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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See The Sky About To Rain
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Locomotive, pull the train, whistle blowing through my brain
Signals curling on an open plain, rolling down the track again
See the sky about to rain
Some are bound for happiness, some are bound to glory
Some are bound to live with less, who can tell your story?
Locomotive, pull the train, whistle blowin' through my brain
Signals curlin' on an open plain, rollin' down the track again
See the sky about to rain
I was down in Dixie Land, played a silver fiddle
Played it loud and then the man broke it down the middle
See the sky about to rain
See the sky is about to rain
See the sky is about to rain
Ah, ah, ah, ah
"See the Sky About to Rain" is a song written by Neil Young, and it was first recorded in 1970 for his album "On the Beach". The opening line of the song itself, “See the sky about to rain,” sets a particular setting, of change and transformation, foreshadowing the narrative of the song that follows. The song essentially encapsulates two sections; one of natural phenomena, and the other about a personal journey. The first verse is about the weather—a storm is coming, unleashed by "broken clouds and rain"— and introduces the image of a "locomotive" pulling a train that's running constantly, just like those wandering thoughts going through someone's mind. The chorus is a repeated phrase, of "See the sky about to rain".
The second verse is more introspective, wondering about the fate of people in the face of inevitable change, it's essentially an introspective section of the song. The division of identity and lack of control over one's fate; some will be happy, some will be victorious, and others will maintain a humble existence. Similarly, people always make their own path, but are still bound by various external constraints.
Additionally, the narrative of a man playing a fiddle and then breaking it down himself provides an interesting contrast that can symbolize the ephemerality of life, the quick spiraling toward chaos, and how the thing that brings joy may also bring destruction. The song itself has a dream-like structure, a sort of disjointed narrative of wandering thoughts, with the opening verse contrasting heavily with different musings, yet each section works together holistically.
Line by Line Meaning
See the sky about to rain, broken clouds and rain
Observing the approaching signs of precipitation and predicting the onset of rain as evident by the scattered clouds
Locomotive, pull the train, whistle blowing through my brain
Drawing an analogy between the train's whistle and the sound of thoughts that run through the brain with fear and anxiety
Signals curling on an open plain, rolling down the track again
Imagining emotions like signals moving through the open space and transmitting them on a track that seems like a never-ending journey
Some are bound for happiness, some are bound to glory
Acknowledging the inevitability of fate and how each individual is destined for either success or greatness in life
Some are bound to live with less, who can tell your story?
Questioning the uncertainty of life and how often times people are unable to control the circumstances that lead them to live with fewer resources
I was down in Dixie Land, played a silver fiddle
Recalling a specific memory of playing a musical instrument in the southern states of America
Played it loud and then the man broke it down the middle
Facing disappointment and betrayal when someone destroys something that was created or cherished
See the sky is about to rain
See the sky is about to rain
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Repeating the initial observation and prediction that it is going to rain soon, accompanied by a somber melody conveying the inevitability of change and uncertainty of life
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Neil Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind