videos. Look around NYA for fun and listening! ALL my music in high resolution at https://neilyoungarchives.com/info-card?track=t2006_0329_02
Trése
Came back as a 404
Gary Brinker
This whole album is one of his greatest..!
Ishak Sharif
I'm no American but Neil's music plays an important role in keeping the citizens about the fate of war, losing love ones, heavy budget out of the people's money, etc ,, etc, keep it up Neil, may the All Mighty be with you
Beatriz
I love this song. Here cause or HBO's We Are Who We Are
André de Paula
same
Spices and Stories
Same here.
Coy Harlingen
me too! such an effecting scene.
IndustrialDonut
My dad used to play this song in the car a lot, still love it
James Miles
Cool Dad