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 & 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 to Neil Young & Crazy Horse's song "Round & Round" are cryptic and open to interpretation, but a recurring theme seems to be the way in which we repeat patterns in our lives, leading to the cyclical nature of our existence. Young describes the process of weaving a wall to hem us in, suggesting that our habits and patterns eventually trap us in a cycle that we cannot break. The repetition of "it won't be long" implies that this cycle is endless and will continue until we make a conscious effort to break it.
Young also touches on the idea of self-deception and the lies we tell ourselves to avoid facing reality. He suggests that these lies are a crutch, used to shelter our pride when we cry. The line "Now you're movin' too slow and wherever you go, there's another besides" could be interpreted as a reference to infidelity or dishonesty in a relationship, with the singer struggling to say no to himself and facing the consequences of his actions.
The final verse adds another layer to the song, with Young highlighting the way in which time seems to bend and distort as we repeat our patterns. The singer's best friend looks "over the end," suggesting a finality or conclusion to something, although it is unclear what that might be. The song ends with a series of "oohs," leaving the listener to draw their own conclusions about the nature of this cyclical existence.
Line by Line Meaning
Round and round and round we spin
We keep repeating the same patterns and decisions in our lives
To weave a wall, to hem us in
These patterns and decisions create barriers that limit our freedom and growth
It won't be long, it won't be long
Change is inevitable and soon to come.
How slow and slow and slow it goes
Change is often a slow process
To mend the tear that always shows
We try to fix the issues in our lives but there is always a lingering problem
It won't be long, it won't be long
Change is inevitable and soon to come
It's hard enough losin' the paper illusion
It's difficult enough to lose one's illusions and learn to face reality
You've hidden inside
That you've suppressed or ignored for so long
Without the confusion of findin'
Without the additional challenge of realizing
You're usin' the crutch of the lie
That you rely on the lie to make yourself feel better and keep going
To shelter your pride when you cry
To preserve your ego when you face the truth about yourself
Now you're movin' too slow and wherever you go
You're moving through life at a slower pace and others are surpassing you
There's another besides
Others are achieving what you lack or desire
It's so hard to say no to yourself
It's difficult to make necessary changes and sacrifices
And it shows that you're losing inside
Your inability to change and grow indicates a deeper failure
When you step on your pride and you cry
When you have to confront your ego and limitations and face the truth about yourself
How the hours will bend
Time seems to change and drag on when we're stuck in negative patterns
Through the time that you spend
Through the time you waste on destructive habits and choices
'Til you turn to your eyes
Until you finally look at yourself
And you see your best friend
And face the true source of your limitations and pain
Looking over the end and you turn to see why
Finding the end of your destructive cycle and questioning why you're stuck there
And he looks in your eyes and he cries
Seeing the truth about yourself and finally breaking down emotionally
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Neil Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind