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/
Painter
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She looked around everywhere.
She saw the pictures and she painted them
She picked the colors from the air
Green to green
Red to red
Yellow to yellow in the light.
Blue to blue in the night.
It's a long road behind me.
It's a long road ahead.
If you follow every dream,
You might get lost.
If you follow every dream,
You might get lost.
She towed the line.
She held her end up.
She did the work of too many.
But in the end, she fell down
Before she got up again.
I keep my friends eternally.
We leave our tracks in the sound.
Some of them are with me now.
Some of them can't be found.
It's a long road behind me,
And I miss you now.
If you follow every dream,
You might get lost.
Neil Young's song The Painter is a tribute to a woman who may have been a painter or an artist. The song describes her standing before her artwork, looking all around, seeing the pictures and painting them the way she saw them. The lyrics convey a sense of awe and admiration for her ability to pick out the colors from the air and use them to create something beautiful. Neil Young uses simple yet profound lines such as "Green to green, Red to red" to emphasize her skill in painting, and how she can choose the colors she needs for her work. In the evening, everything turns black, as described by the line "Black to black when the evening comes," and at night everything is just shades of blue.
The song has a sense of nostalgia and introspection as Young reflects on his life's journey, saying, "It's a long road behind me. It's a long road ahead." The lyrics suggest that following your dreams can sometimes lead to getting lost, but it's worth the effort. The painter, who may have been a friend, worked hard and held her end up, but in the end, she fell down before getting up again. The last few lines suggest that Neil Young's friends are always with him, even if some of them are lost. He misses someone now, adding an undertone of sadness to the song.
Line by Line Meaning
The painter stood before her work;
The artist contemplated her creation before her.
She looked around everywhere.
She surveyed everything in her surroundings before beginning.
She saw the pictures and she painted them
She perceived images then painted them onto her canvas.
She picked the colors from the air
She chose colors by instinct and emotion rather than what was in front of her.
Green to green
She matched the color green to itself, conveying consistency.
Red to red
She matched the color red to itself, emphasizing routine.
Yellow to yellow in the light.
She matched the color yellow to itself in accordance to the lighting.
Black to black when the evening comes.
She matched the color black to itself when it became night.
Blue to blue in the night.
She matched the color blue to itself at nightfall.
It's a long road behind me.
The artist has traveled a long way and experienced a lot in the past.
It's a long road ahead.
The artist expects a long journey ahead of them that's full of challenges.
If you follow every dream,
Pursuing every aspiration one has
You might get lost.
It could be tough and trying to explore every ambition, without a clear sense of direction.
She towed the line.
The artist maintained a certain standard while working.
She held her end up.
The artist persevered towards the end goal.
She did the work of too many.
The artist took on too much work, more than she could handle.
But in the end, she fell down
Ultimately, the artist was unable to complete all of the work.
Before she got up again.
But the artist regained her composure and motivation to continue.
I keep my friends eternally.
Memories of loved ones remain in the artist's heart forever.
We leave our tracks in the sound.
Artists leave impressions in the songs they create.
Some of them are with me now.
Some of the artist's lost loved ones are still present in her life.
Some of them can't be found.
Unfortunately, some of the artist's loved ones have lost contact and cannot be reunited again.
And I miss you now.
The artist's absence of some memories of her loved ones keeps her longing for them.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: NEIL YOUNG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind