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/
Lookin' For a Leader
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To bring our country home
Reunite the red, white and blue
Before it turns to stone
Lookin' for somebody
Young enough to take it on
Clean up the corruption
And make the country strong
Walkin' among our people
There's someone who's straight and strong
To lead us from desolation
And a broken world gone wrong
Someone walks among us
And I hope he hears the call
And maybe it's a woman
Or a black man after all
Yeah, maybe it's Obama
But he thinks that he's too young
Maybe it's Colin Powell
To right what he's done wrong
America has a leader
But he's not in the house
He's walkin' here among us
And we've got to seek him out
Yeah, we've got our election
But corruption has a chance
We got to have a clean win
To regain confidence
America is beautiful
But she has an ugly side
We're lookin' for a leader
In this country far and wide
We're lookin' for a leader
With the Great Spirit on his side
Lookin' for a leader
With the Great Spirit on his side
Someone walks among us
And I hope he hears the call
And maybe it's a woman
Or a black man after all
In "Lookin' For a Leader," Neil Young sings about the need for a leader to bring the country together and overcome the corruption that has taken hold. He speaks of a quest to find someone young enough to have the energy to enact change, yet wise enough to take on the responsibility of leading America. Young suggests that the leader could be anyone, man or woman, black or white, and poses the question of whether it could be Barack Obama or Colin Powell. He acknowledges that America has a leader, but that this leader is not the one the country needs right now. Young sees America as a beautiful country, but not without flaws, and calls upon the people to find a leader with the great spirit on their side to steer the country towards unity and strength.
Overall, the song speaks to the disillusionment with politics and predicament the US was going through at the time, and echoes themes seen in previous Young songs such as "Ohio" and "Rockin' in the Free World." Young urges listeners to keep searching for the right person to bring the country together and inspire the change needed to address pressing issues.
Line by Line Meaning
Lookin' for a leader
Searching for someone who can improve the state of our country
To bring our country home
To reunite our nation and restore its harmony
Reunite the red, white and blue
Reconcile the divisions between Americans and bring them all together
Before it turns to stone
Before the country becomes hardened and incapable of change
Lookin' for somebody
Searching for an individual with the necessary qualities to lead
Young enough to take it on
Enthusiastic and capable of tackling complex problems
Clean up the corruption
Eliminate unethical practices and restore integrity to the system
And make the country strong
To strengthen the nation by addressing its weaknesses
Walkin' among our people
Existing within our society, near us
There's someone who's straight and strong
There is an individual who is honest and has a sturdy character
To lead us from desolation
To guide us out of despair and hopelessness
And a broken world gone wrong
And a world that has been damaged and is no longer functioning correctly
Someone walks among us
An individual possessing the necessary qualities exists within our society
And I hope he hears the call
I hope that the individual recognizes that he is the one who can help
And maybe it's a woman
It is conceivable that this individual is female
Or a black man after all
Or perhaps it is a black male who is capable of fulfilling the role
Yeah, maybe it's Obama
It is possible that Barack Obama is the appropriate person for the job
But he thinks that he's too young
However, Obama does not believe he is experienced enough
Maybe it's Colin Powell
Another possibility is that Colin Powell is suitable
To right what he's done wrong
To correct any mistakes that Powell might have made in the past
America has a leader
The United States currently has a person in charge
But he's not in the house
However, the leader is not residing in the White House
He's walkin' here among us
He is a member of the general public, just like us
And we've got to seek him out
We must make an active effort to locate this leader and support him
Yeah, we've got our election
We have completed our voting process
But corruption has a chance
However, fraud and unethical behavior could still occur
We got to have a clean win
We need to ensure that the election results are not tainted and are legitimate
To regain confidence
To restore faith in our nation's democratic process
America is beautiful
The United States is a remarkable and stunning country
But she has an ugly side
Despite this, there are flaws within our society that need to be addressed
We're lookin' for a leader
We need someone to guide us and help us overcome our challenges
In this country far and wide
This search is taking place across the entire nation
With the Great Spirit on his side
The leader needs to be inspired and guided by a higher power
Someone walks among us
An individual possessing the necessary qualities exists within our society
And I hope he hears the call
I hope that the individual recognizes that he is the one who can help
And maybe it's a woman
It is conceivable that this individual is female
Or a black man after all
Or perhaps it is a black male who is capable of fulfilling the role
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Danzig Deutsche Geschichte LEBT
Neil Young war und ist ein Musiker, der Wahrheit verkündet. Da ist es ganz egal, ob er ein Canadian (Kanadier) ist oder ein Chinese. Danke Neil, du begleitest mich schon mehr als ein halbes Leben und ich hoffe, es wird noch lange so bleiben. GEHE DEINEN WEG WEITER . Liebe Grüße aus Deutschland (Germany)
Janice Johnson
Something about Neil's voice goes straight to my soul. And pierces my heart.
J B TV
I feel that too, rockin in the free world is my favourite 👌
VenusGrnys
@J B TV I have too many favorites to name them all! Loved his music for such a long time. My favorite thing about him is he always speaks his mind, no matter what anyone thinks or says. These days that takes a bit of courage these days, if you ask me.
Paul Apanowicz
yeah, right? I mean most can admit his voice isn't the best when thinking how everyone else sounds. But the way he uses it, it gets in your head and then it's welcome to stay.
VenusGrnys
@Paul Apanowicz Aah, but only Neil has that voice. And whether his voice is good, bad, or otherwise, it's Neil (all the way)! ❤️❤️❤️
Paul Apanowicz
@VenusGrnys to me, alllllllllll good. He works his voice just like his harmonicas
SunBear Avrigian
Still singing truth to power! Many Blessings Neil Young for all you have done over the years..............still fighting the good fight!
Solange CornellKennedy305
What a Great Song!! Thank you Neil Young!! We need hope & you give that in song!! ❤️🙏🎶
Neil young
You have such a profound impact on my career that even the biggest thank you text would fall shout to express my gratitude. Thanks for your support and the love shown stay safe ❤️❤️❤️