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!"
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Round
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To weave a wall, to hem us in
It won't be long, it won't be long
How slow and slow and slow it goes
To mend the tear that always shows
It won't be long, it won't be long
It's hard enough losin' the paper illusion
Without the confusion of findin'
You're usin' the crutch of the lie
To shelter your pride when you cry
Round and round and round we spin
To weave a wall to hem us in
It won't be long, it won't be long
How slow and slow and slow it goes
To mend the tear that always shows
It won't be long, it won't be long
Now you're movin' too slow and wherever you go
There's another besides
It's so hard to say no to yourself
And it shows that you're losing inside
When you step on your pride and you cry
Round and round and round we spin
To weave a wall, to hem us in
It won't be long, it won't be long
How slow and slow and slow it goes
To mend the tear that always shows
It won't be long, it won't be long
How the hours will bend
Through the time that you spend
'Til you turn to your eyes
And you see your best friend
Looking over the end and you turn to see why
And he looks in your eyes and he cries
Round and round and round we spin
To weave a wall to hem us in
It won't be long, it won't be long
How slow and slow and slow it goes
To mend the tear that always shows
It won't be long, it won't be long
Ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
The lyrics of Neil Young's song "Round and Round" describe the cyclical nature of relationships, the pain of realizing that one has been living a false reality, and the difficulty of setting aside pride in order to move on. The lines "round and round and round we spin, to weave a wall to hem us in" paint a picture of a relationship that is stuck in a cycle of repetition, of two people continuously building up walls to protect themselves from the hurt they have experienced in the past. The song's refrain "it won't be long, it won't be long" suggests that this cycle cannot go on forever, and that some type of resolution or change is inevitable.
The second verse of the song is particularly poignant, as it addresses the painful process of realizing that a relationship is built on lies and illusions. Young sings, "It's hard enough losin' the paper illusion you've hidden inside, without the confusion of findin' you're usin' the crutch of the lie to shelter your pride when you cry." Here, he suggests that it is difficult enough to come to terms with the fact that one has been living in a fantasy world, but that it is even more challenging to accept that one has been using falsehoods to prop up their self-esteem.
In the final verse of the song, Young describes the exhaustion that comes from spending so much time and effort trying to maintain a relationship that is not healthy or sustainable. He sings, "How the hours will bend through the time that you spend till you turn to your eyes, And you see your best friend looking over the end and you turn to see why, And he looks in your eyes and he cries." This image of a best friend crying as they witness the pain and self-deception of their loved one is a powerful one, and one that perfectly encapsulates the message of the song.
Overall, "Round and Round" is a beautiful and melancholic expression of the difficulties that come with any long-term relationship. From the cyclical nature of the verses to the resolving refrains, Young masterfully captures the complex emotions that arise when two people become intertwined.
Line by Line Meaning
Round and round and round we spin,
We keep circling in the same cycle of behaviors and thoughts.
To weave a wall to hem us in,
Our behaviors and thoughts build a barrier that traps us inside.
It won't be long, it won't be long
Change is inevitable and will happen sooner than we think.
How slow and slow and slow it goes,
Change takes time and can be a slow process.
To mend the tear that always shows.
To fix the underlying issue that constantly crops up.
It won't be long, it won't be long.
Change will come sooner than we think.
It's hard enough losin',
Losing something is already difficult enough.
the paper illusion you've hidden inside,
The imaginary image of yourself that you keep concealed.
Without the confusion of findin' you're usin'
Without the added difficulty of realizing you're relying on
the crutch of the lie to shelter your pride when you cry.
Lying to yourself to protect your ego when you're vulnerable.
Now you're movin' too slow and wherever you go there's another beside.
You're not moving forward and have someone else with you at all times.
It's so hard to say no to yourself and it shows that you're losing inside,
It's difficult to deny yourself what you want and reveals that you're unhappy inside.
When you step on your pride and you cry.
When you swallow your pride and let your emotions show.
How the hours will bend through the time that you spend till you turn to your eyes,
Time seems to stretch the longer we spend trying to change.
And you see your best friend looking over the end and you turn to see why,
You notice your trusted confidant watching you from the sidelines.
And he looks in your eyes and he cries.
Your friend sees the pain in your eyes and is moved to tears.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Neil Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind