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/
Needle Of Death
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And sorrow hides the longing to be free
When things go wrong with each day
You fix your mind to 'scape your misery
Your troubled young life
Had made you turn
To the needle of death
How strange your happy words
Have ceased to bring a smile from everyone
How tears have filled the eyes
Of friends that you once walked among
Your troubled young life
Had made you turn
To the needle of death
One grain of pure white snow
Dissolved in blood spread quickly to your brain
In peace your mind withdraws
Your death so near your soul can't feel no pain
And your troubled young life
Had made you turn
To the needle of death
Your mother stands a'cryin'
While to the earth your body's slowly cast
Your father stands in silence
Caressing every young dream of the past
And your troubled young life
Had made you turn
To the needle of death
Through ages, man's desires
To free his mind, to release his very soul
Has proved to all who live
That death itself is freedom for evermore
And your troubled young life
Might make you turn
To the needle of death
And your troubled young life
Might make you turn
To the needle of death
The lyrics to Neil Young's "Needle of Death" tell the story of a young person who turns to drug use as a means of escaping from their unhappiness and sorrow. The opening lines convey the melancholy that the character is experiencing, while the following lines provide insight into the motivation behind their drug use. The repetition of the line "Your troubled young life had made you turn to the needle of death" underscores the idea that drug use is often a response to difficult circumstances, and can ultimately lead to tragic consequences.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become more graphic in describing the physical and emotional toll of the drug use. The line "One grain of pure white snow/ Dissolved in blood spread quickly to your brain" describes the immediate effects of injecting heroin, which can lead to a quick and possibly fatal overdose. The depiction of the young person's parents mourning their child's death reinforces the idea that the consequences of drug use extend far beyond the individual who uses them.
Overall, "Needle of Death" is a haunting portrayal of the dangers of drug use, and provides an emotional and powerful reminder that addiction and overdose can happen to anyone.
Line by Line Meaning
When sadness fills your heart
You feel overwhelmed with sadness.
And sorrow hides the longing to be free
Your sadness keeps you from feeling truly free.
When things go wrong with each day
Your life feels like a constant struggle.
You fix your mind to 'scape your misery
You try to escape your troubles by any means necessary.
Your troubled young life
You have had a difficult life so far.
Had made you turn
Your life experiences influenced your decision.
To the needle of death
You have turned to drugs as a way to cope with your pain.
How strange your happy words
People are surprised to hear you talk happily.
Have ceased to bring a smile from everyone
Your words no longer have the power to make people happy.
How tears have filled the eyes
People are sad about the changes they've seen in you.
Of friends that you once walked among
Your friends are saddened by how you've changed.
One grain of pure white snow
You started using drugs gradually.
Dissolved in blood spread quickly to your brain
The drugs took hold of you fairly quickly.
In peace your mind withdraws
The drugs give you a sense of peace.
Your death so near your soul can't feel no pain
You are so close to the brink of death that you don't feel any pain.
Your mother stands a'cryin'
Your mother is heartbroken.
While to the earth your body's slowly cast
Your body is being buried slowly.
Your father stands in silence
Your father is in shock and doesn't know what to say.
Caressing every young dream of the past
Your father is reminiscing about the happy times.
Through ages, man's desires
Throughout history, people have always had desires.
To free his mind, to release his very soul
People have always wanted to feel free and unburdened.
Has proved to all who live
People have learned through experience.
That death itself is freedom for evermore
Some people believe that death is the ultimate freedom.
Might make you turn
Your life experiences could influence your decisions.
To the needle of death
You might turn to drugs to cope with your pain.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bert Jansch
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ʝ ٥
When sadness fills your heart
And sorrow hides the longing to be free
When things go wrong with each day
You fix your mind to escape your misery
Your troubled young life
Had made you turn
To the needle of death
How strange your happy words
Have ceased to bring a smile from everyone
How tears have filled the eyes
Of friends that you once walked among
Your troubled young life
Had made you turn
To the needle of death
One grain of pure white snow
Dissolved in blood spread quickly to your brain
In peace your mind withdraws
Your death so near your soul can't feel no pain
And your troubled young life
Had made you turn
To the needle of death
Your mother stands a'cryin'
While to the earth your body's slowly cast
Your father stands in silence
Caressing every young dream of the past
And your troubled young life
Had made you turn
To the needle of death
Through ages, man's desires
To free his mind, to release his very soul
Has proved to all who live
That death itself is freedom for evermore
And your troubled young life
Might make you turn
To the needle of death
Jorge Royo
Incredible Neil Young ... This beautiful song was written by Bert Jansch, but Neil made it a SUPER song:
When sadness fills your heart
And sorrow hides the longing to be free
When things go wrong each day
You fix your mind to 'scape your misery
Your troubled young life
Had made you turn
To a needle of death
How strange, your happy words
Have ceased to bring a smile from everyone
How tears have filled the eyes
Of friends that you once had walked among
Your troubled young life
Had made you turn
To a needle of death
One grain of pure white snow
Dissolved in blood spread quickly to your brain
In peace your mind withdraws
Your death so near your soul can't feel no pain
Your troubled young life
Had made you turn
To a needle of death
Your mother stands a'cryin'
While to the earth your body's slowly cast
Your father stands in silence
Caressing every young dream of the past
Your troubled young life
Had made you turn
To a needle of death
Through ages, man's desires
To free his mind, to release his very soul
Has proved to all who live
That death itself is freedom for evermore
And your troubled young life
Will make you turn
To a needle of death
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=t2013_0916_04
Max Boles
I saw Bert do this at one of the last shows he played, and opening for Neil Young. It was amazing, I'm thankful I got the chance to see him live. Good job, Neil!
David Charlton
Neil Young as original as ever. I love the idea of this album. Can't wait to hear the rest.
Ali Whitwell
Written by the great Scottish singer/songwriter Bert Jansch.
Aluisio Cavalcante Jr
O belo não tem nacionalidade.
Pertence ao coração.
Cresce com a alma.
Espalha-se no sorriso.
Ouvir Neil,
é acariciar a vida,
com mãos de esperança.
Tyson Reid
Lost my brother in 2014 to an overdose..still find myself coming back to this song when I'm in my feels.
Lisa Lynch
Neil Young is a genius...he wrote the songbook for my life
m vl
But he didn’t write this song..
shmoodizzle420
ME TOO!!
Kaj Frilund
It's always magic, when Neil sings & plays.