This deals with the fleeting nature of fame and how hard it is to stay relevant as an artist. "Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay" is a '50s song by Danny and the Juniors. Young alludes to or mentions artists from the '50s (Danny and the Juniors), '60s (Elvis), and '70s (The Sex Pistols, specifically lead singer Johnny Rotten) to show that "Rock and roll will never die."
This was the first track on Rust Never Sleeps. Young released a concert documentary with that title the same day as the album.
An alternate version of this called "Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)," is the last song on the album and is the flip side of the single.
The first half of the album, including this, is acoustic. The second half, which includes "Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)," is electric and was recorded with Crazy Horse.
Kurt Cobain's suicide note contained a line from this: "It's better to burn out than to fade away." That line has become one of the most famous song lyrics of all time. When Young was asked by Time magazine in 2005 about the line and Cobain's death, he said: "The fact that he left the lyrics to my song right there with him when he killed himself left a profound feeling on me, but I don't think he was saying I have to kill myself because I don't want to fade away. I don't think he was interpreting the song in a negative way. It's a song about artistic survival, and I think he had a problem with the fact that he thought he was selling out, and he didn't know how to stop it. He was forced to do tours when he didn't want to, forced into all kinds of stuff. I was trying to get a hold of him - because I had heard some of the things he was doing to himself - just to tell him it's OK not to tour, it's OK not to do these things, just take control of your life and make your music. Or, hey, don't make music. But as soon as you feel like you're out there pretending, you're f--cked. I think he knew that instinctively, but he was young and he didn't have a lot of self-control. And who knows what other personal things in his life were having a negative impression on him at the time?"
Def Leppard used the burn out/fade away line at the beginning of their song "Rock Of Ages."
This was included on Live Rust, a concert album recorded later that year. Young performed these concerts with giant amps and microphones on stage as props.
A line from this, "Rust never sleeps," was used as the album title. Young got the line from Mark Mothersbaugh, who is a member of the band Devo.
Neil Young performed this as a duet with Devo and Booji Boy in his movie Human Highway. The full duet is about twelve minutes, and takes place during a hallucination scene in the movie. The movie itself is only good as a B-grade movie, but the live footage of Devo in costume and Neil Young together is worth the price on the video.
In the 1986 movie Highlander, the villain Kurgan quotes this song to people inside a church: "I have something to say! It's better burn out, than to fade away!" By this he means to glorify his ongoing perilous battle for immortality as opposed to living a normal humble life. This is quite an obvious metaphor for being a rock star.
My My Hey Hey
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rock and roll can never die
There's more to the picture
Than meets the eye
Hey, hey, my, my
Out of the blue and into the black
You pay for this, but they give you that
When you're out of the blue and into the black
The king is gone but he's not forgotten (Johnny Rotten, Johnny Rotten)
Is this the story of Johnny Rotten? (Johnny Rotten, Rotten Johnny)
It's better to burn out 'cause rust never sleeps
The king is gone but he's not forgotten
Hey, hey, my, my
Rock and roll can never die
There's more to the picture
Than meets the eye
Neil Young’s song “Hey Hey My My” is a rock anthem that speaks about the inevitability of rock and roll and the cost of fame. The opening line, “Hey, hey, my, my, rock and roll can never die,” is a testament to the power and enduring legacy of rock music. Young is saying that no matter what happens to artists or genres, rock and roll will always be a force to be reckoned with.
The lyrics delve into the darker side of rock and roll, discussing the disingenuous nature of the music industry. The line, “You pay for this, but they give you that” suggests that artists are often exploited and manipulated by record labels and managers, and that the price of fame can come at a high cost. The phrase “out of the blue and into the black” reinforces this idea, implying that artists are often thrown into the limelight without warning and can be easily consumed by the demands of the industry.
Young references Johnny Rotten, the lead singer of the Sex Pistols, in the line, “The king is gone but he's not forgotten.” Rotten was controversial and rebellious, and represented the punk rock movement of the late 1970s. Young then goes on to suggest that it’s better to burn out than to fade away, a line that would later be referenced by Kurt Cobain in his suicide note. This phrase symbolizes the self-destructive behavior that many rock stars exhibit, and the idea that it’s better to die young and leave a lasting legacy than to age and fade into obscurity.
Overall, “Hey Hey My My” is a powerful and poignant song that highlights both the strength and weaknesses of rock and roll. It celebrates the timeless nature of music while also examining the high price that fame can extract from artists.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, hey, my, my
Greetings, dear friends.
Rock and roll can never die
The rock and roll genre will continue to baffle people forever.
There's more to the picture
There is more than what you see
Than meets the eye
than what you perceive or understand
Out of the blue and into the black
This can mean abrupt changes in life, from very fortunate circumstances (the blue) to dark and dire circumstances (the black).
You pay for this, but they give you that
This can refer to bait-and-switch tactics used by salespeople or politicians.
And once you're gone, you can't come back
Once you leave a situation, it is challenging to go back or fix it.
The king is gone but he's not forgotten (Johnny Rotten, Johnny Rotten)
This could be reference to Elvis Presley or any famous musician who is no longer with us.
Is this the story of Johnny Rotten? (Johnny Rotten, Rotten Johnny)
Neil is comparing Johnny Rotten’s story to all musicians whose legend lives on, despite their death.
It's better to burn out 'cause rust never sleeps
It's better to be a comet and blaze brightly than fade away slowly.
Hey, hey, my, my
Greetings, dear friends.
Rock and roll can never die
The rock and roll genre will continue to baffle people forever.
There's more to the picture
There is more to it than meets the eye.
Than meets the eye
Than what you might be currently perceiving or understand.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music
Written by: Neil Young, Jeff Blackburn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind