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/
No One Seems to Know
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now, it seems that time
Is better spent
Searching than in finding
But no one seems to know.
So don't say you lose,
Don't say you lose,
And no one else will know,
No one else will know.
When you're down you gather strength
To leave the ground
And when you're high
It makes you weak and you fall back down.
Once I was in love
Now, it seems that time
Is better spent
Searching than in finding
But no one seems to know.
In Neil Young's song No One Seems to Know, the lyrics seem to speak of the search for love and the disappointment of finding it elusive. The opening line, "Once I was in love," hints that in the past, the singer was able to experience romantic love, but now he seems to be giving up on finding it again. The lines "Now, it seems that time/Is better spent/Searching than in finding" suggest that perhaps the singer has shifted his focus from trying to be in love to seeking other things in life. However, the line "But no one seems to know" adds a sense of frustration and confusion. Despite the singer's efforts, it seems like nobody else understands what he's going through.
The chorus of the song offers some advice on how to deal with the pain of disappointment. The repetition of "Don't say you lose" and "Don't say you win" seems to imply that labels like "success" or "failure" don't really matter when it comes to matters of the heart. The last line of the chorus, "No one else will know," suggests that ultimately, the feelings and experiences that come with love are personal and can't be fully understood by others.
The second half of the song talks about the ups and downs of love. The lines "When you're down you gather strength/To leave the ground" and "And when you're high/It makes you weak and you fall back down" speak to the idea that love can be both empowering and humbling. The final repetition of the chorus underscores the sense of isolation and confusion that the singer feels.
Overall, No One Seems to Know is a poignant reflection on the trials and tribulations of love. While the singer seems to be resigned to the fact that love may be difficult to find again, the song also suggests that there is hope in the struggle.
Line by Line Meaning
Once I was in love
There was a time when I was deeply in love with someone.
Now, it seems that time
But that time has passed and now things are different.
Is better spent
Time is better utilized doing something else.
Searching than in finding
It's more worthwhile to spend time looking for something instead of actually finding it.
But no one seems to know.
However, it seems as though no one really understands this or agrees with it.
So don't say you lose,
Don't admit defeat,
Don't say you lose,
Because it doesn't matter to anyone else.
Don't say you win,
Don't boast about your accomplishments,
And no one else will know,
Because no one else really cares about your victories or losses.
When you're down you gather strength
When you're feeling low, you find the motivation to pick yourself up.
To leave the ground
To rise above your struggles.
And when you're high
When you're feeling accomplished and successful.
It makes you weak and you fall back down.
Success doesn't always last and can sometimes bring you right back down.
Contributed by Jason M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.