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/
Mother Earth
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With your fields of green
Once more laid down
By the hungry hand
How long can you
Give and not receive
And feed this world
Ruled by greed
Ruled by greed
Oh, ball of fire
In the summer sky
Your healing light
Your parade of days
Are they betrayed
By the men of power
Who hold this world
In their changing hands
They hold the world
In their changing hands
Oh, freedom land
Can you let this go
Down to the streets
Where the numbers grow
Respect Mother Earth
And her giving ways
Or trade away
Our children's days
Or trade away
Our children's days
Respect Mother Earth
And her giving ways
Or trade away
Our children's days
Neil Young & Crazy Horse's song "Mother Earth" is a powerful protest against the destruction of the natural world by human greed and exploitation. The song is a passionate call for humanity to recognize and respect the incredible gift that they have been given by the earth and to live in harmony with it, rather than exploiting it for short-term gain.
The first verse of the song describes the beauty of the fields of green, but also the damage done by humans in their search for resources. Young asks how long the earth can continue to give without receiving anything in return. He is critical of the greed that is driving this exploitation and calls on humanity to stop and consider the long-term consequences of their actions.
The second verse describes the sun, another powerful force of nature that humanity often takes for granted. Young questions whether the men of power, who hold the world in their changing hands are betraying the earth and its healing powers. He is warning the people of the world to be aware of the harm they may do by exploiting nature for their own benefit. He calls on humanity to respect the earth and all it has to offer or else risk trading away the future of their children.
The third verse reiterates the message of the previous verses, asking the listener again to respect the planet and its giving ways. As the numbers grow on the streets, it is important to remember the impact that humans have on the earth and how it will affect future generations. Neil Young's "Mother Earth" is a powerful message to the world: We must respect the earth and protect its resources, or we risk harming the planet and ourselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, Mother Earth
Neil Young acknowledges the planet and how humans depend on it for life.
With your fields of green
Young appreciates the natural beauty and resources the earth provides.
Once more laid down
Young recognizes the exploitation and destruction of the earth's resources.
By the hungry hand
Young blames the human greed that damages the earth for self-benefit.
How long can you
Young questions how much longer the earth can sustain itself in the current state of exploitation.
Give and not receive
Young argues that humans take from the earth without giving back and without any care for the consequences.
And feed this world
Young acknowledges that the earth provides sustenance for all living beings.
Ruled by greed
Young laments the fact that the world's priorities and decisions are guided by selfishness rather than compassion.
Oh, ball of fire
Young gives the sun a metaphorical title- 'ball of fire'.
In the summer sky
Young describes the sun's appearance during summer season.
Your healing light
Young personifies the sun as a healing light that helps and provides resources to every living being on earth.
Your parade of days
Young refers to the change of daylight throughout the year, called procession of equinoxes.
Are they betrayed
Young questions whether the sun is being neglected or ignored by powerful individuals.
By the men of power
Young accuses the powerful people and organizations of causing the most damage to the earth.
Who hold this world
Young describes how the people in power control the earth and its resources.
In their changing hands
Young reflects how the hands controlling the resources keep changing, coming from one power to another, but ultimately, the results are same.
Oh, freedom land
Young seems to address his own country, the United States, as 'freedom land'.
Can you let this go
Young questions whether the country is willing to give up its destructive behavior and start preserving the earth again.
Down to the streets
Young urges the people to take action and start to save the planet.
Where the numbers grow
Young seems to urge the individuals existing in larger numbers to make a bigger impact.
Respect Mother Earth
Young advocates for respecting and preserving nature.
And her giving ways
Young refers to how the earth provides resources and sustenance to people.
Or trade away
Young warns how the actions of the present generation can have a grave impact on the future generation.
Our children's days
Young talks about the adverse effects our current actions can have on the planet in the future, especially for the future generation.
Or trade away
Young emphasizes the fact that each action we do in the present can have consequences that will have to be borne by future generations.
Our children's days
Young hopes people will act with foresight and not put the future generations' lives in danger.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Neil Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@F3FisGoodforYou
The sound is just out of this world, just fantastic.
@88napolitano
I was there.You could just feel the energy Neil gave off.It was so fucking awesome!A great memory.
@neilbunting8129
Me 2) Guns N' Roses did on the farm = GREAT
@joshuatrees797
It is so easy to fall in love with his raw and genuine emotion.
@theunknownpoet.5767
I enjoyed this so much. I remember the way the 1st chord filled up the 'room'. Neil Young is sort of the the odd guide that I keep running into on the trail.
@dublinboyo
Saw him do this song the same month and year at a enviromental benefit at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on a one off bill with CSN&Y. Heavy stuff and I never forgot it.
@andywatt2376
The best that legendary guitar has sounded. It is perfect.
@mrduckspeak
As it happens, that's Neil's No2 guitar, not "Old Black" - but I know what you mean! :)
@NeoViny
This will never get old....what a wonderful song...
@harryprufert2138
Du hast so rechNeilt, denn es liegt in unserer Hand unserer Erde, Welt und das Leben zu erhalten, die Natur ist göttlich, unser Planet einzigartig, vielleicht sogar einmalig ....