Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian singer, guitaris… Read Full Bio ↴Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian singer, guitarist, songwriter, and social activist who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation, particularly as Neil Young & Crazy Horse. Young was born in Toronto, but he moved to the family home of Winnipeg as a child, which is where his music career began. Young began performing as a solo artist in Canada in 1960, before moving to California in 1966, where he co-founded the band Buffalo Springfield along with Stephen Stills and Richie Furay.

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/

Off The Road
Neil Young Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When the day is done
And the sun is sinking low
When you see the light
When you been most everywhere

You go
You go

When the traffic's slow
Break lines lined up for miles and miles
And you know the end is not in sight
You can never take your rides

Off the road
Off the road

When you're all alone
And you've been driving through the night
And you know the end is not in sight
You can never take your rides

Off the road
Off the road

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Neil Young's song "Off The Road" touch on themes of travel and the desire for escape. The song describes the experience of being on the road, moving from place to place, and feeling like there is no end in sight. The lyrics capture the sense of restlessness and the search for peace that one can feel while traveling.

The opening lines set the tone for the song, as they describe the feeling of being tired and ready to rest after a long day of traveling. The use of the sun sinking low in the sky adds to the idea of the day coming to an end, and the sense of weariness that comes with it. The line "when you been most everywhere" speaks to the idea of being well-traveled and having seen a lot of the world, but still feeling like there is more to explore.

As the song progresses, it speaks to the frustration of being stuck in traffic and feeling like there is no end in sight. The repetition of the phrase "off the road" emphasizes the desire to break free from the constraints of daily life and escape into the freedom of the open road. The final verse, which describes the experience of driving through the night, adds to the sense of isolation and loneliness that can come with long-term travel.

Overall, "Off The Road" is a poignant commentary on the joys and challenges of travel. It captures the highs and lows of being on the road, and speaks to the universal desire for escape and adventure.

Line by Line Meaning

When the day is done
At the end of a long day

And the sun is sinking low
As the sun sets

When you see the light
When you see something promising

When you been most everywhere
After traveling to many places

You go
You keep moving forward

When the traffic's slow
In times of limited progress

Break lines lined up for miles and miles
Cars stuck in lines for miles

And you know the end is not in sight
When there's no end in sight

You can never take your rides
Can't escape the journey

Off the road
Unable to stop or take a break

When you're all alone
When you're by yourself