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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Long Walk Home
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Buy her windows on the hill
Laud her flowers on the sill
Till they grow higher and higher.
If Liberty was a little girl
Watching all the flags unfurl
Standing at the big parade
We balance the power
From hour to hour
Giant guns rage
It's such a long walk home
It's such a long walk home
It's such a long walk home.
From Vietnam to old Beirut
If we are searching for the truth
Why do we feel that double-edged blade
Cutting through our hand.
America, America
Where have we gone?
It's such a long walk home
It's such a long walk home
It's such a long walk home.
We balance the power
From hour to hour
Giant guns rage
It's such a long walk home
It's such a long walk home
It's such a long walk home.
The song Long Walk Home by Neil Young and Crazy Horse is a political commentary on the state of the United States of America. The first verse directs a message to the Statue of Liberty, asking for her attention and offering to buy her windows on the hill and praise her flowers on the sill. The metaphorical nature of the lyrics acknowledges the ongoing struggle for freedom in America. The image of the flowers growing higher and higher symbolizes the hope for a brighter future.
The second verse imagines Liberty as a little girl watching the flags unfurling, eagerly anticipating the big parade. The question posed is how would Liberty feel about America now? This rhetorical question implies disappointment that America has not lived up to its ideals of democracy and freedom. The following lines observe the power struggle and the raging of guns, emphasizing the need for change in America.
The chorus repeats the phrase "it's such a long walk home," which could represent the constant struggle for American ideals, the journey to achieve a better future, or the metaphorical distance between where America is and where it should be. The final verse references Vietnam and old Beirut, reminding us of the past and the present conflicts in which America has been involved. Towards the end, the lyrics express a sense of confusion and loss, asking "Where have we gone?"
Line by Line Meaning
If you see Liberty tell her I will
If someone comes across freedom, let them know that I'm committed to improving it.
Buy her windows on the hill
I'll buy her the best views of her surroundings, so she can appreciate the beauty of her freedom.
Laud her flowers on the sill
I'll praise and appreciate the simple blessings that come with freedom, like growing flowers on a windowsill.
Till they grow higher and higher.
I'll take care of those blessings so that they continue to flourish and reach greater heights.
If Liberty was a little girl
If we consider the concept of freedom from a youthful perspective,
Watching all the flags unfurl
Viewing the sight of the triumphant flags waving in the air.
Standing at the big parade
Observing the spectacle of the grand celebration.
How would she like us now?
How would freedom look at our actions in the present, given what it expects of us.
We balance the power
We strive constantly to maintain equilibrium, the right balance of power between different forces.
From hour to hour
This balance keeps changing, often unpredictably, as events unfold from moment to moment.
Giant guns rage
Men and machines of war threaten, their fury unleashed on the battlefield.
It's such a long walk home
The journey back to peace and sanity seems to last forever.
From Vietnam to old Beirut
Whether it's the killing fields of Vietnam or the unrest in Beirut from days gone by,
If we are searching for the truth
In our quest for knowledge and justice,
Why do we feel that double-edged blade
Why does it seem like every step we take to get closer to our goals only brings us even more problems.
Cutting through our hand.
Hurting us even as we try to move forward.
America, America
Addressing the nation, the songwriter asks America,
Where have we gone?
How did we get here?
It's such a long walk home
The road home is long and exhausting,
It's such a long walk home
We repeat again how hard it will be to make it home.
It's such a long walk home.
We drive deep the sentiment that the way out of this difficulty is far off, serving a reminder that we must be patient.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind