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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Slip Away
Neil Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She lives in such pain
She rides in a bulletproof
Stretch limousine
The smoke in the barroom nights
The faces in the window
The sound of the harbor horn
She recognized
And when the music started
She just slipped away
Just like a river rollin' down
And when the music started
She just slipped away
High on a windy hill
The turbine did whine
Low in the valley chill
A baby was cryin'
Impossible to take the time
The moment is here
Cry out from behind the pines
A voice comin' near
And when the music started
She just slipped away
Just like a river rollin' down
And when the music started
She just slipped away
The lyrics to Neil Young's song Slip Away are open to interpretation, but one can surmise that the singer is a woman who is seeking to escape from her reality. She is described as living in the TV sky which could mean she is consumed by the media or that she is a celebrity of sorts. However, she is also said to live in such pain. The fact that she rides in a bulletproof stretch limousine suggests that she is in fear of her life or that she is important enough to warrant such high-level security. The smoke in the barroom nights, the faces in the window, and the sound of the harbor horn are all images from her surroundings that she recognizes. When the music starts, she slips away, suggesting that music might be her only escape from the pain.
The second verse describes a seemingly pastoral scene where a turbine is whining on a hill and a baby is crying in the valley. The moment is here, but the singer finds it impossible to take the time. She hears a voice coming near and cries out from behind the pines. This verse is more cryptic than the first, but it seems to suggest that the singer is torn between two worlds, one of nature and ruggedness and the other of luxury and fame. However, she can't fully embrace either world.
Overall, the song Slip Away is a haunting and poetic exploration of a person's desire to escape from the realities of life. It is a beautiful and ethereal song that lingers in the mind.
Line by Line Meaning
She lives in the TV sky
The subject of the song is a woman who spends all her time watching TV.
She lives in such pain
Despite constantly staring at the TV, the woman lives a life of pain and misery.
She rides in a bulletproof Stretch limousine
The woman is rich and protected, living a life of luxury and extravagance.
The smoke in the barroom nights
The woman has spent time in smoky bars at night, possibly drinking and socializing.
The faces in the window
The woman remembers the faces she saw in the windows of the bars and clubs she visited.
The sound of the harbor horn She recognized
She hears a familiar sound, possibly symbolic of a place or event from her past.
And when the music started She just slipped away
The woman escapes from reality as soon as the music starts, using it as a form of escapism.
Just like a river rollin' down
The woman's escape is smooth and effortless, like a river flowing.
High on a windy hill The turbine did whine
The song shifts focus to another scene, describing a windy hill and the sound of a turbine.
Low in the valley chill A baby was cryin'
The scene changes again to a sad moment, where a baby is crying in a cold valley.
Impossible to take the time The moment is here
Despite wanting to, it is impossible to pause and appreciate the moment because time waits for no one.
Cry out from behind the pines A voice comin' near
A mysterious voice is heard, seemingly coming from behind the trees.
And when the music started She just slipped away
The song returns to the woman and her love for escapism through music.
Just like a river rollin' down
The woman falls into a trance as the music carries her away.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: NEIL YOUNG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind